Building an employer brand to attract top talent

What is employer branding and why is it important? What is the connection between employer branding and attracting talent? These are the questions that are uppermost on the mind when reading the headline of this article. To understand this, one must begin to understand the concept of corporate reputation. A company’s reputation is the sum of the perceptions of the company that its various stakeholders have. These stakeholders could be vendors, suppliers, employees, customers, the government, or community. Companies normally focus on a few stakeholders and mostly indulge in marketing and social media and other techniques to win over customers. A stakeholder group that is normally ignored are the employees of an organization. A good amount of energy should ideally be invested in building the employer brand of an organization which will build the company’s reputation in the market.

What is employer branding?

If you were to have an imaginary scorecard given by everyone who has worked with you in the past, present and future, that would ideally represent your employer brand. It is the sum of what employees think of you and includes everything from your hiring process, work environment, policies, and work culture. Most job seekers consider the reputation and the employer brand of a company before exploring opportunities to work there. A company that is highly ranked by employees will be a magnet for attracting top talent. The biggest advantage of a good employer brand is talent retention. You need to develop and maintain an employer brand that truly reflects your company values and culture. 

How do you build an employer brand?

Employees today want the opportunity to grow and thrive in an environment that supports their well-being. They are deciding what companies are worth investing their time and abilities into. No amount of office place perks or bonuses are going to cover for an environment that lacks respect, meaningful work, and growth opportunities. A good employer brand can build seamless employee engagement, attraction, and retention. Steps to build a good employer brand are described below:
1. Crafting a unique value proposition

Whether it is new hires, retaining workers or promoting an interactive workplace, you need to focus on your organization’s key objectives and key statements namely the vision, mission, and value statements. These fundamental principles must be reflected in everything that you do and in all communication that the company has with various stakeholders. This will build a sense of purpose and an ethos of trust that will reflect on the employer brand and make it more attractive for potential employees.
2. Conducting a self-audit
One can never assume that employees are satisfied with the status quo even if there are no outright complaints about the company. To assess the state of things, it is important to understand worker fulfilment. Research can help with assessing current and potential employees and understand how they view your employer brand. Looking through social media searches and internal surveys can also help evaluate your employer brand.
3. Improve onboarding process
The first and best impression that new hires have in any company is through the onboarding process. A lousy experience can scare new hires to want to begin the search again. Organizations must invest time and effort to make the onboarding exercise meaningful, exciting and use it as a platform to showcase the organization. Equipping the new hires with the right tools, telling them all about the workplace practices, policies, and perks, getting them introduced to the right people and asking senior leadership team members to interact and address them is a good practice in onboarding. 
4. Providing development opportunities
 Once an employee begins working, then routine and drudgery set it. A good employer will stay invested in employee development and provide initiatives to impart new skills to employees and to improve existing abilities. Talking to employees about their career paths will prevent boredom and complacency. When employees are learning and growing in their career, they stay motivated and their performance is enhanced.
5. Focus on diversity and inclusion
A good employer brand is committed to include, appreciate, and value diverse people from within the organization. You need to communicate that you are an equal-opportunities player which will attract applications from people of all backgrounds. Your commitment to diversity must go beyond hiring and recruiting. Your employer brand will be impacted by the experiences that people have once they have joined your organization. Diversity will impact the work environment positively and develop your employer brand.

The bottom line

As discussed in this article, it is important to have a good candidate experience, excellent onboarding processes and a good employee experience. All these will impact the employer brand positively and increase your reputation as a good employer. More than just intent, it is important to focus on execution and consistency. All teams and professionals should coordinate with the HR department to have a good employee experience. At the end of the day, your employees are your best brand ambassadors and when they have a great experience, they will continue to talk about it even after they leave your organization. 

People also ask

• What is employer branding?

Ans: Employer branding is the process of promoting a company’s reputation and values to attract and retain employees.

• Why is employer branding important?

Ans: A strong employer brand can help attract and retain top talent, improve employee morale and engagement, and enhance a company’s reputation and competitiveness in the job market.

• How can employer branding help attract top talent?

Ans: By building a strong employer brand, companies can differentiate themselves from competitors and appeal to job seekers who share their values and goals. A strong employer brand can also help attract passive job seekers who may not have considered the company otherwise.

• What are some examples of employer branding strategies?

A: Employer branding strategies can include showcasing company culture and values through social media and other marketing channels, providing competitive salaries and benefits, offering professional development opportunities, and providing a positive employee experience.