Over here at exaqueo, we love brand. Consumer brands are cool, sure. But for me personally? Employer brand has more meaning. Sure, there are products and services that are invaluable and that change your life. But (almost) everyone works, and you spend most of your time at work. Deciding where to work is a major life decision. The salary you land on, the experience you get, the connections you make...this mostly sets the trajectory for your professional life. So that brand experience is crucial. This week our Talent and HR News Weekly Roundup features the latest thinking on employer brand. Enjoy!
1) How to Use Employer Branding to Become a Talent Magnet from Beamery
"Recruiters at Google probably have a much easier time of it than you! It’s not because they’re necessarily any better at their job, it’s because Google’s employer brand is so strong. The company has become THE place to work for many great engineers. Everyone has heard of Google and the exciting projects that it’s working on, (self driving cars being perhaps the most famous.) Therefore, whenever a sourcer reaches out to a top candidate, they’re already predisposed to listen to whatever it is they have to say. This is the power of branding! You may not have the resources or reputation of Google, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t build an awesome brand."
2) Companies Losing Staggering Amounts Of Money For Ignoring This from Inc.
"Failing to manage this aspect of a company's reputation can cost in the millions. With employer shaming is on the rise, it's no surprise some companies with bad reputations are taking a more serious look at how current, past, and future employees perceive them. However, a new study proves every company that recruits, hires, and retains employees is at risk of losing staggering amounts of money. Like It Or Not, Your Reputation As An Employer Matters (A Lot!). Turns out, failing to manage your company's reputation as an employer (known as an employment brand), can cost you thousands, even millions of dollars."
3) A Bad Reputation Costs a Company at Least 10% More Per Hire from Harvard Business Review
"A few years ago, domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy was known for its racy ads featuring NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and The Biggest Loser star Jillian Michaels. While they may have gotten attention in the media, they didn’t help the company do one important thing: hire women. In 2014, women constituted only 14% of GoDaddy’s engineering interns and new graduate hires. Realizing it had a problem, the company tackled the issue head-on, speaking at women-in-tech conferences, training hiring managers to address bias, and live-streaming events that featured inspirational women or highlighted women’s rights issues. Today, nearly 40% of GoDaddy’s tech hires are female."
4) Make Your Employer Brand More Than Empty Talk in 2016 from Recruiter
"Branding: creating a differentiated name and image in order to establish a presence of attraction. Often mistaken for a strictly marketing tactic, branding has actually become a key component to an organization’s long-term recruiting success. Some businesses competing in today’s talent market have made employer branding an integral piece of their recruiting strategies. Curiously, however, many organizations have not taken this step. Despite the significant benefits, employer branding programs directed at current and potential employees aren’t yet widespread. In fact, nearly three out of four HR professionals (73 percent) don’t have such programs in place at their organizations."
5) How One Employee Can Permanently Damage Your Brand from Forbes
"I was in Los Angeles last week attending a consulting conference and came upon an employee who was doing incredible damage to her employer’s brand. Only they probably don’t know it. This employee was sitting at a table with an American Management Association (AMA) sign besides her, looking bored as can be. I smiled as I walked by, but was unable to break her cold stare. I then tried to engage her in a conversation and asked her the name of the session. She replied in a low, apathetic voice, “Emotional Intelligence.” I doubt she saw the puzzled look on my face, as she hadn’t bothered to look me in the eye as she mumbled those words. Confused by this, I asked a colleague, who is a sales consultant, to see if I was reading the situation correctly. She confirmed my suspicions. In spite of mentioning that she had been a former AMA instructor, she could not engage this woman in an intelligent conversation, or any conversation for that matter. She left feeling the same way I did."
6) How To Attract Talent With An Effective Employer Brand from Huffington Post
"A 2015 CareerArc survey of more than 200 HR professionals and 1,300 workers found that while 75 percent of job seekers consider an employer brand before applying for a job, only 57 percent of organizations have an employer brand strategy. And what’s worse, 49 percent of employers feel they do not have the tools to effectively build their employer brand. Part of the challenge is managing a brand across the multiple platforms job seekers turn to when researching employment opportunities. Between social media, job boards, company career sites and word of mouth, it’s a lot to handle — but it’s worth it."
Lexi Gordon is a Lead Consultant for exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps organizations build their cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn more about our employer brand innovation, workforce research, and recruiting strategy offerings.