“If the reputation of a company’s products and services is its face, the talent brand is its heart and soul” – Hank Stringer & Rusty Rueff

Having a solid and specific Employer Brand will make your existing employees proud that they are a part of your organization and will entice your potential talent pool to join this work environment. Not to mention, being a part of an organization with a great work culture is almost a non-negotiable for today’s job seeker. Most of your potential employees will do their due diligence in researching what it’s like to work for your organization, the benefits of being a part of this team, the potential career trajectories they will have, and even the potential pitfalls.

The first step in creating a cohesive and outstanding employer branding and engagement strategy is by clearly defining your Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Your EVP is a unique set of values and benefits that give both current and future employees a reason to work for you.  It should describe what makes you stand out as an employer, and what makes you a great place to work. There are several factors to consider when it comes to top Employer Brand Indication:

Reputation

This is how your employees and candidates talk positively on external platforms about their lived experience working or interviewing with your organization. This can come in the form of reviews on Glassdoor, Indeed and LinkedIn about all aspects of work culture.  

Award Winning Culture & Experience

You may be a great place to work, and your employees think so too, but how you are recognized for this matters for your brand. Awards for culture and experience are a great indication of whether a workplace is a top employer or not, as it gives the external credibility by a network of professionals who compete in the same categories. Awards also give your organization the opportunity to gauge what is important with respect to industry standards.

Top of Mind/Preferred Employer: 

There are brands that professionals want to work for. Companies known for their culture, their lived-out manifestos, as well as benefits and programs that supersede those of other organizations. Being a Preferred Employer is what makes target talent want to work for your organization and stand out in front of the rest. 

Loyal Ambassadors: 

The primary goal of having loyal ambassadors is to increase your Employer Brand awareness, influence, and through their individual and lived experience, these employees advocate for your organization with the potential for high level of public visibility and engagement. Ambassadors typically embody and uphold the values and ethics of your organization, and they perform at a level above and beyond that of their peers. They are not only committed to their work, but they also have a strong presence and vouch for your Employer Brand simply by living it day-by-day. With loyal brand ambassadors, it is likely you’ll yield a strong Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is an index that measures the willingness of employees and customers to recommend a company’s culture or services to others, and the loyalty to the brand. 

Be Clear on your Purpose

Once you’ve understood the value of implementing and deploying and Employer Brand Strategy, it’s key to develop a why. Why is this important, and how will you measure its success? 

Educate! Communicate! Socialize!

Once an Employer Brand Strategy has been implemented, it needs to be shared with key stakeholders with a level of commitment that funnels down to all functions within an organization. That commitment is the first step in accountability to ensure that not only is it being taken with the gravity it deserves, but also that there is a measurable impact quarter to quarter or year over year. Getting leadership commitment – not just buy-in from HR – will create the accountability that will sustain this model.

What gets measured gets done

The benefits of developing and maintaining a strong Employer Brand are substantial, but they can only be impactful with meaningful measurement.

Here are the indicators:

Awareness – are target talent aware of what it is like to work for your organization?

Preference – are you a preferred employer with target talent groups?

Experience – are employees and leaders living the brand/core EVP pillars?

Loyalty – would employees refer others to your organization as a great place to work?

Employer Brand Associations – Are external employer brand associations aligned with your EVP?

Having a strong Employer Brand has significant impact and will help position your organization as a great workplace where people can learn and grow. Following these recommendations will positively affect your work culture, from improved employee engagement and alignment to organizational goals, all the way to external talent, by creating magnetic external messaging that resonates with top talent across disciplines. Employer Brand also impacts the customer by creating a fulfilling workplace where employees are more invested in and aligned to behaviours that support your customer promise. By following these steps, you can improve your employer branding, strengthen existing talent potential, and attract top tier prospects to your organization.

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing a series of key insights and learnings from our Employer Branding and Engagement Professional (EBEP) Certification Program. For additional information on how to create and maintain your Employer Brand, or to sign up for this exclusive program, please contact Jennifer “Jenni” Lamb at 647.535.5318, or at jlamb@bluivygroup.com.