HR is currently going through a prodigious transformation where there’s no alternative but to be ahead of the game. To remain relevant, your strategies need to be aligned with how people in this world behave today, but in a fast-paced world where everything is constantly changing, it can be quite a challenge. Even so, it is important to find the time to incorporate employer branding into your recruiting strategy and to keep all your noise out to the world eye-catching and highly interesting for eventual job seekers.
How can you craft a powerful employer brand that stands out from your competitors’ and effectively attracts top-quality applications? Let us walk you through the most relevant and efficient trends you need to have in mind when taking your employer branding to a new level.
1. The job advert is all about you now
Your job advert is the first impression a job seeker will have of you. It is your most important shot at influencing the job seeker, so make sure it’s captivating and intriguing right from the start. A good way to do this is to turn the tables around and ask yourself what you as an employer have to offer instead of the opposite. Finding a candidate who matches your criteria is undeniably important and is still the objective, but there are more effective, time-saving ways to do so.
Employer Value Propositions (EVPs) are an obvious factor in the creation of the advert, but as fun as free fruit and ping-pong tables might be, the job advert of 2019 craves a little more depth than that. People want to get to know the soul of the company and the most compelling way to do this is to bring out your identity, values and let them know that the advert is coming from a human and not a robot. Why not spark it up with a bit of humour?
Way too few employers dare to let their true identity and personality shine through in their job adverts – but it pays off! The easier it is for the reader to picture what it’s really like working for you and whether they might be a good fit or not, the better are the chances of getting high-quality applicants. An excellent way to legitimise your EVPs is by adding personal testimonials from your employee advocates. Just a sentence or two to summarise their experience will make a huge difference.
Just a little side note: Using words with a positive impact will change the whole outlook. While it might still be a requirement to be stress-resistant, there are ways to put it that excite and ignite that fire within them rather than the opposite.
2. One company – one brand
More and more companies are benefiting from aligning their corporate brand with their employer brand, and this year we will only see more of this trend that will transform not only your employer brand but your overall brand.
One way to kick-start the alignment process is to compare your company’s core beliefs (purpose, vision and values) with your EVPs. Intertwining brands in a strong synchronised way means that they both use the same personalised voice for their overall communication. Here it’s important to work cross-functionally in order to ensure that marketing and HR are on the same page and that all external communications have the same tone, whether they are directed to potential customers or employees.
Why is this important? We can’t avoid the undeniable link between the customer and employee experience. A great employee experience will fundamentally impact the customer experience and vice versa. Your employees are the foundation of your company as well as your most raw authentic window out to the world and by encouraging employees to encapsulate their employee experience, you allow the raw authentic stories to come to life, which will tremendously impact the customer experience. This is a proven and essential strategy to radically strengthen your brand awareness.
3. 2019’s magic key to make it on social media
Authenticity is a key factor in successful brand communication in today’s world of social media, and this year one main component will be telling stories. As many as 62% (2019 Employer Brand research by Randstad) of all job seekers are researching companies’ social media channels before applying. This means that we need to meet candidates where they are today, ready with quality content that resonates with the audience.
Unfortunately, the modern digital world is loud and messages do not get through unless they are unique and captivating. You can shoot out content day in and day out but that doesn’t always equal good results. To truly write your way into people’s hearts, you need something that moves emotions and is relatable. One of the most underestimated ways of cutting through the noise and engaging with people, intellectually and emotionally, is to tell a story. Storytelling is, in fact, one of the most authentic and primary ways to communicate and the most effective way to catch someone’s attention.
Promote stories from employees that showcase working culture. Do they think it’s great working for you? If so, let them answer the big “why?”. The why, the details and the personal elements are where the story takes place, which will give future candidates valuable insight and a clear idea of who you are. Don’t just let them know that you’ve got a great work environment. Let them be guided through a day at your office (show faces, smiles, visually show the work environment, include video). Showing details will humanise your brand and automatically improve the candidate experience.
