Create an employer brand that attracts top talent!

Create an employer brand that attracts top talent!

An employer brand refers to a company’s reputation as an employer. It is influenced by the image a company promotes of itself to the general public.

When we talk about Google, for instance, we immediately think of a company that values employee wellbeing, by providing amenities and exercise facilities for its workforce. This is employer branding at its best.

Ireland is recovering from an economic recession that saw unemployment figures hit 16 per cent at its worst point. The situation has improved, with figures currently standing at around 5 per cent, but the new challenge facing us relates to skills shortages.

Recent reports list shortages in manufacturing, information communications technology (ICT), automation, validation, engineering, quality, R&D, data analytics, the construction industry, the hospitality sector and more.

With companies now competing for the same small pool of talent, developing a strong employer brand for recruitment purposes has never been more important.

Here are five tips for developing and maintaining a strong employer brand.

 

1. Establish an ethos

What message do you want to send out into the world about your business and what you are like to work for?

The message needs to highlight your most attractive qualities and values. By deciding what your company stands for, you have already started your journey towards establishing a strong employer brand.

Educate each employee that joins the company on these values, so that they too can practice them.

Make sure each and every piece of advertising and literature published reflects those standards, so that in the end you have an all-encompassing company culture and brand.

 

2. Social Media

Social media is perhaps the most important marketing and PR tool available to a company when building an employer brand.

Social media posts should offer a window into a company’s values and working environment. The most effective means of achieving this is with employee testimonials. Written testimonials work, but video clips are more valuable in terms of social engagement.

Share photos of employees in the office and from events; offer insights into the personalities that work for you; provide short clips that highlight values your company represents.

All of this will go a long way to building an attractive brand and attracting top talent.

 

3. Content is king

Posting for the sake of posting will not cut it. People want companies to engage with the major issues of the day, in order to get a sense of what that company stands for.

Be engaging by posting about topical issues, comment on white papers, start a blog, undertake and refer to surveys, share relevant reports, provide free tips by way of video.

It is important that all content, including job advertisements, is presented professionally and that it is engaging to the target audience.

Every piece of information a company puts out into the public sphere should communicate a similar message to achieve continuity in terms of its employer brand.

 

4. Your employees are your PR gurus!

We all talk to friends and family about our work happiness, and they might pass it on to people in their inner circle.

Word of mouth has reach, so it is important to regularly check on the satisfaction of your workforce.

Make your employees happy in their jobs by giving praise when it is due, by offering upskilling and flexible working conditions, and by conveying your appreciation for the role they play in making your company what it is.

To paraphrase Richard Branson, train your employees well enough so they can leave, but treat them well enough so they don’t want to.

 

5. Respect all job seekers

Many companies are unaware of the lengths some job seekers go to. Research has shown that applicants can spend three hours or more on an application, while employers believe they only spend one.

Treating applicants with respect throughout the entire process can positively impact an employer brand. During the interview process, be polite and engaging, perhaps taking some time to explain the company’s culture and values.

While it can be difficult to reply to all the applicants, doing so will create an image of a company who appreciates peoples’ time and effort.

Drafting a generic refusal letter that can be addressed to individual applicants is not overly time consuming.

Providing feedback as to why a person was not successful in their application is another way of showing respect.

 

Conclusion

All in all, the aim is to promote a positive image of your company, and one which attracts the very best talent available in the jobs market.

HERO Recruitment works with employers from a wide range of industries, helping them to build and develop their brands so that they serve them now and into the future, from an employment perspective and beyond.

For more information, contact Roisin McNamara, HERO Recruitment Galway on (091) 73002, Dublin on (01) 6190279 and Cork on (021) 2066287.