Employment Branding - position your company as an Employer of Choice
/It is more important than ever in today’s competitive hiring climate to position your company as an Employer of Choice. Knowing your company’s employment brand and making a concerted effort to be a top employer are proven to result in positive outcomes with recruiting, retention and productivity.
To be an Employer of Choice it is crucial to understand what you do well and to develop a plan for areas that you want to improve. To start, do company leaders and employees have a similar view of your organization’s employment brand or mission, values and culture? Are there common themes as to why your company is a great place to work? Are there areas that you could do better?
As you define your company’s employment brand and work towards being viewed as a top employer, here are some examples of ways that companies differentiate themselves:
1. Strong Mission. Why are you in business? What does your company make, do or sell that helps others? For examples of robust mission statements, look to Non-Profit organizations. They do this really well!
2. A Great Story. We have a client that has a great story of how their founder, 100+ years ago, immigrated to the US and brought with him his prize possession, a printing press that he used to start his business. This story has proved time again a key element in recruiting candidates. What is your story?
3. Your Values. Do you have examples of your values in action? Company values are important but key to them being the cornerstone of what makes you great is being able to point to how they are lived inside the organization and community.
4. Employee Support. Components of employee support include solid onboarding, manager and supervisory training, accountability, and creating an environment of safety and respect.
5. Compensation + Benefits + Flexibility. Does your company offer top pay? Are your benefits comparable to or better than your competitors? Are you able to provide flexible hours or remote working opportunities to employees?
Once you have identified the key elements of why your company is a great place to work, your next task is to communicate the message. On your website, you could add written or video employee testimonials. On social media, post employee outings or community participation. In recruitment advertising, explain what your company does well and describe WHY the job seeker wants to work for you!
And don’t forget to sell your company in interviews. We have a client that did an excellent job communicating why they were an awesome company in interviews. The key to the communication was including employees in the interviews who were authentic about their enthusiasm for the company and who reinforced each other in their talking points. The result? The company did a great job of selling themselves as a great place to work and had three candidates that really wanted the job.
How does your company stand out as an Employer of choice? Share your thoughts with us! Struggling to define your top selling points? Red Seat offers a one-hour workshop on employer branding focused on recruiting and retention. If you are interested in capitalizing on what you already do well, we think this is an hour well spent.
