The time has come when the recruiters have to start treating their employees like customers and take every possible measure to ensure that they love the organization and become its brand ambassadors.
As Simon Sinek, a renowned American author, and inspirational speaker, has rightly said: “Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.”
When it comes to building one’s brand, investing in employer branding can be a smart way to create brand goodwill. In addition, numerous reports say that companies that invest in employer branding are more likely to hire competent candidates.
There are numerous factors, like inclusion, dignity, diversity, mental health, remuneration, opportunity to pursue higher studies, and many more, which contribute to building a strong employer branding. But before dwelling deeper into these factors, let’s discuss what exactly is ‘Employer Branding.’
What is Employer Branding and How Does it Add Value to the Organisation?
Employer branding is managing and influencing your reputation as an employer among job seekers, employees and key stakeholders. It is a holistic approach to positioning your organisation as an employer of choice.
In today’s age of cutthroat competition among employers to hire the best talents, employer branding has become indispensable. According to a survey report, around 95% of candidates find a company’s reputation necessary when exploring and considering a job.
In addition, an employee gets 561% more traction on sharing a message than the employer. And 41% of people/consumers rely on employee reviews compared to company reviews.
Finding the right fit for the right job has become even more challenging since the advent of so many online recruitment portals and apps. In this scenario, image and branding set an employer apart from its counterparts. Employer branding helps attract the right talent and employee retention, improving brand performance.
Globally-recognised certifications like Great to Place to Work also impact the employees’ decision whether to join a company or not.
Hubspot, the company that helps other businesses get their employer brand right, is a leader in this regard. Hubspot takes pride in its supportive and inclusive work culture that extensively promotes the spirit of self-improvement amongst its employees and is a great place to work.
Google is another great example of a company with solid employee branding which does not need any introduction in terms of popularity among job seekers.
What helped Google win the trust of its employees was its dedicated research and effort to build an emotionally safe and fulfilling environment apart from providing great opportunities to grow.
How can Recruitment Technology Help in Employer Branding?
In today’s competitive times, recruiters get hundreds of resumes every day. Take, for example, Google, which receives over 3 million resumes a year.
In one place, an influx of resumes is a boon for the recruiters. While on the other end, it becomes impossible for them to skim through these applications to find the right fit.
Hence employer branding becomes even more necessary to attract the right talent for suitable job openings. To channel such specific needs of the employers, recruitment technologies, tools and strategies can help.
Let’s explore ways of incorporating recruitment technologies into employer branding and finding suitable candidates:
1. Leveraging digital and social media
One of the most effective ways businesses can build their employer brands is through leveraging social and digital media technologies. These media can help brands network and engage with existing and potential employees.
Moreover, social media allows employees to share their successful work journeys with employers, helping employers achieve a positive image for the masses.
One such example of employee engagement on social media is Chipotle. Chipotle’s Facebook page shows many positive stories of their employees’ working experiences with them.
Each story shows how the organisation is an example of ensuring inclusivity, diversity and employee growth.
2. Automation through recruitment apps and portals
Automating the recruitment process through various online portals and apps is another way to strengthen the employee brand. Using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), AI-based recruitment processes save time, cost, and energy for both the recruiters and the candidates.
Features like chatbots enhance the candidate experience, thus improving the employer brand. One can also outsource these services to recruitment platforms like Naukri’s Hiring Suite, which provides automated recruitment and employee branding facilities.
Also read: How AR and VR Technologies Are Impacting HR and Recruiting.
3. Communication technologies for enhanced employee experience
According to research on diversity and inclusion, 83 % of millennials are actively engaged when they believe their organisation fosters an inclusive culture, compared to only 60 % of millennials who are actively engaged when their organisation does not foster an inclusive culture.
Effective internal communication processes can be achieved through technology. For example, social media campaigns, newsletters, email and mobile communication, content marketing, AI-based personalised messages, and online meetings can ensure that the employees feel connected and valued, even in distressing times like the pandemic and prolonged working from home.
4. Measuring analytics to understand brand perception
Brand perception plays a crucial role in attracting suitable candidates. For example, 86 % of job seekers prefer reading company reviews before applying for a job, and 75 % apply to a job if the company actively manages its employer brand.
Automated recruitment spaces, job review sites and social media and digital marketing tools like Semrush can help brands understand and measure their engagement with their current and potential employees. This can help employers make the required changes in their talent management strategies quickly.
5. Using employee advocacy tools and platforms
Employee advocacy means promoting business through word of mouth of their employees. There are numerous employee brand advocacy tools and platforms that businesses can incorporate to engage employees in their advocacy.
For example, employee advocacy platforms like Hootsuite Amplify integrate with Workplace by Facebook to easily share brand-approved content with their employees.
Also Read: Employer Branding – Are Your Employees Your Advocates?
Brands that consider their employees as customers are winning the game. A company that treats its employees well projects a positive image. Hence, employer branding can be a great way to holistically enhance one’s brand image.
This attracts the best talent, further contributing to strengthening the brand performance and hence the brand’s overall image.
At All Things Talent, we try to bring you relevant stories, trends, developments, and insights about the recruitment and human resource industry. Let us know your thoughts on employee branding and the role of technology in incorporating it.
