Finding great employees is a challenge for businesses of all sizes. One thing that helps your company stand out in a competitive job market is a great employer brand.
What is an employer brand?
Your company’s employer brand is the perception that current and potential employees have of working for your organization. In a market where there are more jobs than there are skilled candidates, having a strong, positive employer brand can make a big difference when it comes to recruiting and retaining the best employees.
A recent article from Inc. provided six easy things you can do to improve your employer brand.
- Apply for “best places to work” lists.
A majority of potential employees will be researching your company before they come to work for you. They may even be searching specific phrases such as “best places for engineers to work in Utah.” Look for opportunities to apply for best workplaces lists so your company is found in those searches. Publications like Inc. and website like Glassdoor and LinkedIn as well as local publications and organizations often compile these lists. To participate, your employees may be asked to complete an online survey. This can also give you great feedback on the things you can improve, even if you don’t make it on the list the first time you try. - Update your social media pages to reflect your company culture.
Social media is a great place to interject a little personality into your employer brand. Most potential employees, especially younger generations, will be looking your company up on their favorite social media platform to try and gain more insight about what it is like to work for your company. They may also look to see if they know anyone who follows or works for you. - Actively manage your brand on Glassdoor.
Often small business owners forget about the importance of review websites like Glassdoor, but they are important to job seekers. 69 percent of people said they are likely to apply for a job if the employer actively manages their employer brand. Actively managing your brand means claiming your company profile, adding details about the company including photos, and responding to reviews. Also, if you don’t have any reviews or your reviews don’t paint an accurate picture of what it is like to work for your company, ask some of your current employees to go on a write a review. Just don’t give them talking points or tell them what to say. Make sure they know you want to hear their actual opinions. Authenticity is important. - Make sure you have a career page that accurately shows your company culture.
Most applicants will be taking a look at your website before applying for a job. A careers page on your website is a great place to not only post open positions, but also share fun company events, benefits, and perks. You can also share some photos of your employees and your workspace. - Respond quickly to all job applicants
Make sure that job applicants have a positive interaction with your company, even if you don’t hire them. Respond to everyone who applies letting them know the status of the position. When the job closes, be sure to thank everyone who applied and either encourage them to keep an eye out for future positions or let them know you will keep their resume on file to be considered in the future. - Encourage employees to refer candidates
No one knows better whether someone would fit within your company culture than current employees. Help employees be a recruiting tool by making sure they know about any open positions and what the idea job candidate for that position would be.
Paying attention to your employer brand is just as important as your customer brand. Without great employees you won’t be able to maintain a positive reputation with customers. These six things don’t take a lot of time or a lit of money to manage, but can make a big difference in recruiting, retention, and your bottom line.
Want to learn more about improving your employer brand? Check out this recording of a previous webinar on the topic.