The people in an organization are central to its success. Naturally, companies want to attract top talent that plays a key role in furthering their goals. To do so, they must have and be able to maintain a strong employer brand. Before we delve into the details, what is employer branding?
A company’s employer brand is its identity as an employer of choice, centered largely on its reputation in the job market. Employer branding is, in fact, a powerful strategy used by companies to attract talented candidates.
This brings us to the next question - why is employer branding important? In a highly competitive hiring market, attracting the most skilled and motivated people is no mean feat. If an organization has cultivated its brand value as a desirable place to work in, it is likely to garner interest from top talent in the industry.
Here are a few simple steps you can follow to elevate your employer brand.
Be Authentic
Authenticity builds your employee’s trust in your company and improves your employer brand greatly. It is also the key to establishing a healthy workplace and company culture. How an employee perceives their job satisfaction and work experience in your company depends greatly on the authenticity of your brand.
As an employer, your personality, values, and core beliefs must reflect in your communication with candidates. Be honest about your values and talk about how your company is a unique workplace.
Listen to Your Employees
Regularly seek feedback from your employees to understand their experiences in the workplace. Foster a culture where workers feel that they can talk to the upper management and offer suggestions, which is essential to building trust. More importantly, work on the feedback your employees give you to display your commitment to creating an open, transparent, and healthy workplace. This will go a long way in establishing positive word-of-mouth about working at your organization.
Fast-track Recruitment Processes
Talented job applicants, in the course of a long-drawn recruitment procedure, might be compelled to apply elsewhere or become disheartened. Offering a smooth and seamless experience application process will not only strengthen your reputation but also show the applicants that their time and talents are valued. Streamline your recruitment process to give job applicants a good first impression of your brand.
Be Flexible
Strike a healthy balance between ensuring that rules are followed and offering flexible working conditions. When your employees have a good work-life balance, it improves their performance and they approach their work with more involvement and enthusiasm. You can create a flexible working environment in different ways, such as offering part-time employment options, freelancing, flexible working hours and telecommuting. Introduce practices compatible with your company’s goals that also offer workers flexibility in their daily lives.
Cultivate Brand Ambassadors
Your employees can become your most reliable brand ambassadors since they know how your company truly works. Encourage your employees to share compelling stories about their experience while working for your company. This can play a major role in attracting talent by giving them a first-person view of the benefits and perks in store. This can be done through blogs, online forums, and other social media events.
Share your company’s own success stories today and invest in employer brand research to develop an authentic brand that draws top talent. For expert consultation on developing a strong employer brand, contact Randstad India today.