Are you standing out amongst current and future employees?
In today’s world, recruitment is candidate driven. Quality candidates are weeding out the companies who don’t hold themselves to the same standards as they do. While you are seeking them, they are assessing you. If they were looking for a cookie cutter company, they wouldn’t be the quality candidates that you are looking to hire.
Everything from your logo and website to your social media pages and marketing materials are a part of your brand. But what does your employer brand say about you? Does the reputation that precedes you reflect the one you are trying to convey to customers? Internal customers, aka your employees, have just as much impact on our business as external customers do, if not more.
While you may be waiting on the right time to do something, quality candidates may be passing you by. Potential employers are those who stand up for what they believe in, stand out among the rest and make an effort to look inward before they ever reach out. If your image doesn’t support your vision and employee engagement is lacking luster, you may just want to read on to see how you can bring a little light into the office!
What is employer branding?
Employer branding encompasses everything involving employment. From the way your current and former employees talk about your company to how they interact in the office, your employees are making an impact on your business. If you’re not purposeful, effects can be damaging your business and limiting the relationships you have with both current and future employees.
Your employer brand should not only reflect your company’s values and standards but it should also connect customers to the employee experience.
If you don’t think you can have a direct impact on what an employee says about you, you might just find out the hard way that you’re wrong. If employees feel valued, appreciated and like they work for a company who cares about them, then even a bad experience or missed step has the potential of becoming a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block.
What an employee says about your company impacts interactions with potential candidates and customers alike. It starts from within, by creating an environment employees want to work in, where they feel safe and heard. An employer brand shouldn’t simply state the company’s values, it should reflect it by upholding it.
Loyal employees lead to loyal customers. Internal and external branding go hand-in-hand. An excellent work environment lends itself to a good customer experience. If your employee brand shows integrity, concern and respect, brand loyalty will be the outcome; inside and out.
How healthy is your employee brand?
- Ask: Offer anonymous employee surveys and/or create focus groups.
- Observe: You can learn a lot by taking a step back and observing. Watch how employees interact with their peers, with customers and with upper management.
- Reflect: Assess what you have learned through focus groups, surveys and observations.
- Apply: This is where you take what you’ve learned and put it into action!
Remember, how quality candidates distinguish between a company who wants to hire them from one they want to work for has everything to do with your employer brand. Make sure you are putting the effort into your employees now so that you aren’t missing them later!
