As recruiters, we really see a difference between companies who practice employer branding and those who don’t. Candidates are really attracted to companies that have an exciting and informative employer brand. But what is employer branding, and why is it so important for attracting and retaining amazing talent?
An employer brand is very similar to a normal company brand but is specifically how you are perceived by employees and jobseekers. You want to build a positive employer brand that tells both future and current employees what it’s like to work with you. A positive employer brand is crucial as it can result in improved performance and increased talent retention and engagement (Hosseini et al, 2022). The CIPD say it can build a motivated and engaged workforce.
So, now we know the importance of employer branding, what can you do to increase your employer brand?
1.Build a Careers Page
A strong careers page can really set you apart from the competition. Rather than just posting your live vacancies online, you can use your careers page to tell applicants about your culture and values whilst really selling yourself.
Include:
- Exciting job specifications that showcase employee benefits.
- Videos and imagery of staff and staff success stories.
- A culture section that details what it’s like to work at the organisation.
2.Encourage and Utilise Positive Employee Reviews
- Websites like Glassdoor and social media platforms like LinkedIn are a great way for employees to share reviews on their experience working at the company. Encourage current employees to leave honest, positive reviews about your company. Responding to reviews, even if they are negative, shows transparency and a willingness to improve.
3.Promote Staff Stories on Social Media and the Careers Page
Employee reviews and stories can be promoted on company careers pages and social media pages. It’s a great way to showcase staff journeys and progression and to give others an insight into what it’s like to work at the company.
4.Build a great Employee Value Proposition
An Employee Value Proposition is what the company offers staff in exchange for their work at the company. Building an attractive Employer Value Proposition can make you stand out amongst your competitors who are advertising similar roles. It can also help you retain current staff if you offer a fantastic working culture and benefits that other competitors don’t.
This can include:
- Company Culture
- What’s your mission statement? What are your company values? What’s the working environment like?
- Compensation
- Offering competitive salaries and completing salary benchmarking surveys in the industry definitely helps. Offering a bonus scheme and other financial incentives will attract great candidates.
- Benefits
- An attractive benefits package will really make your company stand out. This could include:
- Flexible working schemes.
- Offering over the statutory rate of holiday allowance.
- Offering employee learning and development schemes or funding certifications.
- Discounts on retail, gym memberships and meals out.
- Private healthcare and dental.
- Company car schemes.
- Wellness programmes.
- Career Progression
- A clear career progression path is very attractive for candidates who want to progress up the career ladder.
5.Attend Events
Attending industry events and careers fairs can make you stand out to prospective employees. University and college careers fairs and general hiring events give you the opportunity to speak to talent about what you can offer above the competition.
6.Improve Your Application Process
Nobody likes a difficult application process with lots of steps. Making your application process as simple and informative as possible can really encourage more applicants.
We hope this blog about Employer Branding: Why It’s Important helped you. If you want help finding an amazing new role, please do visit our jobs page here. Alternatively, please do check out our resources page here for more tips and tricks.
