To recruit the best candidates in this labor market, you must do more than just post a vacancy online. Here are some tips on how you create a strong employer brand.
“Simply because we are a great company.” Jacco Valkenburg often doesn’t get much more detailed responses when he asks companies why candidates should choose that company. The trainer, expert and author in the field of recruitment, always has to ask a lot of questions to get to the core.
This fact is striking, especially if we consider the fact that the answer to that question is essential for employer branding. Until a few years ago, organizations could get away with dusting off old job postings, but the tide has now turned. As a company, you are now almost applying to potential candidates. “In this market, your job competes with comparable jobs at comparable companies. If you want applicants to choose you, you have to tell an unique and distinctive story.”
And if you want to do that well, you should start now and not when there is a new vacancy in your organization. “Employer branding is strategically important to an organization, so it needs continuously time and attention,” says Valkenburg. If you do it right, recruiting new employees becomes a lot easier.
Strengthen the employer brand
A project-based approach is required to create an Employer Brand Proposition (EVP). Together with management, HR and communication departments, and employees within key target audiences, you investigate what that unique and distinctive proposition is and what your corporate culture is. This will then be reflected in all your communications: not only in the vacancies you advertise, but also on your social media and your recruitment website. It takes guts to claim such a position, says Valkenburg. “It often remains vague or not very distinctive because companies do not really dare to choose.”
To get better at employer branding, you can look at companies that are already doing well in this area. For example, look at a company that prides itself on the fact that their corporate culture is friendly and fun. Do you see friendly and fun in the job adverts and their videos? And have a look at a large company that has innovation as their EVP pilar. Does innovation run throughout the entire recruitment process? Do they have an onboarding app?”. If not, look further for better examples.
Employer branding training
In our Employer Branding training courses you’ll discover more about creating strong employer branding. Jacco Valkenburg has poured his advice into a Masterclass Employer Branding.