The pandemic and the new world of increasingly virtual work have changed how employers can market themselves to potential job seekers. Now more than ever it’s imperative that companies establish a strong employer brand (a.k.a. identity and reputation) that both effectively communicates who they are and attracts potential talent. Investing in your company’s brand can help you not just attract more applicants, but the right applicants.
Nice to Meet Ya
According to a Glassdoor study, 75% of job seekers are more likely to apply for a job if the employer actively manages their brand. Ignoring or neglecting your online presence, one of the biggest aspects of an employer’s brand, is no longer an option. By taking the time to develop a fully articulated and cohesive message of who your organization is, you can effectively market yourself to top talent.
Your company is full of great professionals who get the job done – ensure your online “face” matches that. In addition to creating job listings on third-party recruitment sites and job boards, invest in building out a careers site. A careers site gives you a space where you are in complete control of your brand and the user experience. You can use this space to tell your story, shine a light on company culture and collect traffic and engagement data that can be used to further improve how you recruit.
Revamp Your Job Listings
A major part of recruiting is crafting clear, interesting and effective job listings. These postings, particularly when being viewed on third-party sites, bear the brunt of communicating your brand with potential candidates and give you the opportunity to set your company apart from other employers. As you’re crafting your listings, and your brand as a whole, treat your pool of potential candidates as consumers. Market yourself to them!
A simple way you can do this is by opening your posting with what you can offer them. Do you offer quality health coverage, flexible hours and paid parental leave? Let your applicants know! If an applicant is checking out your posting, they likely already have a good sense of what the job entails. When an accounting candidate clicks on a “business accountant” posting, they know what the general job responsibilities are — tell them why they want to be an accountant at your company by digging deeper into culture and benefits.
Additionally, take the time to understand how certain language could be perceived by job seekers. Words have a lot of power! If you want to communicate that everyone on your team gets along and supports each other, your instinct may be to describe your company as a “family.” However, from the perspective of millennial and Gen Z job seekers, you could be unintentionally communicating that you have a toxic workplace with no boundaries. It’s imperative that your organization understands the way prospective talent interprets job descriptions if you want to attract quality candidates.
As you round out the copy for your job posting, remember: less is more. There’s no need to overwhelm candidates with information and requirements. Be succinct, clear and honest.
Highlight Company Culture
Culture is king.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents stated that they consider a company’s culture prior to applying for a job. Fifty-six percent of people surveyed by Glassdoor report that good company culture is more important to them than salary.
A crucial component of your brand is your company culture. And it’s only becoming more important. Corporate culture defines the environment in which your employees work, so it’s naturally something prospective employees will want to know about. Through creating your employer brand, job listings and careers site, be sure to highlight what makes your company a unique and positive place to work.
Including employee testimonials on your careers site is a great way to provide insight into your corporate culture and what prospective employees can expect. Testimonials and reviews are becoming increasingly important, with the number of job seekers who report researching companies before deciding to apply jumping from 70% in 2016 to 86% in 2021.
Just like you might read reviews before buying something, part of treating prospective talent like consumers is providing them those same resources before they “buy” into your company.
Need a Hand?
The job market looks a lot different now than it did a few years ago. It’s up to companies to adapt to these changes if they want to continue attracting top talent and remain competitive in their industries. Partnering with a marketing agency can help your organization curate an effective and personalized employer brand that does just that.
At CONNECTIVE, we take the time to get to know you so that we can develop employer branding as amazing as you are! Check out our showreel to see how we’ve guided branding efforts for other clients, and give us a holler to see how we can support your brand.
