It has always been the case that the best talent has leverage over employers in the job market, but that may be truer than ever today. Good help is hard to find, especially when job seekers have access to opportunities all over the country or the world. The job search is hard on the applicants as well, and they look for ways to quickly decide among potential employers, building mental images of companies long before they interview or apply. If you want your company to be in the running for the best talent, then it’s important to build, maintain, and promote a quality employer brand.
What Is Your Employer Brand?
Employer branding refers to the way organizations differentiate themselves from competitors in the market for employees. What is your company’s reputation among your workers? How is it as a place to work? Do your employees feel cared for? Taken care of? Would they recommend you to their friends? These are all important questions, and they all contribute to your employer brand.
Research indicates that recruiters believe the best ways to develop and maintain a quality employer brand are:
- Social media (47 percent)
- The company’s career website (21 percent)
- Traditional marketing and advertising (12 percent)
According to LinkedIn research, more than three-quarters of people who are looking for jobs look into the company’s employer brand before they apply. This means that most of the candidates you interact with will already have an image of your company, especially those candidates who have the most employment options.
“Today, employer brand is more important than ever, as nearly one-third of young people say they will preemptively reject a company with poor reviews,” said Rachel Bitte, Chief People Officer at Jobvite. “Recruiters must strategically consider how to position what it’s like to work at their company.”
Employer Brand Is About More Than Just Hiring
Having a well-developed employer brand makes current employees proud of their positions. It becomes something to brag about. Additionally, devoting resources to the brand and its maintenance can reduce costs elsewhere. Companies who have stellar brand images don’t have to spend as much on recruiting costs because they don’t have to recruit as hard. Recruiting costs are also reduced by a strong brand because time to fill is reduced and the best employees are more likely to stay for the long run.
Hires through referrals are also likely to increase for companies with strong employer brands. Current employees will act as ambassadors if they’re proud of where they work. The attitudes of current employees, positive or negative, further develop the company’s brand; strong branding creates a cycle where the brand gets stronger, which makes employees prouder and more content, which makes the brand stronger, and so on.
Communication With Candidates
Once your company has established its brand as an employer, it’s time to bridge that into communications with job seekers. Said Bitte to Business News Daily: “Figuring out ways to cut through the noise and reach passive candidates through meaningful exchanges is key to deepening your talent pool and hiring the best workers.”
A comprehensive applicant tracking system can help employers by offering recruiting solutions tailored to the nature and needs of the company. Money and time are well spent on creating the right image of your company in the minds of prospective employees, and ATS software can help you take the step from image to communication to hire.
