David, the hiring manager from our previous article who was looking for a data scientist, did listen to us and started networking for passive candidates. When he put himself and/or his colleagues out there in the open, he realized that there were a lot of questions about their company, workplace culture, workplace quality etc. These questions were often highly important for the passive candidate who wanted to make a move to his company. Even though David could talk at length about it, he knew it was a futile exercise unless the candidates get to know/experience the organization by themselves. But how?
If you are wondering who David is, you might have landed here for the first time. Read our first post in the series
Do you want to hire a Purple Squirrel?
Who is a purple squirrel and why should you hire one
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The dilemma that David faced stems from the lack of proper “Employer Branding”. As a term, employer branding is familiar to us for nearly three decades now. About 56% of passive candidates consider employer’s brand as the decision maker while considering a new job. That being said, employer branding is not a recruitment campaign, rather it is at the core of the business strategy- how the workforce is treated at your company. This serves as a magnet that attract future employees and holds back current employees. But, the pain point is not employer branding per se, rather how to craft an employer branding with an edge. In this article, let’s discuss some important strategies to craft an employer brand that does not get lost in the crowd.
Employer Value Proposition (EVP)
It would seem easy to put out hollow value propositions, the ones that you wish be true, but just do not come closer to truth. These often backlash, if your employees do not concur with it. Rule of thumb to creating the best EVP- Involve your employees.
L’Oreal set up its EVP with its biggest stakeholders- the employees. When they listened to their employees what they thought about the company, L’Oreal brought an EVP with the true value in honesty- “a thrilling experience, an environment that will inspire you, and a school of excellence.”
A compelling EVP will answer the question, “Why would I want to work for this company”, according to Sharon DeLay from BoldlyGo.
As you build your EVP, you need to focus on the core quality that you want to project as an employer. This core quality can be further extrapolated by other factors like your offers to the employee (other than financial compensation), your expectations from your employees, your goals with the company etc. Remember to make your EVP distinct as well as appealing to both internal as well as external audience.
Employer Branding via Social Media
We have said it before, we will say it again.
Employer branding via social media must be a key point in your recruitment strategy in 2017 as 60–80% of candidates go through the social media accounts of the company they are applying to.
Solely from the angle of passive candidates, social media will stand as a driving factor. They have heard about your company from you, the hiring manager, or your colleagues. In their lone time, they would look the company up in LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc to get a flavor of your company, its products, its work culture etc. More than what you have told them about the company, it is the social media that can show and convince the candidate.
With websites like Glassdoor, Ratedly etc, it has become easier than ever to know how an employee is treated in the company. Perhaps, it shows the urgency of listening closely to the concerns of employees. This will result in better retention as well as reinforcing the trust the employee has with the company.
Let your employees share content from the company’s page on their profiles. After all, employees are true ambassadors of the brand. As they go out to a hackathon or conference or meet-up events, it’s the employer brand that is showcased. Let them flaunt their company swag in t-shirts or badges. Getting your employees active in LinkedIn group discussions will also reflect on the employer branding. Facebook Live, Periscope, Instagram Stories, Snapchat moments- show off your quirkiness or smugness or whatever that makes you unique to get under the radar of a passive candidate.
Employer Branding via Tech
Why tech you ask? Millennials, duh!
Tech savvy millennials are expected to constitute 75% of the workforce by 2025.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have already impacted our lives. VR has easily penetrated retail bringing the experience of shopping in malls right to the living room. How about you bring the experience of working in your company to the living room of your passive candidate? Companies have already started doing it with 360 degree VR office tours giving a peek into a day at the office or behind the scenes. Check out this amazing tour of KPMG office.
After Pokemon Go caught our hearts in 2016, there has been a steep increase of thoughts in the direction of using AR to captivate the attention of candidates and improve their experience with the company.
Customizing the messaging and the medium to suit the audience in crucial when you want your employer branding to attract top candidates from the millennial category.
Employer Branding via Events
Recruiting fairs or events organized by your company or events held at your company are good avenues to throw in some Employer Branding. The last two events are sure shots of catching the attention of the passive candidate. Let your star employees engage with the candidates and you can stay back and relish the conversion of passive candidates to active. You can linger the memories of the events longer by uploading the photos and videos on social media. If not now, your company will be remembered by the participants to apply for self or refer to others.
Daftcode is surely having fun with the Employer Branding game through various creative campaigns to attract newer talents to their company.
Employer Branding is crucial from the point of view of appealing to the top talent pool. If you haven’t given it much importance, it’s high time you focus on it. As you reach out to passive candidates through events or employee referrals, a strong employer branding will only leverage your efforts. How do you take this to the next level.i.e. approach the passive candidate with your offer? Find it out here 👇
Do you have more tips in mind for a unique employer branding? Let us know. Write to us at connect@myally.ai or tweet to us at Meet_MyAlly.
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