As the lines blur even more between marketing and recruitment, the best brands are bold and authentic, sharing ‘what it’s really like to work here.’ An insight into company culture, career progression and colleagues, is now a must for job-seekers. The in-house recruitment function has the opportunity to be a key influencer of employer brand so here are LaunchPad’s top 10 tips to make sure you attract top talent.
1. Define your message Create an authentic message and tone of voice for your brand, so that candidates know exactly what to expect as an employee. Make sure the brand voice is consistent at every touch-point by aligning the messaging on your careers website with video content, advertising, assessment platforms and one-on-one conversations with the recruitment team. Aim to present a cohesive picture of the organisation but not to the point that uniformity detracts from the human elements and differentiators of your brand - which HBR says are an essential ingredient of employee value proposition.
2. Nurture your culture Recruitment plays an influential role in nurturing culture, ensuring right-fit talent is brought on board. Consider what type of culture you’re aiming to create. For example, 83% of millennials are actively engaged when they believe an organisation fosters an inclusive culture and there are lots of things you can do as a recruitment team to make hiring more inclusive. Employer brand is a reflection of your culture rather than something that can be prescribed, and so building a positive culture is the root of a strong employer brand.
3. Understand brand perception Employees will undoubtedly use platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Glassdoor and Indeed to share their experiences. In fact, Glassdoor reports that 70% of people look at reviews before they make career decisions. These platforms are a source of valuable feedback to address elements of your employee value proposition. Of course, not all employees will be happy all of the time but look out for pain points that could deter right-fit talent from applying.
4. Build brand advocacy Thanks to technology and social media, marketing is no longer the guardian of brand. Both corporate and employer brand are in the hands of your employees - and customers. 84 percent of people trust peer-to-peer recommendations over any other form of advertising according to marketing magazine, the Drum. This applies to recruitment too. Hence, it’s vital to get everyone who can amplify your employer brand on-board, from front-line staff to hiring managers. Afford employees some freedom on social media and provide platforms for them build their own brand by sharing elements of their working lives with others. Consider how you can use posts from employees on enterprise social networks, internal Facebook groups and intranets on your career social channels.
5. Embrace technology Technology lends a huge boost to employer brand by providing better communication channels and improving the candidate experience. Platforms like LaunchPad mean candidates have a smooth and personalised journey from their first engagement with a company right through to on-boarding. Technology can streamline candidate engagement, job search, applications, assessment and selection processes, as well as interview scheduling and feedback. Thanks to technology, all recruitment teams can provide an exceptional candidate experience that reinforces employer brand.
6. Treat candidates like customers Glassdoor endorses the view that candidates are increasingly treating a job search like online shopping. As part of their research job-seekers want to know about your company’s expectations, work style and interview process. They may also leave reviews about their candidate experience. Therefore, it’s important to provide a positive, consistent, fair and engaging journey. LaunchPad’s platform offers a fully-branded content-rich candidate experience whether you want to incorporate video interviewing, game-based assessment or psychometrics. Automation means candidates move through quickly to the next stage, avoiding unnecessary delays.
7. Use storytelling Once you’ve initiated contact with target talent, keep potential candidates engaged through regular communication. Telling the story might include landing pages that show videos relevant to job roles posted or sharing stories from current employees about their own experiences. Storytelling is an opportunity to make your brand personal, to tell the story of real people rather than the faceless corporate. By using engaging human narratives, you’ll better attract the type of candidates who could see themselves creating similar stories. Therefore, increasing the probability that right-fit talent will enter the top of the recruitment funnel.
8. Add depth There are plenty of tactics beyond words that you can use to actively promote your employer brand. Providing an appealing vision that inspires people can often be best accomplished visually – through photography, imagery or video. Many of our clients are exploring social media channels like Snapchat and Instagram to connect with their target talent populations. Depth also means making communication a conversation rather than a one-way street. You could consider tools like chatbots for helping candidates get answers to their questions or hosting online chats about careers.
9. Own your space Make sure you are where your target talent is. Whether it be LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, make your impact in the right places. This tactic is especially valuable if you’re trying to hire in an area that’s outside your usual sphere - think of banks that need fintech talent or a retailer moving into new geographical markets.
10. Connect employer and corporate brand A positive candidate experience adds value to both employer and consumer brand. And conversely there are risks: 25% of UK job-seekers have either stopped purchasing or purchased less from a brand because of a negative candidate experience. Employer brand enables those outside your organisation to understand your purpose, vision and culture. Although corporate and employer brand have different audiences, the messages should be consistent. In our connected world we use many of the same channels to speak to our customers as we do our candidates.
Source: https://launchpadrecruits.com/insight-articles/improve-employer-branding-recruitment
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