Employer branding : definition and how to develop it?

The employer image projected by a company is one of the most important pillars to convince a candidate.

Indeed, it is not for nothing that 96% of companies believe that the employer brand has a positive or negative impact on their recruitment (CareerArc). Nevertheless, less than half of the companies monitor it and implement actions to enhance it. Therefore, it is important to understand what employer brand is, and how to optimize it.

What is Employer Branding?

Definition and goal

Employer brand is the term used to define the image of a company as an employer, in other words, it represents its reputation. It is implemented through a communication strategy aimed at reinforcing the image of a company as an employer through marketing actions. It aims at improving brand recognition and attracting talent, retaining current employees and reinforcing the corporate culture.

The goal of employer branding is to create a consistent and attractive identity for current and potential employees, highlighting the positive aspects of working for the company. This can help build employee satisfaction and loyalty, improve productivity and enhance the company's reputation as an employer of choice.

Adopt a marketing mindset: Employer branding is where recruitment and marketing meet. In an increasingly candidate-driven market, you need to adopt this mindset to attract the right candidates and improve your candidate experience. HR and marketing teams need to work together to create an effective content strategy.

To help you get an initial analysis of where you stand, find out where you and your competitors stand for free with our employer brand benchmark tool.

Improve your employer brand

The power of the employer brand continues to accelerate. The question is how to leverage this employer brand. Today, 90% of job seekers take employer brand into account when applying for a job. At a time when the recruitment market is facing great uncertainty, employer branding is particularly important because of the fierce competition for the best candidates.

A company's reputation is important to 95% of candidates, with 68% even considering applying for an interesting opportunity if the company has a positive employer brand. Even though these candidates are not actively looking.

As we know, employer branding initiatives are difficult to centralize, especially for international companies. Companies need to be bold and authentic in sharing an honest view of the work environment. How can organizations effectively communicate their employer value proposition to create a consistent message internally and externally to attract candidates?

The 4 main pillars of the employer brand

Customization :

Give candidates the opportunity to interact with your organization via your website, social networks, job boards, referral sites and via current and former employees, etc. These interactions offer a unique experience of engaging personally with a candidate. Be careful to manage your image on social networks, as today a negative comment from a former or current employee can have a significant impact.

Recognition :

Recognizing the efforts of employees within your organization will boost team morale. As a result, each motivated individual will radiate their well-being and motivation to others, which will help create a positive work environment. Ultimately, the people who work for you are all ambassadors for your brand and will be the ones promoting the organization during and after their employment.

Gathering :

Create a sense of belonging through team activities and work clubs that can bring everyone together. This way, your employees won't feel like they're just doing a functional job to pay the bills! Moreover, this atmosphere will be reflected outside the company and will have a positive impact on the image you give to potential candidates.

Transparency and honesty :

It is important to be clear and honest about what you are offering employees in order to present a realistic view of the role and the company. It is better to be honest with a candidate than for them to discover the truth later and feel they have been misled.

These challenges are the foundation of a company culture that makes people want to work for you. They are as positive for your hiring as they are for your bottom line.

Creativity and innovation for your employer brand

The challenges of a corporate culture

The corporate culture helps motivate employees and therefore improve the company's performance. This sharing of common values creates a sense of belonging that improves employee satisfaction, quality of work life and retention of candidates.

In other words, increasing financial performance, motivation and interaction among employees is necessary to become an "employer of choice.

Candidates, both active and passive, are increasingly looking for companies that offer positive and caring work environments.

Creativity with agencies and consultants

To best communicate corporate culture, organizations can use recruitment consultants and employer branding agencies to effectively represent the brand to the candidates they speak with. But we caution against using multiple recruiters, as this can negatively impact your brand and dilute the value proposition if their pitch is not consistent.

In such a competitive market, it's essential to be creative to make your employer brand stand out to reach the right candidates. The more creative you can be, the more effective you will be. Many still rely on traditional methods rather than looking at the problem and determining the best way to solve it. The days of simply posting a job description on your website or other job board to find the right candidates are over!

Innovation with new tools at your disposal

Adapting to new technologies can be difficult. Choose a solution that provides a team dedicated to customer success. If you don't have a marketing team, outsource.

There are companies today that specialize in HR communications and can help you implement an optimized strategy that positively impacts your employer brand and candidate experience. People who can both answer your questions, help you make the most of technology and understand the job market. A specialized candidate targeting tool like Seeqle is therefore highly relevant.