Employer branding is more important today than it’s ever been says Chris Brown, Director at LinkedIn Talent Solutions UK. Brown comments that candidates have an ever-growing range of social channels through which they can learn what it’s like to work for a particular employer and through these, they have much easier access to the complete range of career opportunities available to them. Brown continues: “In this environment, companies need to ensure they can stand out from the crowd and take control and shape their employer brand before someone does it for them.” In addition, Millennials now make up the majority of the workforce, according to Brown. He says that unlike generations before them, they are much more likely to be motivated by companies that share common values, as opposed to just the paycheck at the end of the month. More and more employers are realising the value of using social media to share their culture and purpose with the outside world, not only to more successfully engage their customers, but also to attract the best talent to their organisation.
It pays to get employer branding right – quite literally, says Brown. “LinkedIn research suggests that a poor employer brand could cost larger companies an extra £4 million annually in additional wage bills to entice talent through the door. The same principle applies to smaller organisations, where margins may be tighter and access to large coffers of money to offer candidates isn’t an option. Conversely, having a strong employer brand and communicating your values clearly can bring the best talent to you; talent that’s driven by more fundamental forces than money, and who may be more loyal, more productive, and stay with the company longer. With over 400 million members, including 20 million in the UK, LinkedIn connects employers with the largest online professional network worldwide. Professionals are coming to LinkedIn to update their profiles, engage with their networks, and look for new insights even when they’re not actively looking for a job, but may be open to the right opportunity. That’s one of the reasons why more than 40,000 companies worldwide use LinkedIn to recruit. This professional context is the ideal environment for companies to engage potential new hires when they’re in the right mind set, either directly through LinkedIn Recruiter, by making use of our matching algorithms, or LinkedIn Company Pages to engage relevant candidates with employer brand messages, even if their recruiters are busy elsewhere.”
Often a company’s biggest ambassadors are its existing employees, comments Brown. Last year his company introduced a new platform called Elevate, which enables companies to more easily mobilise their employee base to share relevant articles and content with their own networks, including employer brand messages that can communicate the benefits of working for the company. On average, Brown claims a company’s employees will have ten times as many connections as the company has followers on LinkedIn, making Elevate a great way to tap into the networks of a company’s existing talent.
Jo Sellick, managing director at the Sellick Partnership perceives the importance of employer branding as arguably at its highest level since pre-recession in 2008, with confidence in today’s economy translating to increased movement from employees. Sellick declares: “As more companies look to hire, the competition for the very best talent becomes fierce and this is where a strong employer brand is essential.” Jo Sellick suggests that though skill shortages in STEM (Science, technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects are well documented, it can still be hard to seek out the very best talent. “It is no longer enough to offer a decent salary and a bonus scheme; employers must go the extra mile and offer holistic packages that appeal to potential staff from all angles. Non- financial incentives are increasingly important for the most discerning jobseekers, and we have noticed a rise in the number of candidates seeking flexible working and attractive holiday packages. This is especially true of the millennial generation, with many young candidates seeking the best possible work-life balance.”
Sellick warns that businesses should look further afield than just LinkedIn and Twitter - especially if they’re hoping to appeal to a young audience. “Employers must keep their finger on the pulse when it comes to changing habits in job seeking, with Snapchat and Instagram being the latest networks to grow at an increasingly rapid pace. A tailored strategy purely for recruiting millennials is advisable, as their needs can differ greatly to other audiences. Similarly, the ageing workforce is becoming more important and a strategy to appeal to this growing population would help businesses attract the ‘silver generation’, who are vital to many industries.”
Microsites purely aimed at recruiting and retaining staff can also be useful, and at Sellick Partnership they claim they’ve found their ‘Work for Us’ site invaluable in allowing them to communicate with prospective employees and the existing workforce. Sellick underlines how it is important for employers to remain consistent with their messaging across social, online and in person, demonstrating that they can follow through on the virtual promises they make. “It is equally important to ensure all channels are kept updated and seen as a work in progress, rather than simply created and then left to stagnate.”
Branding is so important for this Millennial generation, they will even work for less pay for their preferred brand. Natalie Spearing, Marketing Director at BPS World comments that this is a generation who are not motivated by finance alone; they are more concerned with their association with a company brand, and are more likely to take a lower paid role in a company with a strong brand rather than be associated with a weaker brand. Natalie Spearing is also a member of the LinkedIn Global Expert Advisors Panel and advises companies on how to create an engaging employer brand. Spearing states brand consistency is essential. “The brand message needs to be the same across all platforms in social media. What you state on your company website has to match up with how your brand advertises itself on other forums and how it is viewed elsewhere on social media. For example, BPS World invests heavily in social media tools to project their brand out into the market place. In addition to Facebook and LinkedIn, building a page on sites like Glassdoor.com creates a forum for people to leave independent reviews, enhancing how the company brand and culture is portrayed online.”
Millennials
Jonathan Fitchew, CEO of Pareto Law sees this millennial generation’s views as being very different from their predecessors, leading to fresh challenges for employers. Fitchew reminds us “We have all heard the horror story of Amazon and their sleep deprived workforce and for 2015 this was the most prolific case of failed employer branding to emerge.” It did however spark a debate, he says, and it reiterated the need not only for an external employer brand, but an internal one - as disgruntled and unhappy employees not only have a voice, but a loud one. “The internet gives a soap box to all and bad practice can no longer be hidden away, branding for appeal is no longer an option and companies must practise what they preach. Fitchew cites PWC as a company carrying the beacon for successful employee (and future employee) engagement. Their Career Advisor webpage offers an engaging, educational and interactive experience without pontificating about their desirability as an employer. He feels this is arguably the new necessity for infiltrating the mind of the modern day job seeker who needs to feel that they have formed their own opinion based on unbiased research.
Kirsten Davidson, head of employer brand at Glassdoor, agrees about jobseekers doing their research: “Today’s job seekers are really job shoppers. They are doing their research to learn about your “product.” And, they are going to multiple sources during the research phase. They go to their friends and families, corporate websites, social media, traditional media and Glassdoor where they can get an authentic look into the employee experience, find out if the benefits meet their needs, and for salary data which allows them to price compare before they commit.” Davidson explains that before Glassdoor, candidates had very few ways of gaining insight about a company’s employee value proposition and culture beyond what the employer communicated. Because of this, many people found themselves in jobs that didn’t meet their expectations during the interview process and ended up leaving or being asked to leave due to a “bad fit.” Davidson suggests that companies that embrace workplace transparency and use employee feedback to build and evolve their employer brands are giving candidates a clearer picture of what to expect and what is expected. Davidson adds that organizations doing this well are saving resources on ill-fitting candidates, and hiring better-fitting, longer-lasting employees.
In the future, Davidson predicts that organizations will invest more in employer branding and recruiting efforts in order to curb the cost of attrition. “We see this trend playing out on our platform where 36% of the Fortune 500 are currently Glassdoor clients. Today, more than 2/3 (67%) of employers believe retention rates would be higher if candidates had a clearer picture of what to expect about working at the company before taking the job (source: Harris Interactive Survey for Glassdoor, 2014); we expect this number to increase in the future, as business leaders watch companies with the best employer brands win the best talent.”
Case studies provided by Glassdoor :
L’Oreal used Glassdoor to increase candidate awareness by 81%
“Glassdoor is first a place to get employee engagement and a place where we look for constructive feedback that will help us build the L'Oréal of tomorrow. We see it as an honest feedback loop that's always on which helps us understand our global reputation.”Alexander Onish, Digital Employer Branding Manager
HubSpot increases candidate awareness by 75% with Glassdoor
HubSpot is an inbound marketing and sales software company with offices in Cambridge, MA, Dublin, Ireland, Sydney, Australia, and Portsmouth, NH. The company's platform helps businesses grow, and HubSpot's Culture Code, reflecting the company's commitment to rethinking life and work, has gone viral.
75% Increase in Candidate Awareness
As indicated by traffic to HubSpot's Glassdoor profile
10% Growth in overall company rating
Due to successful management of Employer Brand
17% Growth in comp & benefits ratings
Reflection of HubSpot's investment in its people, programs & culture“HubSpot firmly believes that when it comes to employer branding, perception is reality. What people are saying on Glassdoor really represents what candidates and employees are going through. Glassdoor keeps employers focused on the importance of the candidate experience and provides us with key insights on our culture.” Katie Burke, Director of Talent & Culture at HubSpot