The Role of Employer Branding in Recruitment

You will have heard about branding in terms of products, services and your business as a whole, but how much thought have you given to employer branding? Branding isn’t only about appealing to customers and being recognisable in the market, you also need to think about how your business is perceived by employees, and whether people view it as being a good place to work. This is where employer branding comes in.

What is Employer Branding?

The way in which current and potential employees view your business is important, and this covers company culture, values, mission and the overall working environment. Employer branding includes everything from the way your business treats employees, what your employees say about you on social media and the feedback you have on employer review sites. Even the tone and style of your job postings can impact employer branding. When it comes to attracting top talent and building a strong team, employer branding can make a big difference.

The Benefits of Good Employer Branding

Don’t underestimate the importance of employer branding, as it can actually mean big things for your business, as long as it’s done right. There are a whole host of employer branding benefits, ranging from making it easier for you to attract talented candidates, to improving employee retention rates.

Attract Top Talent  Strong employer branding helps you to stand out in a crowded job market, and makes it easier for you to engage high quality, talented candidates who align with your values. Regardless of your industry, top talent has the freedom to pick and choose who they work for. You need to have a strong employer brand if you want to be thrown into the mix.

Speeds Up Hiring  There’s no denying that hiring can be a time-consuming process, but employer branding can speed things up. When people already know who you are and trust your brand, they’re more likely to apply. They’re likely to apply quickly, making sure they don’t miss out on the chance to work for an employer with a good reputation.

Improves Employee Retention  Employee retention is an important part of growing a successful business, and employer branding really helps. Employees who are proud to work for your business are more likely to stick around, becoming a long-term part of the team. This reduces the time and money you have to spend finding and onboarding replacement hires.

Reduces Hiring Costs  The cost of hiring quickly adds up, but employer branding can help to keep these costs to a minimum. Word-of-mouth referrals and organic interest in your advertised roles mean that you spend less on advertising and recruitment agencies. You can sit back, knowing people are going to jump at the chance to apply.

Builds Employee Trust  It’s important that employees trust you as an employer, and a transparent and positive brand image builds this trust with both current employees and potential candidates. People want to know that they’re working for a business that has their best interests at heart.

The Impact of Employer Branding on Recruitment

Your employer brand has a direct impact on every stage of the recruitment process. Before candidates even apply, they’re going to be researching your business online. They’ll read reviews, check out your website and browse your social media, all with the aim of finding out more about you as an employee. What they find online can have a huge impact on whether or not they apply.

Once you reach the interview stage of the recruitment process, a strong employer brand can make candidates more excited and engaged. It gives you a consistent and authentic brand story to tell, and makes your business more appealing, exciting and promising to work for.

Even after you’ve offered someone the job and the recruitment process is coming to an end, your employer brand can be the deciding factor between your offer and another. Candidates have options and it’s not uncommon for talented professionals to have the choice of where to work. Your reputation as an employer could be what sways them into choosing you.

What Happens Without Good Employer Branding?

Fewer Applications  Top candidates are less likely to apply to businesses they’ve never heard of or those that have a poor reputation. Employer branding is likely to increase how many people you have applying for a role.

Longer Hiring Times  Without a strong brand to draw people in, finding the right fit can take significantly longer. This makes recruitment a lot more time-consuming and costly.

Higher Recruitment Costs  If you don’t have a good employer brand, you’ll likely need to rely more on paid ads, recruiters or sign-on bonuses to encourage new hires. This increases the overall cost of recruitment.

Lower Employee Morale  If your company culture doesn’t match the image you’re putting out, it can lead to dissatisfaction and employee turnover. Employees want to know what to expect from a workplace, and their experience needs to align with your brand.

No Competitive Edge  In industries where talented candidates are in a strong position to choose who they work for, businesses with poor employer branding get left behind. A strong employer brand can give you the competitive edge needed to stand out.

A strong, authentic employer brand takes time and effort, but hard work pays off. When people believe in you as an employer, and genuinely think that you’re a workplace they want to be a part of, successful recruiting becomes a lot simpler.

 

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