Things to do now to strengthen your external employer brand

Employer brand is more important than ever, with the majority of candidates saying that a company’s reputation as an employer affects whether or not they apply. This means that today’s job seekers are looking to review sites, social media and a company’s general online presence to decipher whether it is the right place for them (or not). 

Every business has an employer brand, both internally and externally. Your internal brand is based on employee experience, whereas your external brand is the perception of the employee experience at your business. This is the one that can influence your hiring pipeline.

Outdated, missing or incomplete information about how your company acts as an employer can lead to best-guesses and assumptions that may not represent reality. For example, you could have the most flexible workplace in the world - but if you don’t clarify what you offer and why, externally, then it could put off candidates who are looking for just what you offer.

On the flip side, taking control of your external employer brand enables you to showcase all the stand-out features of working at your company. Ideally, you want to invest in a robust employer branding strategy to do so - but we know this isn’t always realistic.

So we’ve put together a list of steps you can take right now to improve your external employer brand. So you can make those first moves towards taking control of your image as an employer.

1. Shout your values out loud

Your company values are the foundation of your employer brand. They are a window into how things work at the business and a great way to give candidates a quick look at whether you could be right for them.

Every workplace is different. Some rely on in-office interactions, whereas others function better asynchronously. Some prioritise longer-term planning, and others prefer a more agile approach to projects.

There are candidates out there searching for all types of ways to work. Shouting out your values and ways of working can attract those who work best in an environment like yours. And it enables those who don’t to self-exclude themselves from your top-of-the-funnel hiring pools.

This additional filter means you can then focus on finding ways to show whether applicants are (actually) a great fit for the business. And it also makes it more likely that you hire enthusiastic, vision-aligned people.

Ways to shout your values out loud:

1. Put them on your careers page
2. Summarise what each of them means to your business
3. Shout-out employees who hold up your values

2. Optimise your job descriptions

Often, a job description is the first place that people form an impression of your company as an employer. This makes them an important touchpoint for taking control of your employer brand.

Poorly edited, lengthy and repetitive job descriptions can be a red flag that your company doesn’t know what they’re looking for, or isn’t clear. This doesn’t mean that’s true, but it is how it looks to candidates - which is exactly the opposite of what you want to showcase.

Your job descriptions should have the same thought put into them as any other part of your employee experience. Afterall, the employee experience doesn’t start with being hired, but with the hiring process itself.

Ways to optimise your job descriptions:
1. Aim for 5 to 6 requirements
2. Specify what is essential vs. desirable
3. Use personable and inclusive language

3. Be transparent about benefits

It is no longer enough to offer a “competitive salary” to candidates. Today’s job seekers also value flexibility, wellbeing, and training and development opportunities.

As with values, there are people out there looking for all sorts of benefits packages - who will prioritise and compromise on different things. So disclosing them early on in the recruitment process allows people to self-exclude if you do not offer what they are looking for.

This is good for you because you are less likely to move a great candidate through the application process, only for them to bow-out late on or reject an offer because the benefits package does not align with their needs.

Ways to be transparent about benefits:
1. Put them on your careers page & job descriptions
2. Disclose the details early on (like pay ranges, types of insurance or healthcare, etc.)
3. Make sure that new hires know how to access each benefit.

4. Tell a more detailed company story

Storytelling is a powerful way to engage candidates with your employer brand. A cohesive narrative has the power to connect with people and their emotions, which creates stronger messages that stay with people for longer.

When the story of the business resonates with them, people invest more time and energy in applying. This makes it easier for you to see when an applicant is really interested in what the company does, which will probably make them a better hire.

Ways to tell a more detailed story:
1. Include a timeline of the business on your careers page, that details each milestone
2. If you believe strongly in something, like your mission, ways of working or building diversity, explain why these are important to the business and how they fit into your business strategy
3. Spotlight the teams within the business, including their purpose, leadership and mission
4. Create applicant packs to give out more information at each stage of the application process, to maintain your engagement with potential hires

5. Empower your employees as advocates

These days, it is not enough for a company to say they are a great place to work. Candidates want to hear it from the people whose opinions they trust the most - actual employees.

Did you know? 50% of applicants want to read information provided by a past or existing employee before they apply to a company.

A business’s employees are their most valuable asset when building an authentic employer brand. Employee voices can be the difference between candidates rolling their eyes at what looks like another empty promise, versus knowing that they have really found a life-changing opportunity.

Ways to empower your employees as advocates:
1. Invest in authentic content such as office tour videos or team interviews (no overly scripting things!)
2. Get a referral scheme going to encourage employees to talk about their experiences externally
3. Encourage employees to share in-depth, constructive testimonials to use on your careers page or during the hiring process

It doesn’t end here…

As you might imagine, there’s a whole heap of things you can do to make your external employer brand more positive, robust and authentic. But we hope we’ve given you a few ideas to get started.

If you want to learn more about employer branding, key pillars to consider when looking to evolve your strategy, and what is at risk if you don’t invest in your employer brand, take a look at our free eBook “The Art of Attraction.”