Unlocking The Power of Reputation
5 ways to strengthen your employer brand
Posted on 06-19-2024, Read Time: 7 Min
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Highlights
- A powerful employer brand communicates many things, and it’s linked to how people experience value and define being part of a team in a working environment.
- A positive approach to employer branding means being proactive, prioritizing the prospect and employee experience and listening.
- Recruiting is more than matching the right person to the right role.
Recruiters are finally seeing some signs of relief. The labor market balanced slightly in 2023, as shown by falling demand, higher supply and moderate wage growth — giving recruiters some breathing room in 2024.
In fact, the coming months are expected to be pretty stable and boring. As a result, the talent acquisition industry seems to be shifting away from one of the most turbulent labor markets seen in decades, experiencing lower costs and better outcomes when it comes to recruiting.
With a more stable recruiting year ahead, it might be the opportune time to kick up your talent acquisition strategy. One rising trend that’s proving to be impactful is building a stronger employer brand. This includes various employment and career attributes, such as an organization’s vision, career paths, mission, values, culture, community, passions, ways of working, total rewards and so much more.
A powerful employer brand communicates many things, and it’s linked to how people experience value and define being part of a team in a working environment. Your employer brand affects every aspect of the employment experience, from recruitment and onboarding to employee retention and engagement.
Reputation Is Critical for Recruiting
Statistics show that 86% of American women and 67% of American men wouldn’t join a company with a bad reputation, and 75% of job seekers are more likely to apply for jobs with companies that actively manage their employer brand.It’s true, reputation is critical, and a strong employer brand helps job seekers (and employees) make better career decisions. Plus, it’s linked to how people perceive their experiences with a company.
A positive approach to employer branding means being proactive, prioritizing the prospect and employee experience and listening. If you’re not taking steps to create a positive brand, you’re likely not connecting with most of the job market and missing some serious benefits, such as:
● Inspiring top, qualified talent who want to make a difference and grow:
Being upfront about the value and care your company brings to employees, including the growth and learning opportunities, can help attract ideal candidates. In fact, a recent study said 84% of job seekers are willing to forego higher pay if you offer ample non-monetary benefits like great culture, growth opportunities, flexibility, etc.
● Reducing the time and cost it takes to hire someone new:
The size and quality of your talent pipeline can be tied directly to your employer brand. If your company clearly communicates career value, the hiring manager doesn’t have to say "no” as often, which saves on resources. Additionally, companies can use creative ways to set candidate expectations earlier in the process, even before posting a job opening, and get a jumpstart on highly qualified candidates. It’s much easier to start with candidates than to start with nothing.
● Boosting retention and creating a culture of brand advocates:
Employees are more likely to stay at a company when working in a supportive culture because they can more easily envision a future they want. Recent data indicates it costs 30%-150% of an employee’s salary to fill their position, underlining the importance of retention.
Being upfront about the value and care your company brings to employees, including the growth and learning opportunities, can help attract ideal candidates. In fact, a recent study said 84% of job seekers are willing to forego higher pay if you offer ample non-monetary benefits like great culture, growth opportunities, flexibility, etc.
● Reducing the time and cost it takes to hire someone new:
The size and quality of your talent pipeline can be tied directly to your employer brand. If your company clearly communicates career value, the hiring manager doesn’t have to say "no” as often, which saves on resources. Additionally, companies can use creative ways to set candidate expectations earlier in the process, even before posting a job opening, and get a jumpstart on highly qualified candidates. It’s much easier to start with candidates than to start with nothing.
● Boosting retention and creating a culture of brand advocates:
Employees are more likely to stay at a company when working in a supportive culture because they can more easily envision a future they want. Recent data indicates it costs 30%-150% of an employee’s salary to fill their position, underlining the importance of retention.
Actionable Steps for Building a More Powerful Employer Brand
It’s clear. A strong employer brand greatly impacts recruiting resources. It affects not only prospects and current employees, but it also reaches your customers and other stakeholders to impact business growth and performance overall. We’ve outlined five recruitment strategies below to strengthen, activate and amplify your employer brand.1. Social media is ideal for creating connections and sharing your employer brand by posting insightful content, pulling back the curtain to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the culture and giving access to growth opportunities. It’s also a great channel for empowering employees to share their experiences, which offer a unique perspective as well as deeper insights.
Bottom Line: Leverage social media to show prospects, employees and others what they can expect now and into the near future should they join your organization.
2. People share positive experiences freely, and if they’re happy, they’re writing sincere reviews. Develop a recruitment process that’s engaging, transparent and focused on encouraging feedback. You’ll create positive experiences from the ground level, and you’ll set the stage for a working environment that’s thoughtful, inclusive and collaborative.
Bottom Line: Enhance the employer brand experience by improving the applicant and candidate experience.
3. If you understand people, you know that everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated. In fact, statistics show employees are 63% more likely to stay at their current jobs if they’ve been recognized in some way. Encourage open and honest communication, listen to and act on employee concerns, create collaboration opportunities and show appreciation for hard work regularly. When peers, managers and leaders routinely share recognition, it can vastly improve engagement and retention.
Bottom Line: Be creative in how you show appreciation and show it often.
4. In addition to feeling valued, people also want to make a difference. Highlighting employee achievements is a great practice for helping employees see their impact while inspiring others in the workplace. Public recognition via social media, celebration tactics, awards ceremonies and even a shoutout in the company newsletter are great for building employee confidence and motivation to do their best work.
Bottom Line: Celebrate wins at every level because even the small ones show progress.
5. Your people know other great people. An employee referral program might encourage current employees to refer people they know for jobs within your organization. This helps fill your hiring pool with more qualified candidates and engage employees at the same time. Referrals are more effective when they incentivize the right behavior. Not everyone is motivated by an award, and it's a good practice to ask employees what would encourage more referrals.
Bottom Line: Consider developing an employee referral program to widen your recruitment network.
Bottom Line: Leverage social media to show prospects, employees and others what they can expect now and into the near future should they join your organization.
2. People share positive experiences freely, and if they’re happy, they’re writing sincere reviews. Develop a recruitment process that’s engaging, transparent and focused on encouraging feedback. You’ll create positive experiences from the ground level, and you’ll set the stage for a working environment that’s thoughtful, inclusive and collaborative.
Bottom Line: Enhance the employer brand experience by improving the applicant and candidate experience.
3. If you understand people, you know that everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated. In fact, statistics show employees are 63% more likely to stay at their current jobs if they’ve been recognized in some way. Encourage open and honest communication, listen to and act on employee concerns, create collaboration opportunities and show appreciation for hard work regularly. When peers, managers and leaders routinely share recognition, it can vastly improve engagement and retention.
Bottom Line: Be creative in how you show appreciation and show it often.
4. In addition to feeling valued, people also want to make a difference. Highlighting employee achievements is a great practice for helping employees see their impact while inspiring others in the workplace. Public recognition via social media, celebration tactics, awards ceremonies and even a shoutout in the company newsletter are great for building employee confidence and motivation to do their best work.
Bottom Line: Celebrate wins at every level because even the small ones show progress.
5. Your people know other great people. An employee referral program might encourage current employees to refer people they know for jobs within your organization. This helps fill your hiring pool with more qualified candidates and engage employees at the same time. Referrals are more effective when they incentivize the right behavior. Not everyone is motivated by an award, and it's a good practice to ask employees what would encourage more referrals.
Bottom Line: Consider developing an employee referral program to widen your recruitment network.
It Pays to Boost Your Employer Brand
Recruiting is more than matching the right person to the right role. It’s about helping your company stand out in a crowded hiring landscape to attract candidates who can see a bright future with your team and bring transferable skills to the role. A strong employer brand helps recruiters engage top talent better with higher impact while building a stronger team that is invested in helping your organization, and each other, succeed.Author Bio
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Matt Gilbert is Vice President, Employer Brand Strategy, at Appcast. With nearly 20 years of industry experience in employer brand, EVP and recruitment marketing, Matt is a recognized thought leader, industry speaker, and innovator. He has developed and activated over 350 employer brand programs since entering the field. |
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