Whether intentional or not, companies convey a lot about who they want to hire through the way they present themselves to the world; the language they use, the social media content they post and other outward expressions of their brand. At some point, it is worth it to consciously audit and refine this image in a way that best reflects the kind of people they’d like to add to their team.
While this is usually a good step when hiring, many companies approach this in a haphazard manner. Ideally, this first impression should be created in alignment with what the desired candidate values, and what they’re looking for in a work experience. Frequently, organizations create this image on instinct and preconceived ideas and without much forethought. Therefore, it is important to check your assumptions and learn what really matters to the talent you want to attract. While the only true indication of your organization’s success in this regard is reviewing results after the fact, there are some concrete ways you can manage this image. All you have to do is ask.
Ask candidates
There’s something about your organization that has drawn prospective candidates to apply to work there. Whether your hiring and your talent search is done internally, or outsourced to recruiters, identifying what matters to top talent is well worth the effort. By candidly probing job seekers and passive candidates, you should capture this information systematically so it can be analyzed quarterly, at a minimum. Never let the process lag, if you analyze and optimize, top talent will continue to flock to you.
Ask key talent segments
As part of your ongoing employer brand strategy, you should be working with a partner to conduct periodic external outreach with your key talent segments. This should be done in conjunction with the foundational research you conducted for your EVP work. Blu Ivy Group can work with your organization to solidify your employer brand and engage your current employees to identify strategic next steps in developing both.
Ask your employees
It goes without saying, everything that matters to your current employees matters to your top hiring prospects. You should probe and understand this not only for your EVP efforts, but to also get a better read on yet to be hired talent. Talk to your newest hires to ensure you clearly understand what they were looking for in an employer and why they chose you. Aim to uncover where you may not live up to their expectations today, so you can address those issues going forward.
While asking these questions, you should continuously gather insights on what matters to hiring prospects in order to inform your employer brand strategy. The added benefit of having so much information is that all of your company’s communications will be tailored towards the exact talent you seek to hire. A good example of an organization putting this theory into practice is athletic apparel retailer lululemon.
Their products cater to a specific lifestyle, namely active individuals who lead healthy lives. What started as a yoga brand has evolved into an activewear brand, and their hiring policy almost directly mirrors the type of consumer who most closely identifies with their brand values. By leveraging the hashtag #joblove, lululemon positions employment at their company as much more than a paycheck, but rather an extension of this lifestyle. Towards the community, customers, and co-workers alike, lululemon’s brand is both ubiquitous and subtle in its emphasis on many of the core values of yoga, its initial focus: balance, harmony, and devotion. The result is a loyal customer base, happy workforce, and well-liked digital persona that drives home just how authentic and aspirational their brand is.
When you collect and apply these insights strategically, you are guaranteed to improve your powers of talent attraction. Your brand will be altogether more authentic, and before you know it, you’ll start hiring individuals who love your organization and the people they serve—a truly win-win situation.
About Blu Ivy Group
Blu Ivy Group is a leading employer branding and employee engagement consultancy that aligns your organization with contemporary workplace paradigms. Our mission is to help client’s build award-winning people practices, inspire extraordinary employee engagement, and cultivate unique and desirable workplaces. We provide integrated solutions in employer brand and engagement research, strategic consulting, employer brand integration, creative and talent communications.
Blu Ivy Group is a trusted partner to many of North America’s most respected employer brands. For more information, visit us online at bluivygroup.com or contact us at info@stagingbig.wpengine.com.