Building a Strong Employer Brand: The Key to Recruiting and Retaining Cream of the Crop

 Employer Branding

Figure 1: Employer Branding, Kalibrr(2023),Want to Develop Your Employer Branding Strategy? Check These Top Tips! (kalibrr.com)

In today's competitive job market, attracting recruiting and retaining top talent is essential for the success of any organization. One powerful tool that can help companies stand out and attract the best candidates is a strong employer brand. Employer branding is the reputation and image that an organization has as an employer influencing how current and potential employees perceive the company.

What is Employer Brand & Why is it so important?

Employer brand represents the image and perception of an organization projected as an employer. Essentially, it is how the public views the organization, regardless of whether this perception is accurately reflecting the identity of the business. This image is shaped by various factors such the organization's policies, programs, rewards, benefits, culture, work, environment and values. 

An Employer Brand has to be considered as the unique essence of a company, whether the employer has actively crafted the employer brand or not, it exists, and is experienced daily by the employees, customers and the general public. Simply claiming to be a great company to work for, offering exceptional products is insufficient. The key lies in demonstrating that the business is a reputable employer and delivering on the promises made. In today's business domain, an organization's reputation holds more significance than ever before. Majority of job seekers evaluate an employer's brand before even considering applying for a position. Therefore, whether the business is currently developing a strategy for the employer brand or not, it is already influencing the efforts in attracting and retaining talent.

According to a study by LinkedIn companies with a strong employer brand receive 50% more qualified applicants and employees are 1.5 times more likely to stay at the organization. This highlights the importance of investing in an employer branding as a strategic HR initiative, that can have a direct impact on recruitment, employee engagement and overall business performance.

(Intellipro,2023)

Strategies for building a strong employer brand:

1. Define Employer Value Proposition (EVP):

Identify what sets the organization apart as an employer? What values, benefits and opportunities the business offer that appeal to current and potential employees? The EVP should communicate why someone would want to work for your company and what they can expect in terms of the employee experience.

2. Create a compelling employer brand story:

Develop a narrative that showcases your company culture values and employee testimonials. Use storytelling to engage candidates and give them a glimpse into what it's like to work at your organization. Authenticity is key in building trust and credibility with potential candidates.

3. Enhance online presence:

Utilize social media, company websites and employer review sites to showcase the employer brand. Share employee stories, company achievements and culture initiatives to give candidates a sense of your organization's values and work environment.

4. Invest in employee experience: 

Focus on creating a positive employee experience by offering competitive benefits, professional development opportunities, work life balance initiatives and a supportive work culture. Happy employees are the best brand ambassadors.

5. Measure and monitor the employer brand:

Using employee surveys, Glass door reviews and recruitment matrix to track the effectiveness of the employer branding efforts. Gather feedback from current employees to continuously improve and refine the employer brand strategy.

Figure 2: Jerelyn A. (2021),Factors that influence Employer Branding Employer branding vs. employee branding (recruitee.com)

Benefits of employer branding:

1. Attract top talent:

A strong employer brand can help attract high quality candidates or the cream of the crop, who are aligned with the company values and culture.

2. Employee retention:

Employees who feel proud to be associated with a reputable employer are more likely to stay with the same organization. A strong employer brand can help foster loyalty and reduce turnover rates.

3. Enhanced employee engagement:

When employees are proud of where they work, they are more engaged, motivated and productive.

4. Competitive advantage:

In a competitive job market, a compelling employer brand can set the organization apart from others. It can help attract top talent even when competing with companies offering similar roles and higher salaries.

5. Cost savings:

A strong employee brand can lead to cost savings in recruitment efforts, as attracting candidates come easier. Additionally, higher employee retention rates also reduce the costs associated with turnovers. 

6. Brand reputation:

A positive employer brand not only attracts quality talent, but also increases the overall reputation of the company. This positively impacts how customers, partners, stakeholders and the public view the organization. 

Figure 3: Social Media influence for Employer Brandinghttps://www.notifyvisitors.com/blog/social-media-marketing/,  

Conclusion:

Building a strong employer brand requires a strategic and holistic approach that aligns with the organization's values, culture and employee experience. By investing in an employer brand, an organization can attract top talent, engaging employees and create a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

 

References:

1. LinkedIn Talent Solutions - "Employer Branding: The Past, Present, and Future": https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/employer-brand/2019/employer-branding-past-present-future

2. Glassdoor - "Employer Branding Resources": https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/resources/employer-branding/ - (online) Accessed 14-04-2024

3. Harvard Business Review - "The Employer Brand: Bringing the Best of Brand Management to People at Work": https://hbr.org/2015/05/the-employer-brand (online) Accessed 14-04-2024

4. Intellipro, (2023), "Building a strong employer brand": https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-strong-employer-brand-importance-branding-how-helps-1c?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&utm_campaign=share_via (online) accessed 14-04-2024

5. Kalibrr, (2023), "Want to Develop Your Employer Branding Strategy?":https://neo-blog.kalibrr.com/blog/want-to-develop-your-employer-branding-strategy-check-these-top-tips (online) accessed 14-04-2024

6. Jerelyn A., (2021), Recruitee Blog, "Employer branding vs. employee branding":https://recruitee.com/articles/employer-vs-employee-branding,(online) accessed 14-04-2024