Companies know they have to maintain a certain level of branding when dealing with consumers – but what about with prospective employees? Company branding is becoming a major element to the hiring process. In an age where social media has personified businesses to a level not experienced before, human resources must understand the company’s image must also correspond to the way it presents itself to candidates.
A Randstad survey from 2013 found an inviting company brand may be the key to attracting talent. It found 20 percent of employees under 30 would rather work at a lower-paying job with a brand they embrace than a position at a less reputable or welcoming company.
So how can employers establish a strong brand? Through many ways: from the literature a company gives to recruiters at conferences and tradeshows, to the applicant interview itself, how a business builds its brand directly contributes to how it builds an ideal workforce.
Begin through alignment
Before putting the brand out there, decision-makers must first think exactly what they want to convey in the hiring process. Often, companies want to highlight the fact they have a track record for success and personal advancement, while others may play up their small startup personality and put the spotlight on a quirky company personality and laid-back atmosphere. Whatever brand your company wants to push, it needs to align with the company mission and long-term plans.
That cohesive mindset also comes into play when ensuring there’s a big picture for the brand, with standards for representation. Think color schemes, logos and slogans, the font in brochures or even job applications. It all needs to come full circle.
Online strategies
The Internet, the tool that has furthered outward branding efforts the most, can also be used to establish company identity for internal purposes. Particularly, online job boards where companies can utilize forums to a social media-like extent provide a fostering environment for branding. Companies can engage with industry-leading talent and converse with other players, all while emitting a brand that the company and its recruiters feels best portrays them, and best attracts top-level workers.
There a number of ways to further a particular brand, including posting videos that highlight employee achievements or offering a peek inside the boardroom. Sharing content and responding in kind are all techniques to executing a well-rounded branding initiative.
Highlight atmosphere
The first physical impression a candidate gets of a hirer is when they come in for the interview. From the reception area to the conference rooms and the layout of the office and the people that populate it – each aspect is central to an employer brand. Researchers at Randstad found that a pleasant workplace was listed behind only salary and job security as major factors in deciding where to work.
To survive in the business climate where brand is as important as profits, HR professionals and recruiters need to engage in serious cultivation of a company image. To do so will sufficiently prepare them to thrive in hiring initiatives to uncover the best talent.
I am curious about something. Have you found that a more laid back atmosphere is becoming more popular in general? I suspect that the stories about working at places like Google have given people an image of a much more casual atmosphere being available in many workplaces. I wonder if that is actually happening in many places though.
This is really true. And I can actually count myself one of those who prefer to work in a less pay but branded companies than those with a position and higher pay but very poor on branding. Recruitment should always agree to the standards and live up to how the company should be marketed so that more people will love to try working, considering and even more great if they will be applying for jobs under it. Branding will always leave a good presentation to people, as long as you are consistent, and persistent in abiding on how it should be done.
Great post. I know that my day job has made a lot of changes so they can attract the right candidates after years of having employees last for a year or less.
It is so true that younger applicants are more impressed by trandy names and high-tec websites, and are less concerned about longevity and reputation of a company.
Best,
J
I used to work for a well-known company where management constantly talked about the employee’s brand and how every little thing you could do could ruin your brand. Lots of people didn’t get promotions because they had the wrong connections, which often meant you had the unfortunate luck of getting assigned to a manager who didn’t create your brand for you. It created a chain of people who were good at selling themselves but not always great at performing their jobs. Unsurprisingly the departments where that was the worst were the ones first cut when the economy tanked because they had too many people underperforming but there’s still a lot of that brand among management.
I second that; the first impression is based on the kind of expression your company extends and it starts from the point of hiring procedure. I have always believed that a company should designate a recruiter who actually reflects the exact idea, ethics, culture and behavior of the concerned organisation. HR plays a crucial role in the journey of branding.
People have many reasons for working. The most obvious of these is money. A job can provide financial independence and security. Another important factor is job satisfaction. Employment can enable you to build a career, gain experience, achieve promotion and reach your full potential. Other reasons for working include developing your talents and capabilities and satisfying a desire to work in an area of personal interest. Is it worth considering the above reasons for working in lieu of Branding in Hiring?
I agree it is important when looking for a job, communicating, sales or leadership one needs to brand themselves, of what sets you apart from the pack.
Branding is an essential element in recruitments. 60% of your work on convincing the candidate to join you is over if you have a good established brand in the market. People compromise on compensation if the brand is really really good. Traditional approach is removed by taking more social approach in recruitments.
Your employees should be an extension of your business and what you stand for. Mine is service, service and more service.
I think you really see the internet side of this with the popular tech companies like Google and Microsoft. The culture and brand has become so ingrained with their hiring that they attract the top workers in the industry.
Great points on branding! I shared this article with a few of my employees this morning. 🙂
Well explained the need and importance of branding in hiring. When its about branding, I get clicked in my mind the name of a popular branding company “BrandHarvest”, which is one of the best branding companies to build a true and huge brand.
Good branding is essential for organisations and candidates alike, particularly during the recruitment process. Candidates will Google the company and the company may well Google the candidate too so it’s equally important for individuals to present a strong personal brand on all online profiles. Social media accounts are so easy to access so everything anyone posts need to be appropriate and if employees have an inappropriate online presence, it can have a detrimental effect on a business. Likewise, a company’s online brand also needs to convey the right message to attract the right calibre of clients.
As a career branding specialist, I work with clients on a daily basis to ensure they have an optimised Linkedin profile and their social media accounts don’t portray the wrong message.
Hey Buddy,
Nice post!
I like the content of the post. In addition to this, the points you mentioned about importance of branding are worth considering. I want to appreciate you for the efforts you put forth for this article. The content you provided is so fine and unique that everyone who has little knowledge about branding would be influenced by your post.
According to my knowledge, a strong brand is one i.e. invaluable as the battle for customers intensifies day by day.
There are several objectives that a good brand likes to achieve. Some of them are mentioned below:
1) Emotionally connects your target prospects with your product and or service.
2) Motivates the buyer to buy.
Thank You For Sharing The Post!
Have a Nice Day! 🙂