Here’s Why Your Employer Brand Needs a Revamp

October 28, 2014 at 12:18 PM by Kathleen de Lara

boost employer brandIn an ideal world, every candidate has heard great things about working for your company lightyears ahead of your first email outreach. 

Every year, Fortune Magazine puts together a list of the top 100 best companies to work for and even before seeing the list, a few org names already come to mind. 

Google, for example, is one of ‘em, and unsurprisingly tops the list for the fifth time in its eighth appearance in the series. What’s their secret? Along with the 99 other contenders, Google has managed to achieve a level of solid employer branding backed by a satisfied team and a strong culture with a clear set of values – all of which drive the way the company operates. 

Not yet convinced? Read on. 

Establishing an employer brand is essential to maintaining satisfaction and retention as the company grows.

“Some companies don’t even convey an employer brand until they start growing, and that can create an even bigger disconnect on branding, marketing, and company culture,” said Loni Spratt, Entelo Director of Customer Success. A company’s culture is not only reflective of its employees but also the organization’s location and size of the team. A smaller team of 10-20 employees is likely more open, comfortable, and tight-knit than 250 employees whose differences may span from being, by nature, less transparent, to not knowing everyone else on the team, and being of ranging ages and backgrounds.

Using detailed descriptions and defining company culture from the beginning helps shape the way a company grows, which can be especially beneficial as a team becomes more diverse. Culture impacts branding, and distinguishing culture communicates what’s important to a company. 

Having a clear employer brand can decrease your time-to-hire. 

In tandem with our first point, communicating what’s important to a company also allows candidates to decide whether or not they’re interested in joining the team, filtering out talent who may look good on paper, but don’t pass the “culture fit test.”

Showcasing a definite set of values and mission helps companies set themselves apart from competitors and gives candidates interested in your opportunities a chance to self-select in or out of the application process. When a company’s values, mission, and employer branding are accurate representations of the org’s culture, candidates have a better understanding of what it’s like to work with the team, allowing them to decide if the role is a good fit. 

Many of your employees aren’t engaged with their job, which can impact how new talent comes into your pipeline. 

Gallup reports 70% of employees are “not engaged” or seriously disengaged” from their job in The State of the American Workplace. In addition to decreasing overall productivity and increasing the likeliness of employee attrition, a disengaged workforce affects how new talent gets referred to the team.

Referrals are one of the most cost-effective ways to build your candidate funnel, and while employees may have an understanding of the ideal hire, if they’re not enjoying their own job, it’s unlikely they’ll encourage their peers and friends to work for the company. Identify disconnects between the employee experience and the employer brand. Unhappy workers aren’t going to speak for what your company image may imply, which will eventually manifest itself in “employee’s remorse” and a high turnover rate

Get an in-depth look at boosting your candidate engagement through your employer brand and join Entelo and Officevibe for our upcoming webinar, “How to Improve the Candidate Experience through Your Employer Brand!” 

how to improve your employer brand

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