I can’t even begin to think how many organisations I have dealt with over the years in either my capacity as a recruiter or as a manager of recruiters. But sitting across the table from a business owner, hiring manager or HR manager, the questions “what kind of reputation do we have out there in the market?” and “what do we need to do in order to become an employer of choice?” would come up time and time again. So let me ask you…
What kind of reputation does your organisation have out there in the market today?
When organisations are competing for the best talent, the organisation with the stronger employer brand will undoubtedly increase its ability to attract, select and retain the talent it needs.
But with the phrase employer of choice included in corporate mission statements, induction manuals, promotional material and recruitment advertisements everywhere, it is critical that you know what really makes your organisation the highly sought-after employer that you are… or that you at least want to be.
Having a strong employer brand will reduce the cost of hiring, lower staff turnover and increase productivity but you need to ensure that internally you have defined your corporate value proposition before you can promote yourself as an employer of choice externally.
In order to win the best recruits, a company must know how the talent pool perceives their brand and in order to obtain this information, research shows that many companies are trying to sharpen the way they market themselves to recruits by applying branding techniques to their recruitment process.
“For a company to exploit its brand effectively when it fishes for talent, it must think of recruits as customers”.
So instead of asking yourself “why would somebody want to buy from us?” you need to ask yourself, “why would somebody want to work for our organisation?”.
As an employer if you want to attract the best people, you need to ensure that your existing staff are your best advocates… your brand ambassadors. You need to make your talent as famous as your brand.
David Lee, the founder of HumanNature@Work refers to the Power of a Magnetic Employer Brand: “When you have a strong Employer Brand, your employees are your best recruiters not only because they tell great stories about your organisation, but because they also embody your company’s unique spirit and value-set. They themselves become walking talking Talent Magnets. They become brand and culture strengthening forces, because they attract people who resonate with your organization’s vision, values, and culture”.
What more could you ask for?
But then the onus falls upon you as a business owner or people manager to ensure that what you claim to be your organisation’s core values are in fact reflected constantly in how the business is run. Otherwise you might find your brand can help you successfully attract the best people, but you don’t want to lose them as a result of ‘false advertising’.
Author
Paul Slezak
With over two decades of experience in the recruitment and human capital industry, Paul Slezak has established himself as a transformative force in the realm of leadership and career coaching, group facilitation, and talent acquisition. His unique perspective, drawn from his early career as a leader in global recruitment firms and his entrepreneurial success with his own start-up, has enabled him to make a significant impact on leaders, teams, and organizations across the world. Paul's passion for helping others achieve success and high performance is evident in his commitment to transforming leaders and their teams at local, national, and international levels. He specializes in promoting the importance of human-centered intelligence, focusing on soft skills such as authenticity, transparency, and trust to complement business-centered acumen and drive better workplace outcomes. As an impartial facilitator, Paul brings his expertise to team offsites and strategy days, ensuring alignment on goals, values, and culture while keeping participants on task. His engaging and energetic presence, coupled with his unique "entertraining" and "edutaining" delivery style, enables him to connect with audiences both large and intimate, sharing personal and professional anecdotes that inspire and energize.
