Six Killer Employment Brand Strategies for Your BusinessBy Carol Williams

You’ve read the research and heard the buzz.

We all know it: Killer employment branding is the wave of future.

It’s what you need to increase recruitment, find the highest-quality candidates, and even increase your profits.

Employment Brand Strategies for Your Business

But…how do you make it happen?

If you haven’t got much farther than spiffing up the HR section of your website, you’re not alone.

However, today’s markets demand a much more proactive approach. And it isn’t just about defining what makes your company a great place to work, either—though that’s something you should already know!

Feeling stymied?

Here are six specific strategies to improve your employment brand.

Do Your Research

Who are the candidates you want to reach? What kind of message connects with them? Where do they hang out online? What do they think about you?

Where have you found your best hires in the past? Are you looking mostly for new employees, or do you want to recruit or retain more employees from within?

Don’t fumble around in the dark.

A little bit of homework and legwork at the beginning will save you a lot of fumbling and scattershot effort.

Empower Your Employees

Who do employees really trust?

Other employees.

Give your workers a platform on social media, videos, and blogs.

This way, potential hires know what it’s like to work at your organization.

Scary?

Not really.

While the results may be a bit less perfectly curated than something put together by the ad department, this employment brand strategy is modern and sends the message that you trust your employees.

Know Who You Are…and Who You’re Not

Today’s employment brand isn’t as much about the perfect glossy video showing workers planting trees on their day off.

Instead, you need to convey the culture of  your company with accuracy.

Jobseekers want to work somewhere great, but they don’t want a snow job.

You ought to have a good sense of this already—but of course, you also need to research yourself (in detail!) on social media.

If the shoe fits, wear it proudly.

Get Your Leaders on Board

Repeat after me: An employment brand is not just an “HR thing.”

This approach is out-of-date.

Even if you have multiple departments on board, though, you’re not getting all the way there if you don’t have your leaders in your corner.

According to a survey by Employment Branding International, leadership is one of the most important factors in shaping a strong employment brand.

Yet only eight percent of CEOs are involved in it.

Be the outlier.

Laser-focus Your Efforts

Some jobs are actually pretty easy to fill, right?

But what about those tough markets—the talent that’s especially tough for you to find?

You need to spend extra time on these targets.

Learn what those positions are and what makes them so hard to land.

Then do your research again to determine what appeals to these employees.

Metrics!

So…are your efforts working?

Don’t tell me you don’t know.

First, you want to track your success on career and recruiting sites to see whether the changes you’re making are working.

Along with cost-to-hire, it’s even possible to track first-click-to-hire these days.

And don’t stop there.

Have you considered commissioning a survey to find out more about your employment brand?

When you succeed at building a strong and positive employment brand, you’re going to see more and better candidates, lower turnover, better job performance, and even increased profits.

These six strategies are absolutely key to getting your strategy working better and stronger.

image credit: Shutterstock

Carol Williams

Carol Williams is a blogger, technology freak and social media enthusiast working at orangesonline.com. When outside of the office, she is usually caught reading good literature or browsing through technology and business blogs.

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