First things first, what the hell is an employer brand? For those who aren't sure, employer branding is similar to normal branding, except rather than focusing on creating a brand that your customers talk about, you're creating a brand that your employees talk about. Why is this important. Richard Branson said it best, look after your people and they'll look after your customers. Your employees are the most valuable asset you have as a business. Employees not only run the daily tasks, and the main face of the company that your customers interact with, but they are also the people who drive your culture, growth, and sales. Quite simply without your employees, you don't have a business. So, they are pretty important. But how do we create an employer brand that really attracts top talent?
Create an Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
Much like the value proposition you would have done for your customers, you need to do one for your employees. What is in an EVP “ According to hrdailyadvisor.com an EVP encompasses everything an employer is doing to attract and retain employees. It includes all of the pay, benefits, rewards, and perks that come with being an employee of that organization. Essentially it is the nuts and bolts of why an employee will join your company over another. If done well, it can answer the question “ Why should a highly talented person join my company. So, it's safe to say it's super important aspect of your employer brand. Just make sure you don't neglect the benefits; more and more candidates are looking at the perks and office life as the main reason for joining a company not just the salary.
Culture Is Key
According to a 2018 poll, the average Brit will work 3,700 days in their lifetime, equating to around 84,171 hours, commuting over 94,000 miles and brewing over 7,000 cups of coffee or tea. We want to make sure it was worth it. Not only do you want to make sure your culture is positive and that everybody enjoys their time working at your company, but you also want to make sure you have a clear mission and set of values. In today's world, the highly talented are looking for a cause, they want to feel like the work they do has meaning, which is why it is also a good idea to consider ethics and impacts when developing your employer brand. What does your company stand for, what is its purpose, and how does it look to positively impact the world around it? If you can create a culture that has every employee driving towards a common greater good goal, then you will have a super strong employer brand.
Leverage Social Media
There is no better marketing than word of mouth (WOM), and social media is the worlds biggest water cooler, everyone gossips there. If you have spent all the time, money, and effort to build a great EVP and culture that is too irresistible to ignore, then why keep that to yourself. Use social media channels to shout about it, more importantly use the engaged employees you already have, to shout about it for you. Create some team events, or recognition days and get them posting it up on all your social channels, maybe even create a separate page that is dedicated to internal careers and showcasing the people part of your business. Whatever you decide to do, involve your people and shout about it online. Remember people are the most important aspect of your business, look after them and they will look after your business. Want to hear more top tips for recruiters? Or see the latest careers at Vertex? Then subscribe to our monthly newsletter jampacked with the latest tips and tricks to help you develop your recruitment career.
