Employer branding, the future of recruitment and selection

In today's tight labor market, employer branding is even more important than it has ever been. For potential candidates, it is now all about what you stand for as a company.

What is employer branding?

Employer branding revolves around the identity you project as an employer. It determines how potential candidates, current employees, and other external parties perceive you as a company. It is therefore about your brand identity, both internally and externally.

You are probably familiar with the “Great Place To Work” certificate. This is primarily determined by your current employees, but naturally projects good employership to potential employees and other parties.

Why is employer branding important?

Now that we have answered “What is employer branding,” you naturally also want to know why it is important. As mentioned earlier, a good employer brand is no longer a luxury these days. With a strong employer brand, you distinguish yourself from the competition, have more satisfied employees, and attract more new talent.

Research by Glassdoor shows that companies focusing on employer branding are 250% more likely to describe their talent acquisition as highly effective. Additionally, Glassdoor also observed that those same companies see an increase in engaged employees 130% more often.

Benefits for you as a company

• You maintain a positive reputation among potential employees and other external parties.
• You build an authentic and distinctive preferred position for yourself as an employer.
• You attract the right employees who fit within your company culture.

The increasing importance of a strong employer brand

We are in a tight labor market, but a strong employer brand is becoming increasingly important for new talent. Young professionals look to you as a good employer, not directly at salary. With a good employer branding strategy, you can gain a distinctive preferred position in the current labor market. It also helps reduce staff turnover.

What is the difference between employer branding and HR marketing?

Employer branding focuses on the long term and creating a strong employer brand. This is a long-term strategy and something you must continuously work on.

HR marketing focuses specifically on the short term and filling vacancies. You convey the brand to potential candidates.

It is therefore important that you do both well to attract more and better applicants.

What does good employer branding consist of?

An employer brand has a number of important building blocks:

• Employer value proposition (EVP)
• Corporate culture
• Working environment
• Training and development opportunities
• Communication

The increasing importance of a strong employer brand

An Employer Value Proposition (or EVP) is the unique value your company offers to employees. It is the starting point of an employer branding strategy. It allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors in the labor market.

You are looking at:

• Salary and other material earnings
• Growth and development
• Internal connection and the sense of community
• Meaning and having goals

The increasing importance of a strong employer brand

The employee value proposition is essentially the same, but from a different perspective. It concerns what the employee experiences in relation to what you, as an employer, offer.

Examples of a strong employer brand

There are plenty of examples of companies with a strong employer brand.

• Google. Google is an extremely attractive employer in the United States and beyond, and this is because they invest heavily in employer branding. They offer a fun, challenging, useful, and pleasant work culture where the development of current employees is important.
• Tony's Chocolonely. This company has a unique value proposition regarding slave-free chocolate. The brand is so strong that candidates with the same values ​​are attracted to them.
• Coolblue. You are probably familiar with Coolblue's clever and witty commercials. Coolblue has a strong brand, but also strong employer branding. An example is that they have a calculator on their website where you can see exactly what you will earn per month.

What does good employer branding consist of?

Determine the EVP with internal and external research

To determine a strong EVP, you must conduct external and internal research.

Internal survey: Look at what your current employees value. Ask them why they chose your company in the first place and why they still work here. Set up this survey broadly and involve all levels of your company.

External research : What makes your company unique in the market. Conduct research and check what makes an attractive employer for potential future employees. Also consider the employer brand you have already built with people; what do they think of you?

Do not create a distorted picture

Once you have done all of this, you will have a clear picture of where you currently stand in terms of your employer branding. It is possible that the perception is negative, in which case it is important to adjust your strategy. However, remember not to do anything that does not fit your company culture, as that will cost you new employees.

Set up an Employer Branding strategy

After you have determined an EVP, you can start setting up an actual strategy. Begin by drawing up a plan.

• Determine your objectives and relevant KPIs
• Choose the right channels that align with your EVP.
• Create personas of ideal new employees
• Set concrete goals that you can achieve
• Look at your recruitment process
• Determine a budget and look at other resources to execute your plan.
• Involve employees to find out what they consider important

Starting an Employer Branding campaign

Once you have drawn up a plan, you can begin implementing it. Of course, it is important to continuously monitor whether things are going as you wish and to make adjustments where necessary. Also, take a look at the examples of employer branding campaigns.

Which initiatives contribute to an attractive employer brand?

It therefore revolves around material gains, growth and development, a sense of community, and having clear goals and meaning. These are, consequently, also the points where you can apply improvements.

How do you convey your employer branding strategy?

It all starts with a strong employer value proposition. If you have one, you must do everything you can to live up to it. This can be done by:

• to invest in your employees. You do this through attractive employment conditions, creating a stimulating and pleasant work environment, and investing in the development of your current staff.
• to build a strong company culture. This must align with your EVP. Encourage collaboration and be open to employee opinions.
• to use social media channels. Share interesting content about your company and employees; this helps create a sense that you are working on something bigger together.
• to encourage employee advocacy. If your employees say that you are a good employer, this is naturally very convincing. It is a form of social proof.
• use content marketing. Share interesting stories on your blog; this has a positive impact on your visibility and helps convince potential applicants.
• to monitor your employer branding activities. It is important that you keep track of the impact of your employer branding activities. Monitor what works and what doesn't, and adjust your strategy based on the results.

What models are there in employer branding?

There are various models for creating a good employer branding strategy, including:

• The employer branding pyramid. This pyramid consists of four layers: Awareness, Association, Consideration, and Application. It starts at the bottom with creating awareness of you as an employer. Next, it concerns the associations your employer brand evokes. The next step revolves around whether applicants consider your company as an employer. The final step represents the ultimate application.
• The 5 Cs of employer branding. The 5 Cs are Company, Culture, Career, Compensation, and Clarity. From left to right: your brand (external and internal identity), the work environment, career opportunities within the company, earnings (salary and other benefits), and consistent communication of your brand across all channels.
• The employer branding canvas. This is similar to a Business Model Canvas. In it, you answer a number of questions related to your employer brand. The questions include: who are you as a company? What do you do? What makes your company reliable? What benefits do employees have? And more. View the template here.

Let Farrow help you with your employer branding strategy.

As a recruitment partner, Farrow has the knowledge and experience to take your employer branding to the next level. We can help you create an employer branding video and assist you in determining the strategy, including on social media.

Contact us today for a free consultation.