Build your employer brand and win the war for talent

Companies need to put as much attention into their employer brand as they do their consumer brand. Whilst marketing your services to new clients is crucial for business success, attraction and retention of staff to actually deliver the work to the very best standard in order to stand out from the competition is equally important. With platforms such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn at the height of their popularity for job seekers, and the potential launch of Google for Jobs around the corner, it’s never been so important to consider your employer brand and digital is a great platform to help you achieve this. 

So what is your value proposition to new employees? and why should job hunters choose your brand over another? Below we’ve listed 10 steps to help you understand your EVP and build your employer brand.

1/ What is your employer value proposition?

Before you jump into building a new careers website or plan a company-wide excursion, it’s important to establish why you are a different employer to your competition and what benefits you are giving back to your employees.

A great way to do this is to ask your workforce. Why do people like working for your business? What would they change if they could? What could you be doing better? 

2/ Assess your greatest assets

Who are the key performers in your business across each department? What makes them so good? How do you define “good”? Make a list of similar personality traits to ensure you attract the right people time and time again who embody your values and create a positive culture.

3/ Showcase your brand ambassadors 

Those employees that have your business running through their veins – these are your brand ambassadors. Whether they have been with you 10 years or three months, make a feature of them on your website and social media channels. Make sure they know their opinion matters and involve them in the organisation of company events, mentorship programmes and even your hiring or onboarding processes. Their passion for the business will easily rub off on new hires and positivity breeds positivity. 

4/ Be conscious of employer reviews 

Employment review sites such as Glassdoor can offer a strong insight into the good and bad aspects of your company. While it’s easy to view negative reviews as a detriment, they present valuable opportunities to build a better place to work. It is important not to ignore any negative reviews, the best course of action is to address any issues quickly and efficiently and use the constructive criticism to improve processes and ensure that anyone who walks in or out of your business, does so positively.

5/ Build a careers website that converts

An internal careers website doesn't have to be complicated and can either be a stand-alone domain, or a section of your corporate website. Make sure the user experience is extremely easy, job search intuitive and the ability to apply for a job or upload a CV is easy on mobile. Here's a checklist for your careers website;

• Design

You have 7 seconds to make an impression on a candidate before they return to Google, so make your design count. A responsive design that allows candidates to apply on the go will increase the conversion rate of your website.

• Job Search Features

Consider a free text job search with closest match functionality that always returns a result to increase engagement. Intuitive searching that recommends other jobs will also increase a candidate's time on site. e.g. "Jobs you might be interested in"

• Job Application / Registration

Features such as Quick CV drop (no registration required), Apply via LinkedIn, 
Register via social account
, Upload CV via Dropbox or Google drive and job alerts for registered candidates will encourage more registrations and job applications

• Content

This is your chance to showcase what it's like to work at your organisation
 and shout about perks and incentives
. Make sure your web copy makes people sit up and listen, and use video to really capture the environment inside the office. 

Build out sector hubs of niche content for candidates but also internal hires so they recognise you are experts in your field.

6/ Consider your job descriptions

Job descriptions typically focus on the role at hand and put less emphasis on the company itself. Make sure you sell the company, just as much as the role.

7/ Marketing and HR to join forces

This is probably my favourite piece of advice in the list and seems obvious, but having HR and marketing work together is crucial when filling vacancies. Before you plough your budget into recruitment fees, consider paid social advertising and display banners to drive engagement from new recruits. Use local and sector publications to shout about your senior hires and also open vacancies.

8/ Be social on your social  

Let’s face it, before an interview, an interviewee will most probably check you out on social media. It’s important to have a balance of client content and also content for internal recruitment. If you don’t want to muddy the water then use your Facebook or Instagram for events and company socials, and channels like Linkedin and Twitter for more serious content.

9/ Applaud and award

There are many accreditations that measure, improve and recognise great workplace and employee engagement. Published by the Sunday Times, everyone will recognise "The Sunday Times Best Companies to work for". Great Place to Work is another who specialise in workplace culture assessment, employee surveys and external recognition.

10/ Spend time together.

Teambuilding out of office hours has been shown to increase team skills, communication, improve morale and increase productivity. However, it's not just team building exercises that make an impact. It could be as simple as a company organised pub quiz, the introduction of a pool table to the office or a challenge such as a marathon! A new friend or conversation that you otherwise wouldn't have had, all lead to a better workplace experience.

You need to have a strong employer brand to accurately reflect your company’s values, culture and personality. This creates a positive perception of your business across all aspects of the market including recruitment.

Understanding your employer value proposition should be your first step and can help you cut through the noise and stand out to the right candidates. Employer branding isn’t just important in the recruitment process, it should be at every stage of the workforce from interview and onboarding to the daily office culture. This will help build and retain a strong workforce that is truly invested in your brand.