KEYBOARD WARRIORS AND YOUR EMPLOYER BRAND

THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYER BRAND.

The competition for talent is real. Now more than ever before, companies around the globe are competing for their greatest assets – their people. What enables them to win this competition? Their employer brand.

When the stroke of a key gives the world’s greatest minds access to job opportunities all around the world, it has never been more important to create a workplace, culture & social impact that attracts them. In my experience, even in a slower economic climate, a strong candidate is always considering more than one offer. What are you doing to ensure that they choose yours?

If you want to stay ahead of the game, you really need to start thinking about our own employees as customers; and gain a greater understanding of the key elements that we all – as talent seekers – need to implement across the business to ensure that you can attract, retain and empower your employees to perform at their best.

 

THE AGE OF TRANSPARENCY… and KEYBOARD WARRIORS

In this age of transparency, power is shifting from to the customer. People are using social media and the internet to help them make more informed decisions. The decision to work for an organisation is no exception!

The digital age has seen the rise of platforms such as Seek Employer Reviews and Glassdoor. Employees and jobseekers can easily share their experiences with your company – both positive and negative. This era creates a real challenge for today’s employers as honest insights to the internal happenings of an organisation are readily available.

A company’s workplace reputation and employee experiences are all there for the world to see so a candidate can make a calculated evaluation about their own alignment to its culture and values before they even hit that ‘Apply’ button.

Negative reviews could be turning potential employees away without you even knowing.  How can you address that?

 

TURN A CHALLENGE INTO AN OPPORTUNITY

As much as negative reviews on Glassdoor and Seek may be seen as a huge disfavour for companies that are trying to acquire great talent, there is an opportunity. It is paramount for companies to measure this feedback and incorporate their findings into their branding strategy. Think of it almost like Agile development of your brand.

Yes, the experience and information people post on Glassdoor or Seek can be subjective and biased – but they are accounts of actual experiences. Those posts cannot be left unattended. If a company is demonstrating that they truly value the perception of their brand, they need to not only acknowledge both positive and negative feedback, but to act on it.

These companies really need to look at themselves from the outside and then go into damage control mode.  But not just using words, real action is required here.

WHAT IS YOUR EMPLOYER BRAND STRATEGY?

Companies must now understand their unique selling proposition (USP) is not only for external customers but for their internal customers (employees) as well. It’s a business wide proposition.

Employer Branding starts at the top. Therefore we, as businesses, need to focus on the company talent requirements and understand the market’s perception of both our own business and that of our competitors.

How can we do this? Research. Use these reviews to your advantage. Gather as much information as you can. From platforms such as Glassdoor and SEEK, by surveying your employees, by understanding the candidate experience. Like I said, Agile Brand Development. 

This information needs to then be used to strategise, plan and execute an Employer Branding Mission. What do you want your employer brand to be? What are you doing well to instil this? What can you do better? Think about this and structure your message very carefully. The visibility and transparency of the key objectives of your brand should be evident in an executive strategy that cascades to every facet of your business. This is vital in building and maintaining a positive employer brand message that is consistent from the inside out.

This is an ongoing process – Neither Rome or Virgin’s employer brand was built in a day.

People tend to trust personal experience more than clever marketing slogans, so we need to think of how to engage employees in building a strong employer brand. People really want to be a part of something authentic.  And when it is they are much more willing to share their real experiences and are able to more easily influence others to amplify them on your behalf.

Read here how Cisco revamped their brand strategy by having employees share their authentic experiences using their successful #ICHOSECISCO campaign.

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Do you know what people are saying about your Employer Brand? Is it Hero or Zero? What are you doing to change it?

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