Creating a Strong Employee Brand to Hire Effectively

In today’s hiring environment in the U.S. in which unemployment is low, companies need to do everything it takes to attract strong candidates and showcase the organization as a place people want to work. To that effect, it’s crucial that employer branding and visibility are top of mind, especially digitally. And that employer brand messaging is crafted to speak to and placed to reach the next generations of talent.

“Today’s competitive talent market requires businesses to up their game to become and stay an employer of choice. Unemployment is under 4%, so competition for the best talent is at an all-time high. It is especially difficult for organizations with hard-to-hire roles and talent-tapped geographic locations,” according to Forbes.

To help achieve a strong employee brand, here are some tips you can follow:

First, you need to understand your competition. This is critical because you need to see what other companies are doing in order to woo top talent (and then do everything better). “If you desire to be a place where people long to work, you need to master the perfect blend of employer branding and technology. You may have the fun company culture that top talent craves, but you also need to align your channels to show it off to the world,” according to Forbes.

So, how do you achieve this? You can conduct competitive analyses by studying their online offerings, hiring consultants to get information on the other companies. One approach is talking with a recruiter that works in your shared talent market to find out how your employer brand compares to others in the market. Then creating a strong user experience on your company’s website and social media channels.

Second, you can make your job descriptions more creative and the hiring section of your website a powerful, visual destination that entices prospective candidates. “Take a minute to think about your current job postings. If they are chock-full of long paragraphs with company jargon, you can do better. To exemplify what your company has to offer, use videos and photos to upgrade your job posts,” according to Forbes. Consider pointing visitors toward other social media that highlight your company culture and paint the picture of what it’s like to work in your organization.

This is especially important because the internet is “saturated with content,” according to the news publication. This can be done through creating videos, using images and graphics to really tell a more complete and visually interesting story. As a result, you’ll attract job candidates who are enthusiastic about your organization, which will show in the interviews you conduct.

Finally, it’s essential that the employer brand you put out there caters to Millennials and even Gen Z. After all, those two generations will soon make up the majority of workers globally. “Millennials and Gen Z are more interested in transparency in their company culture and require a different form of communication style to be fully engaged. They care about being given autonomy on how they can work, recognition and reward for their contribution and the opportunity to have a social impact on their community,” according to Forbes.

As a result, it’s paramount that you express this information on your company’s website and in any promotion materials for job seekers to find (and appreciate). Job seekers are no longer relying solely on the information a company offers in their job postings. They’re looking to other social media, online reviews and word of mouth to gain a greater understanding of your organization’s culture. Managing that employer brand reputation is critically important to attracting top talent.

In sum, a strong employer brand is essential to hiring top talent during a time of historically low unemployment in the United States. By understanding your competition, crafting attractive job descriptions, designing the hiring section of your website to be visually appealing, and doing outreach to younger generations, your organization will be set up for success for years to come.

 

    Posted in: News