using an employer brand to attract the best talent.

Whether you realise it or not, your company already has an employer brand.

Thanks to today's technology and dozens of online employer review boards, candidates can access more information about your company than ever before.



Your current employees, past employees and even past applicants all have the power to share their experiences anonymously online for future prospective candidates to evaluate.

Just one negative review can hinder your ability to attract top talent, especially without a strong employer brand to stand behind.



Should this concern you?

Yes. A recent study revealed that 95 per cent of job applicants consider a company's reputation when making career choices.

The real question you need to ask yourself is, do you want to let the public build your employer brand for you, or do you want to create, cultivate and grow the unique employer brand that helps you attract the best talent?

building a topnotch employer brand

You can do several things right now to start developing a powerful employer brand that impacts your talent acquisition strategies and helps you hire the best candidates.

determine where you are

The first step to building or strengthening your employer's brand is understanding where it is now. Go online, sift through various employer review boards, and see what your current and past employees have to say about the company.



Your employees are one of your most powerful resources. They have a unique insight into what it looks like to work for your company.

Conduct surveys with current and new hires and terminating employees to get a real sense of your workplace culture.

Pay attention to your company's strengths and weaknesses. Your employer's strengths can help determine the direction of your employer branding strategies.

YourOn the other hand, you must address weaknesses primarily if these weaknesses drive loyees out the door or entice them to leave negative reviews.

know where you want to be

So, your employer brand isn't quite where you want it to be? This is why a building or strengthening your brand image is so important -- so you can tell the story of who your company is as an employer, rather than let someone write it for you.



Understanding the gap between your employer's brand and where you want it to be today is essential. You also want to position your employer brand for the future and how you want to grow your company.

This understanding will allow you to develop strategies to build a bridge that moves your employer brand into the future, enhancing your talent acquisition capabilities. 

develop strong EVP

A strong EVP (employer value proposition) can serve as the foundation for building a successful employer brand. Your EVP should explain why potential candidates should work for your company. You want to highlight the unique attributes that make your company special so that you can stand out from your competitors.



It's essential to be authentic and to make sure that you don't offer promises within the EVP that you can't keep. Reneging on promises or not meeting the candidates' expectations can tarnish your brand reputation instantly.



The right EVP, however, can help your company bolster its talent attraction even in today's busy job market. Most importantly, a solid EVP will attract the "right" candidates. Those candidates will "fit" well into the overall company culture.

make it a company-wide strategy

Employer branding cannot be a stand-alone strategy but rather a company-wide campaign. Your employer brand should be consistent with your overall company brand, and it should fit within the company's values and mission.



Successful integration of your employer brand within the company structure requires cooperation from all levels of management. Pulling team members from various departments and management levels to develop a cohesive brand that effectively highlights your company as an employer is essential.