Employer Branding
Posted July 26th, 2011
To get the talent they need, and to stay ahead of the competition, companies are turning more and more to developing an employment brand.
The companies are emphasizing the things that make them good employers, based on surveys of their own employees. A smaller company, for example, may highlight the opportunities for advancement and working in different areas, things larger competitors might not be able to offer. Some even run ads in different media.
But even more important for a company is first coming up with a clear idea of what its strengths and weaknesses as a workplace are, and how these stack up against its competitors. The company needs to be able to set itself apart from the competition, and tell prospective employees what is unique about it.
Toward that end, the company needs to survey its own employees, and find out why they came and why they stay with the firm, and use their responses to come up with a concise brand, one that will make the company stand out from among its competition. Showing how a company is different from the competition is the key factor, the difference between success and failure in recruiting.
Companies are turning to marketing and advertising research to help them sell their employment brand. Some, for example, use focus groups.
Some companies also are using consultants to check out the competition. They will send people to the other companies to apply for jobs there and then tell about the kind of experience they had.
Other consultants recommend that companies, before they start advertising, test their employment brand with focus groups in their own company – if they are promising something to prospective employees, they should find out from their own employees if the company has been able to deliver.
In this age of information overload, companies also need to be continuously broadcasting their employment brand as well.
And businesses are broadcasting their brand in different ways. More are using social networking sites, with video and music to punch up the message.
Beneath all the hype, however, the experts say that companies need to make sure the message gives a truthful description of what it is like to work at the company, its culture and values. You can put together a terrific promotional effort to get the word out about what a great place to work your company is, but if the message does not reflect the reality, your new hires won’t be staying around long anyway.
When you’re looking for terrific employees, contact Bayside Solutions. We can source and hire some of the best Bay area employees for temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire positions. Contact us today; we look forward to helping your company run smoothly and well within your budget.
