In this hiring market, you need to stand out amongst the competition to attract top talent. If you don’t have a compelling employer brand in place, you’ll likely encounter more obstacles than necessary securing qualified applicants in the ongoing talent crisis.
With the right employer brand in place, you can easily convert applicants to new hires. Hireology has compiled this list of elements to pay careful attention to if you want to improve your organization’s employer brand.
1. Compelling career site
The most engaged candidates apply to jobs directly through the company’s career sites. Embrace your career site as an opportunity to keep top candidates engaged by telling a story about your culture, people and core values. A compelling career site can go a long way when it comes to communicating your employer brand with potential applicants.
Make sure to link to your career site from your company home page and in any job descriptions you post through outside sources. Also include an option to apply via mobile, as many of today’s job seekers search for and apply to open roles via mobile devices. And continuously share engaging content to get top talent excited about applying – including team photos and videos, employee testimonials, your latest benefits, and more all serve as great testaments to your employer brand.
2. Effective job descriptions
In your job descriptions, focus on what you have to offer more so than requirements, as the job description is your chance to sell applicants on the role and your company. Your job descriptions should begin with a detailed company overview that touches on such things as location, company history, culture, awards, community involvement, and career growth. You should also highlight benefits, responsibilities and key requirements of the role, so job seekers can gauge whether or not they’re truly a fit for the role and your team before applying. Effective job descriptions are able to concisely communicate the intangible benefits of the job, like a great work culture, through strategic employer brand messaging.
3. Comprehensive list of benefits
Today’s top talent is motivated by much more than pay alone. On your career site and in your job descriptions, highlight all the benefits your company has to offer employees, including your healthcare benefits, paid time off, training opportunities and professional development budget, to name a few. These perks should serve as a core component of your recruiting messaging, as job seekers on the market today heavily rely on this pillar of employer branding when deciding to apply somewhere.
4. Defined career paths
Today’s job seekers demand clearly defined career paths and if your employer brand strategy doesn’t include career progression, top talent will likely accept roles elsewhere. Show visuals of the paths on your career site and describe career paths in job descriptions, along with highlighting examples of employees who have risen through the ranks to paint a picture for your candidates.
Lou Fusz Automotive Network is a wonderful example of a company displaying their commitment to encouraging professional growth in workers by providing an easily accessible career pathway for every position at their dealership. On the company career site, potential candidates can browse through career pathways in sales, technical service, body shop, parts, or even clerical positions for a comprehensive understanding of their career potential in the automotive industry. Lou Fusz Automotive Network also has a testimonials page on their career site that features video testimonials from existing employees to give candidates a real-life perspective on the company’s employer brand and workplace environment.
5. Social media presence
If your employer brand only exists on your career page, you’re missing out on the opportunity to reach a much wider audience. Job seekers are performing research on the positions — and companies — they apply for now more than ever before, thanks to the large number of available positions.
Social media is the perfect chance for your business to not only establish credibility in your industry, but also to showcase your work culture to potential applicants. As mentioned before, candidates have more pathways available to them and do their homework when it comes to committing to a job. By having various social media pages, like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and maintaining their respective profiles according to your employer brand standards, you can help stand apart from the hiring crowd.
Your employer brand can ultimately make or break your hiring success. And you need qualified and engaged employees to ensure you offer top-notch customer service and your business remains profitable. To assess the current employer brand you have in place, download our free Employment Branding Checklist today!
