From Coca-Cola to Harley-Davidson to Calvin Klein, brands play an important role in the decisions consumers make about where to spend their dollars. The best managed brands do far more than that, however. They become an instantly recognizable “hot commodity”. They become part of our culture.
Savvy companies take matters one step further, making their brand a significant aspect of their recruitment initiatives. It isn’t enough to simply splash your logo onto your Careers page or the banner you hang at job fairs. Rather, you must consistently portray all of your company’s brand attributes everywhere you advertise jobs or promote your company.
While unemployment remains high, you may be wondering why you even need to bother branding your company to job seekers. As the war for talent reignites, the strength of one’s brand could make the difference between securing a desirable candidate and watching as they accept a position with the competition. Some recruitment experts claim that a first-class brand may even help an employer bring in top-notch talent for less money.
Much like a brand is a promise to one’s customers, it is also a promise to one’s employees. A powerful employment brand acts as a psychological trigger in the minds of potential employees. It communicates value and weighs heavily in their ultimate decision of which job offers to accept and which ones to reject. Those companies which are viewed as strong, desirable brands often end up with people lining up to work there. This can significantly reduce time to fill and result in a deep pool of applicants from which to choose. Once onboard, employees are less eager to jump ship when their employer is considered a hot commodity.
So, just exactly how do you go about developing a memorable employment brand? Your first step is to define your audience. Think about the kind of candidate you are trying to attract. Remember that what attracts a fresh college grad might not attract a mid-career professional. It’s crucial, therefore, to define your ideal candidate. Ask yourself what motivates them and what such an individual is probably looking for in an employer. This will aid you in your ability to align your brand messaging with their short- and long-term ambitions.
Next, you must determine your brand promise. What does your company have to offer a potential employee? Play to your strengths and focus on your values. Ask yourself how you compare to the competition. Create a concise tagline that summarizes your brand promise. It must be synergistic with your company’s mission statement and values. Most importantly, it has to be something you can deliver on every single time.
Once you’ve decided on your brand promise, you are ready to design your look. Much like a consumer-oriented campaign, your employment brand should consist of a logo, a color palette, and a tagline. It’s usually a good idea to begin with your company’s existing logo and palette, but you should feel free to deviate from that look and create your own recruitment-specific look. Be creative with typefaces, colors, and fonts.
Once you’ve defined your employment brand, written your brand promise and designed your recruitment-specific brand look, you are ready to implement it across all touch points. Remember that consistency is key. Whether you are recruiting online, in-person, or via phone/email, your employment branding must be consistent across all channels. The message should be identical each and every time a potential employee comes into contact with your employment brand. And don’t forget your existing workforce. Build internal buy-in by embedding your employment brand at each level of the organization. Communicate it frequently to employees and make sure they have a thorough understanding of it.
High Profile Staffing can offer more information about communicating with your specialized audience – whether its job candidates or prospective clients. Contact High Profile for more great advice.