Why your talent brand matters
I recently read that a certain Chicago-based CRM company shelled out 53% of their revenue on sales and marketing. Over half of their multi-billion dollar revenue number went back into growing the business through sales and marketing channels. Half! Money well spent when you can track it to their impressive growth rate. It makes sense that if you are focused on customer acquisition, put money into marketing.
But what if your goal is talent acquisition? What can recruiters learn from this? While the methods may be different, the answer is not: branding matters. A lot.
In a candidate-driven market like we are in today, recruitment teams must ensure that they are sending the right messages and painting the best picture about what it means to be a part of their organization. In the fight to attract and retain the best and brightest, use all available mediums to help you win. How you ask? Read on.
Start with your job descriptions
Do they describe the culture and work environment or only focus on the responsibilities and minimum requirements of the job? Your opening paragraph should talk a bit about what you do and really hone in on why yours is an awesome place to work. Focus on people, not products. How does your company make a difference in people’s lives? What perks and benefits do you offer that set yourself apart from the rest? Don’t be afraid to change up the language and tone depending on the role, but stay consistent with your message and format. Salespeople and Developers have different triggers when it comes to an ideal workplace, but you can bet that they want to land in a place that is brag-worthy. Do your part to get them excited about your culture before they even apply for the role.
Go nuts on your careers page
Even the most naive job seeker will take a look at your website. Pack it with information, photos, and testimonials. Feature real employees and perhaps a note from the CEO that focuses on talent and culture. Fill it with collateral that speaks to life inside your company and gets candidates excited at the chance to be a part of such an amazing group of people. If you have the ability to include a video, do it. Focus on featuring cool aspects of your work environment and interviews from employees at all levels. The main goal is to show your commitment to the happiness of your employees, whether it’s gained through innovative projects, flexible work hours, or opportunities for advancement. The key reason that one person loves their job will likely resonate with others.
Check out your LinkedIn profile
If now is not the time to invest in a full-blown careers page on LinkedIn, at least beef up your Recruiter profiles with details on why a candidate would want to work for your organization. Don’t focus on individual recruitment responsibilities unless you’re saying something to the effect of “ensuring that every candidate has a fantastic interview experience” or “laser focused on bringing the best talent on board.” Individual profiles also have the ability to host photos, videos, and presentations. Add fun content about employee outings and accomplishments. Include a blog post about why YOU most enjoy your job. Any tidbit of information that speaks toward why your organization is an employer of choice is a step in the right direction.
Keep an eye on Glassdoor
Regardless of where you stand on the effectiveness and reliability of Glassdoor, you better believe that your candidates pay a visit to your page at some point during the interview process. Make sure that you have an employer account (bonus: it’s free) so that you are notified of new reviews and also have the ability to add content to the page. Get familiar with each review so that you can speak to it if a candidate brings it up. While you can’t control the nature of the employee reviews, you can certainly take the reigns in responding and adding other helpful content. This is also another great place to add pictures, perks, and information about your company mission. If your Glassdoor rating is currently on the low end, do your best to sincerely respond to the review. You should to also let candidates know that you are making positive changes based on the feedback, which ideally, you already have set in motion.
Get social
Did you know that 16 minutes of every online hour in the US is spent on social media? While there is no shortage of cat videos and hilarious memes to quickly eat up 16 minutes of time, you can bet that candidates are also using Twitter and Instagram to scope out your organization. Put some work into your presence so that it speaks to your culture and employees. Showcase ‘lunch and learns’, depict a ‘day in the life’, and tweet about events that you plan to attend. Get your employees involved by assigning a unique hashtag for can’t-wait-to-share workplace pics and noteworthy news. The goal is to spread the word about what life is like inside your organization.
While it may take time for recruiting budgets to even sniff what marketers have at their disposal, there are plenty of cost-effective ways to improve your talent brand. Check back next week when I go into 5 ways to improve your candidate experience when recruiting on a budget.
If you like what you’ve read, please show some love by liking, sharing, or commenting. If you have questions about how to apply my suggestions, shoot me a note. I’m happy to connect!
