Halfway between marketing and recruitment, employer branding refers to the reputation and brand image that a company sends to potential candidates. It is also a way for a company to stand out from the competition by highlighting its identity and values.
Often underestimated by companies, employer branding can help attract more qualified talent. According to a LinkedIn study published in 2015, companies with a good employer brand are 31% more likely to get responses to InMails they send to candidates.
Here are five things you can do to boost your employer brand!
Taking care of your employees
Let’s start with the obvious. There’s no point in spending time and energy on your employer brand if it’s just a marketing ploy without a solid foundation. Starting your employer-employee relationship with false promises is sure to create resentment and frustration among your new hires.
In other words, the efforts you make every day to improve your employees’ experience will have a direct and lasting impact on your employer brand. Remember, your employees are your best ambassadors. The more fulfilled they are, the better reputation you will enjoy.
💡 To remember
Also according to LinkedIn, companies that invest in their employer brand would see their recruitment costs drop by 43%. The reason is simple: the stronger an employer brand is in the minds of candidates, the less that company needs to invest in recruitment campaigns, marketing campaigns, etc.
Some good practices to take care of your employees:
- Check regularly on their fulfillment: are they satisfied with their missions, their career, the atmosphere within the company, their benefits…
- Offer a stimulating and pleasant work environment: with a benevolent and transparent management, comfortable offices, resources to increase their skills…
- Listening to their needs: in terms of evolution, desire for training…
Define the company’s values
What are the values that drive your employees and bring them together? And our company’s raison d’être, its mantra, its mission? What are its convictions, what differentiates it from its competitors? What are the key characteristics, the character traits shared by all your employees?
The answers to these questions will allow you to precisely define your values. Then, think about highlighting them on your career site or recruitment page. The more you communicate what defines your company, the more you’ll attract like-minded talent!
💡 A good employer brand knows how to inspire candidates and convince them that they will be able to grow fully within the company.
Some good reflexes to build a company culture
- Tell the story of how your company was born, why it exists and the challenges it has faced along the way.
- Get all your employees together and participate in defining your values. To be relevant, they must reflect who you really are.
Strengthen your presence on social networks
Once you have clearly defined your values, all you have to do is highlight them on your various social networks (especially LinkedIn or Instagram, which lend themselves well to storytelling). Also take advantage of these speaking spaces to highlight your internal events, to illustrate your team cohesion… It’s also an opportunity to present your employees, by making employee portraits for example!
👉 How is it useful?
These elements, secondary in appearance, will allow candidates to project themselves within your company! By discovering your offices, the personality of the employees or the events that bring you together, the candidate can already feel if your universe speaks to him/her or not. A clever way for the candidate to assess his/her own culture-fit (i.e. his/her fit with your company’s culture).
💡 To remember
According to this infographic by CareerAct, 70% of Millennials use social networks to evaluate a company’s employer brand. If you are looking to recruit young talent, investing in social networks is absolutely essential!
Pay attention to your job offers
And above all, make sure that you create job offers that reflect you and your values. If, for example, originality and innovation are two elements that define you, it would be completely inconsistent to propose a job offer that simply lists the tasks to be accomplished and the profile sought.
Take advantage of your job offers to stand out. Don’t hesitate to infuse them with the soul of your company. If you are a young startup with a self-deprecating attitude and a passion for movies, don’t hesitate to include movie references and a few touches of humor in your descriptions. The tone should also reflect the atmosphere of your company (light and familiar for a human-sized startup, neutral and professional for a recruitment firm…)
Also, remember to include some useful but often forgotten information in your job offers, such as the average age of your employees, the number of employees, the gender ratio… All this information will allow your applicants to project themselves into the company with precision!
Boost your employer brand : involve your employees
They are in the best position to give an objective and sincere opinion about your company: give your employees a voice! If their well-being is at the center of your daily concerns, then you should be able to count on their support.
This is even more necessary today, at a time when online reputation is a major issue for companies. In fact, according to an Indeed study, 87% of job seekers say they look at reviews written about a potential employer before forming an opinion about them.
💡 Takeaway.
Your employees aren’t the only people who can build you a good (or bad) reputation! Remember to take care of your candidate experience as well. For example, make it a point to treat all your candidates with respect. Be transparent and responsive in your dealings, don’t leave any application unanswered, even if the feedback is negative… Ensuring that all candidates have a pleasant experience sends a very positive message to your potential future hires! To achieve this, don’t hesitate to use a recruitment software.
Boost your employer brand, in conclusion
Still underestimated by companies, employer branding is nevertheless an excellent lever for attracting and retaining talent. However, to be effective in the long term, it must reflect the reality of your company. If you want to build a positive and inspiring image, you must first do everything possible to improve your employee experience! Don’t forget that your employees are your best ambassadors: their opinion carries more weight than the most brilliant communication campaign.
