Trouble hiring for that desired skill set? Can’t seem to draw in the type of talent you seek? There are ways to position your company in the marketplace as a desired destination point for top talent. In this ever decreasing talent pool of qualified technical candidates that we call the employment market how do we find and attract those that aren’t necessarily looking but might be open to pursuing a new opportunity? Here are some pointers on how to brand… not only your company… but also its culture and the work environment your employees will have to live and breathe in day in and day out. Let’s give potential candidates an idea of what it is really like to work for you.
You know that you have an excellent work environment, but are you doing all you can to make sure those on the outside know that? Here some tips on how to boost your curb appeal:
Understand the business needs. Employer branding activities may be misdirected if long-term business needs are not fully understood. Understand what types of competences the organization needs in order to deliver on the business plan.
Define the main target groups. Define the weight between current and future talent, based on the business needs and the critical competencies. How many resources should an organization spend on attracting new talent versus retaining and developing current talent? Define the main and secondary external target groups that need to be reached.
Understand the target groups. After defining the main and secondary external and internal target groups, fully understand them. Organizations should use research to understand what these groups find attractive. Employers should also know the target groups’ current perceptions of the organization and know which stage of the decision process they are in. The deeper the understanding of the target groups, the more effective the communication will be.
Optimize the employer value proposition. This item could take
up an entire blog to itself. An employer value proposition should be the foundation for all external and internal communication with talent. Optimizing the EVP means ensuring that it includes attributes and communication themes that are attractive, credible, sustainable, and that allow for differentiation in the long term. The first step to an effective strategy is defining the EVP. To do this, survey your current employees to see what they value about your company. This is key to finding strong areas and areas to improve. More importantly, this will provide a clear direction as to how you should position your employment branding strategy externally.
Career Page and Job Descriptions. Some clients I have worked with don’t have a career page on their website at all. That blows my mind! How do you track your applicants? An engaging career page should be at the heart of your employment brand. It must be interactive, informative and mobile optimized. It should include links that showcase company culture and get specific about company benefits and perks. Candidates must be able to gain a deep understanding of what it’s like to work for
your organization with one visit to the career page. Additionally, job descriptions should complement these efforts by incorporating engaging company content to provide a realistic job preview.
Employee testimonials and reviews. Although putting out corporate collateral is the cornerstone of effective employment branding, candidates weigh employee reviews and testimonials heavily in forming an opinion about your company. Allowing your employees to be candid in reviews on career websites like Glassdoor and promoting video interviews of employees talking about their experience working at the company is important for building a well-rounded branding strategy. By empowering employees to act as brand ambassadors, candidates will find your employer brand to be credible.
Social Media. Following company pages allows candidates to learn about important company updates, hear about career opportunities in real-time and see what other people are saying about the company. Employers must utilize this resource to promote content from career pages and keep the audience engaged. Social media community managers should manage the company’s online reputation by engaging in two-way communication with candidates.
Images and
Videos. To give candidates a realistic preview of what it’s like working at your organization, images and videos are important. These visuals help candidates picture “a day in the life” working for your organization. Images of the corporate office and employees gathering at company events, as well as videos of employees talking about their career progression will get candidates excited about applying to your company.
There you have it! Now get to work, your next top performing employee is out there…do you have what it takes to reel them in? For help with any of your recruiting needs, call us at 913.940.5391.