What Is Employer Branding and Why Does It Matter? Employer Branding from the Inside Out Large companies spend significant amounts of time and budget building a brand to attract and retain a loyal consumer segment, without considering the impact of their employer brand. In some organizations, the connection that should exist between the two separate—though related— branding concepts is more of a missing link. As a result, a valuable recruitment tool is overlooked. The company brand attracts consumers, and the employer brand should attract job candidates, among other things. A successful employer brand conveys a sense of the company mission to those within the organization, as well as to those looking for a place in it. Today’s economy may seem like a “buyer’s market” from the job seeker’s point of view, with plenty of candidates chasing too few jobs, but a well-managed company recognizes that they are in a deeply competitive race to attract the right candidates for every open position. How can you build your employer brand? Simply put, build it from the inside out. How to Build the Employer Brand As a business owner or manager, ensure that all employees are treated with respect, and the best employees are fully engaged, with opportunities to influence those around them. These steps help build the foundation for a strong, attractive company culture. Communicate with employees frequently, sharing information about the company’s goals and plans, a strategy that has been shown to boost engagement. A fully engaged workforce promotes a vibrant employer brand, leading to reduced turnover and, in turn, increased productivity levels. When this cycle of communication is in place, a strong company culture takes root, attracting better workers to an environment that respects and acknowledges their contributions. The Force of Company Culture and Employer Branding As an HR professional, how can you best use the employer brand to successfully recruit and promote the retention of high quality applicants? Plan ways to reinforce the brand at every point of contact, from the careers page on your website, to the job application formatting and language, and on through the interviewing and hiring process. Be well-versed in the company mission and culture, and act as a representative of the ways it respects and reinforces an employee’s sense of personal value. Above all, communicate. Up to 70% of companies never contact job applicants, thereby missing a golden opportunity to promote the brand. Recruiters should engage with and contact applicants, who may ultimately become brand ambassadors on the company’s behalf. When recruiting, you can actively model company values by demonstrating them to applicants.
HR people apply their specialized skills to get a more nuanced read of a candidate than is possible with automated systems alone. Of course, the many hundreds of resumes that pour in for a good job opportunity present an obstacle to the lofty goal of individual contact, but that is where human resources tools come in. The newest technology uses Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to maximize recruiting efforts, organizing candidate files and screening out as much as 70% of resumes before they reach a recruiter. A comprehensive, straightforward program like Recruiterbox does all of this, freeing up valuable time to more thoroughly evaluate the resumes of higher quality candidates. The program enables better penetration of heavily automated social media feeds, with a highly visible presence on key sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Aided by easy-to-use, advanced technology, a talented recruiter can change the outlook for a company that seeks to improve hiring outcomes and employee engagement, thereby building retention and productivity. The key is ensuring that every member of the staff, including HR, knows the company culture, believes in it, and is a committed ambassador of that all-important employer brand.