It’s common to read about the concept of the brand as it relates to marketing a product or service. But a brand can also relate to an organization or employer, particularly when recruiting for new positions in the company. In competitive hiring markets, your employer brand may be what separates you from other firms looking for talent. Here’s how to strengthen your employer brand and attract more candidates.
Develop a Strong Employer Brand
Communicating a strong employer brand to job candidates requires sharing information about your culture and work environment. Use these five techniques to get your brand across:
- Be authentic
Research shows us CEOs who are perceived as authentic foster happiness and productivity in their employees. Millennials seek out the quality of recruiters and the corporate cultures they represent. Creating an authentic culture at work means the organization is transparent in its vision, mission, and values, and employees join with leadership in the pursuit of whatever those may be. An authentic workplace has trust and respect, and employees feel they can speak openly and be heard.
- Embrace transparency.
Speaking of transparency, cultures that embrace this ideal are very attractive to potential employees. But transparency also encompasses how you present your culture to candidates. Presenting an accurate portrayal of what it’s like to work at your company is crucial to retention. Critical details about the organization should be shared regularly as part of the employee experience—even if it’s not the brightest portrait. This will build trust and engage workers. It will also create a positive work environment that will bring on new employees.
- Engage in feedback
Asking for and sharing feedback should be a regular part of the employee experience. There are all kinds of ways to do that, from anonymous surveys to one-on-one discussions. Making feedback a part of your culture and then sharing those standard processes with potential employees will strengthen the company brand.
- Offer flextime
Today’s workers expect the benefit of flextime, whether it is work from home or other options to improve work/life balance. Offering flexibility to employees is good for your business and will make it much easier to attract workers to your organization. Allowing employees flexibility in their scheduling is a benefit that will build a positive brand image in the marketplace.
- Put your employees first
Nothing mars a corporate brand more than an employer that fails to respect and appreciate their workforce. Putting employees first in an organization means that management or ownership of the company recognizes its employees and values their contributions to the organization. Creating a culture where the company puts its employers first will not only improve your brand and attract top talent; it will also help you retain your existing workforce longer.
If your organization is seeking to improve corporate culture with a better talent pool, talk to Blackstone. We work hard to help companies fill critical staff roles and can help your team succeed in building a better corporate brand. Contact our team today. We can help.