The Ins and Outs of The Employer Brand

The concept of employer branding, in part, is the perception of the employer by people who work for you, want to work for you, or do business with you. Many people believe that it is something you can create. You can’t. An employer brand gets created by those who experience your company.

Don’t like it? Too bad. This discussion of employer branding is a “thing.” Moreover, it is actually important because it exists for your organisation whether you want it to or not. Every interaction that customers, partners, employees and candidates have with your organisation become part of that brand image.

Understanding Your Brand

Understanding who you are as an employer, and being brutally honest in your assessment, is the trick to seeing what your “branding” is. If your company is patriarchal, unforgiving and difficult to work for, no amount of “cool breakroom” videos or Free Beer Fridays will change that fact.

The reality is that the starting point for any employer branding effort is finding out what employees, customers, partners and candidates really think of you. What do they like and what do they dislike? It is with this information that you will have the ability to make informed decisions as to what needs more focus in your company to resonate a well-branded image.

If your company is known for high turnover, an alarming lack of upward mobility and a commitment to social philanthropy, then your area of focus is obvious! Highlight the social philanthropy and work on the others. You should attempt to initiate internal programs to overcome the glaring lack of upward mobility. That way, after a few years, you might be in a position where you could showcase this aspect of your brand. This too should lower your level of turnover. A win-win, for you, and for your company image.

So why is employer branding important?

A LinkedIn Study found that candidates with “most” of the qualities of a good employer brand could lure 42% of employees away from their current job without a pay raise.

The point that brands are based on perception means that any “branding” needs to be based on a truth that will organically resonate with your employees and candidates. Once you have identified your brand, all your communications should map back to that brand and should convey the essence of it in some way.

The best way to know exactly what you are working with is to survey all the constituencies that touch your organisation and identify how they see your company.

Ask questions like:

• What makes this a great place to work?
  Why did you want to work here?
  What is your perception of our brand?
  Did you have a different perception before and after being hired?
  These will help you understand how people see your company and will help you to see how your brand is being perceived.

Survale enables organisations to gather employer brand information, candidates and any other constituencies automatically. Just set up a campaign and receive constant ongoing feedback along with powerful analytics to find out where your brand is hitting and missing.