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Employee stories are interesting and can help get candidates interested in your company.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Putting employee stories on your social media can help give your company credibility of what it’s like to work there.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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You can showcase employee accomplishments when they do something good.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/p>\n4 Reasons Employee Stories are Key to Great Employer Branding<\/h2>\n
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Employee Stories Are Interesting<\/b><\/p>\n
First and foremost, stories are just downright interesting. I would much rather read a story about an employee than a bulleted list of benefits I would receive working for said company. I would wager that you feel the same.<\/p>\n
More importantly, stories are one of the most powerful tools available to elicit an emotional reaction. Despite how much we want to believe that we are logical, our decisions are primarily driven by emotion.<\/p>\n
When a neuroscientist by the name of Antonio Damasio began studying a group of people who had damaged the portion of their brain that processed emotions, he discovered something unexpected. The brain-damaged subjects were normal for all intents and purposes except that every single one of them had an extremely difficult time making decisions.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, potential candidates are making a decision. They are deciding that you are the company that they want to work for. By sharing your employees\u2019 stories<\/a>, you create the opportunity for prospective employees to create emotional connections with your brand and your story that no list of bullet points can replicate.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Social Proof<\/b><\/p>\n
We are constantly surrounded by social proof. No longer do you have to make a decision by yourself. You can trust your friends\u2019 recommendations or the 350 five star reviews on that pair of running shoes you want to buy on amazon.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t just common sense though, it has a name: social proof. Though it had been used for decades prior, the concept was first \u2018discovered\u2019 by Robert Cialdini and published in his renowned book \u201cInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\u201d. In this book he researches techniques that salesmen use to influence his decisions creating the ultimate marketer\u2019s handbook with an ironic twist.<\/p>\n
In recruiting talent, you can utilize the same concept to prove that real people work at your company. With each featured story they read, prospective candidates (potential employees) will begin to feel more and more confident that they aren\u2019t blazing a path by themselves but they will be joining a team. This can significantly reduce the perception of risk in taking on a new role with a new company.<\/p>\n
Social proof is about more than reducing risk though, it centers on yet another word that sounds intimidating but is essentially simple: Implicit Egotism. Implicit egotism basically suggests that we gravitate towards people that resemble ourselves whether this means geographically, physically, or in this case, professionally. With implicit egotism, potential employees can find peers at your company who they can relate to through their story and draw a stronger emotional connection with your brand.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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Credibility<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nobody bigger or better at the military than I am\u201d – Donald Trump<\/p>\n
Putting politics aside, do you believe him? What if it came from the Secretary of Defense or a renowned general? You\u2019d probably be more likely to believe it wouldn\u2019t you?<\/p>\n
This phenomenon is the same for Mr. Trump as it is for you when you talk about yourself. Ironically, while we are likely the foremost experts on ourselves, when we make claims about our abilities, we are simultaneously the least credible.<\/p>\n
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