Attracting the right people to your company isn’t easy.  It’s dependent on how you are perceived by the market. If you are seen as an employer of choice,  – especially at executive level, attracting the right talent will be easier.  

Top talent is always in high demand, but in a candidate short market, it takes a much more sustained commitment from organisations to communicate their employer value proposition to prospective new business leaders and functional specialists.  

When you need great people, and you need them to perform immediately, how do you secure this in-demand talent in the face of vast competition? 

These specialised professionals are fully aware of their market value and know that they’re sought after to add value, so will always ask “What’s in it for me?”. 

Remuneration, rewards, and perks all contribute to the decision-making process, but in recent years, so too does the perception of the organisation. How does it compare to the competition? Is there potential for growth? What focus is given to the organisational culture?  

Being an employer of choice is fast becoming the swaying factor, with 76% of candidates explicitly looking for what makes a company an attractive place to work (CISM). There needs to be an onus on building an employer brand that is data-driven and talent-led. An employer brand that is designed around your people and your business goals. An employer brand that helps you and your employees thrive. 

What is Employer Branding? 

Employer branding is the process of defining and positioning who you are, as the employer of choice, to target potential candidates. It requires defining your unique employee value proposition and identifying the unique benefits (beyond the bare minimum) which are offered to employees in order to attract them to your business.  

Within candidate attraction, your employer brand refers to the perception your potential employees have of your company, whereby each interaction you have from initial contact, will contribute to establishing your company’s values, work culture, and personality to ensure they are aligned with your ideal candidates’ aspirations.  

While there may be a positive impression during the initial awareness phase of research online or through networks, a poor interview experience (lack of feedback, delays) could negatively influence initial good perceptions. Make sure that all interactions with your brand are consistent and accurate – whether it’s your online presence, leadership team, HR etc. 

As potential new employees make decisions about joining your company based on these impressions, the requirement for a definitive strategy to ensure your key messages are being presented and received to candidates. 80% of talent acquisition managers believe employer branding has a significant impact on the ability to hire top talent (LinkedIn). 

Implementing an employer branding strategy is an intricate process with considerations from HR, marketing, and senior business leadership required for consideration. 

Check out our key recommendations to attract and retain top executive talent through employer branding. 

Who Are You? 

Before implementing any form of branding strategy, you will need to determine whether you are genuinely considered an employer of choice by your existing leadership team. Existing and previous employees are your greatest brand ambassadors, and if they have had poor experiences or are not conveying a positive message, it’s important to find out why not. Initiating employee satisfaction surveys and monitoring reviews of your organisation online (e.g. Glassdoor) are critical methods of understanding your company perception amongst your employees.  
  

Define Culture and Aims

Why have your existing employees remained with your company? What is it that keeps your employees engaged? What differentiates you from your competitors? These are the questions potential candidates will also be asking, so the answers will provide the reasons why people would want to work for you. Whether your reputation of continual improvement with enviable training opportunities or simply a friendly, collaborative environment, understanding these qualities will enable you to communicate these as indicators of your company as an employer of choice.  
  

Communicate To Specific Audiences

Ensure the message, tone, and content that you are delivering to specialist and critical candidates are tailored appropriately, whilst adhering to the encompassing aims and purpose of the organisation. “59% of companies leverage their career website for communicating their employer brand” (Employer Brand International). It is imperative that everyone involved in conveying your employer brand is informed of the right message and provided with the appropriate information to do so.  
  

Embrace Leadership

People want to work with other industry leaders who define new parameters and encourage change – the top talent consolidated in one arena. Promote the skills and capabilities of your current leadership team by demonstrating their innovation and how your company culture and environment encourages this sort of talent. If you are looking to develop an area of the business or new business opportunities, the focus should be on potential employees and prospects to affect chance and shift culture. 
  

Consider Your Online Presence

Online interaction will influence the perception of your company and employer brand, with 79% of candidates using social media in their job search (Glassdoor). Companies need to consider the quality, consistency and relevancy of information included on the corporate website, the level of research and insight that an organisation releases, and even the LinkedIn profiles of the leadership team, which are all monitored by potential new employees. 

Through Corvus Assured, we support businesses to protect & improve their employer brand by ensuring all candidates have a positive experience. We also support businesses by creating applicant information packs & bespoke, tailored adverts which are designed to explain to the audience “what’s in it for them”. The process leads to above industry rates of new employee retention which also feeds into building employer brands.

Check out Corvus Assured to find out how we could help your recruitment process.