In the modern digital age, managing how your organisation is perceived by current and potential employees has never been more important. Whether you like it or not, conversations are already taking place about your values and exactly what you bring to the table, and savvy leaders know that it’s something that they must take complete ownership of if they want to remain competitive.
An employer brand can seem like quite an abstract concept though, and it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to managing it. But there are many practical steps you can take to strengthen your reputation, and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Let’s take a look at a few of them and how you can make them work for your business…
Make sure you know what people are saying about your business
It’s highly likely that people are already talking about what it’s like to work for you. It’s really important to consider what your future employees will read when they’re doing their research online, and the impact this might have on your recruitment strategy.
There’s a load of sophisticated software options available on the market these days that will help you to monitor conversations and their sentiment, and these are sometimes a wise investment for big companies. They’re definitely not essential though, especially for smaller businesses, and there’s plenty you can do to make sure you know what people are saying. Of course, what’s most important here is that you learn from your findings, and where relevant, you use them to make positive changes.
Carry out an audit of your recruitment processes and where improvements can be made
Your recruitment processes play a big part in your employer brand, so if you haven’t taken a step back recently and assessed their effectiveness, now could be a good time to do exactly that. Take a look at your materials, consider the overall experience, and seek out feedback from those who’ve been through the process.
Remember too that this isn’t just about the candidates. Get the views of your hiring managers too, and encourage them to share their own experiences and how they feel things could be improved. You might be surprised at the kind of insight that you can unearth when you genuinely want to improve, and you’re willing to have open and honest conversations.
Give ownership of the management of your brand to a key employee
Years ago, an employer brand was considered to be just about HR. These days though, it’s much more holistic. It involves HR, for sure, but also your overarching digital strategy, your internal and external communications, and so much more. If you really want your employer brand to be something to shout about, then it takes work, and it makes sense to give the responsibility to a key member of staff.
This means that someone can really take ownership of it, and do the work required to make sure that it’s effectively managed and improved. Take the time to consider how you can build the tasks into a day-to-day role within your business.
Become a storyteller
Storytelling is a wildly effective tool in marketing, and it can be a valuable addition to your toolkit when you’re managing your employer brand. You can talk all day long about your values and what it’s like working in your business, but when people see the stories of your employees, this is when they’re really going to sit up and pay attention. It makes your messages believable, and it gives them more meaning.
You could showcase employee stories on social media, or include them in your recruitment processes. This could really help your candidates to build an emotional connection with your business.
There are no overnight fixes when it comes to your employer brand. Changes take time to make, but in many cases, the results will represent an excellent return on your investment.
Do you know that this is something that you need to be more proactive with? If so, which of these tips will you be implementing first?