Recruiting functions, by nature, are primarily reactionary–they often start when a specific hiring need is identified. But what if you took a more proactive approach in promoting your company as an appealing employer? Overlaying your HR needs with your marketing functions can help lay the groundwork for your future recruitment goals, and it doesn’t have to be an overly complicated time-suck.
Identify your “Employer Personality”
A first step in taking a proactive approach to promoting your employer brand is understanding who you are as an employer. If you’re a small business, you may have strengths in offering employees flexibility, creativity, or connection. Think about where you sit on the spectrum of the corporate culture. It may help by getting feedback from team members who have worked in multiple companies.
Once you have an idea of your “employer personality,” you can start crafting your messaging. Ultimately, you won’t have complete control over that personality. Your brand is also shaped by how employees and candidates view your company but being realistic about your image will also help you capitalize on opportunities. At the same time, you can start working towards improving areas of weakness.
Tactical First Moves:
Build a Career Page
Start by building a career page that shares a clear mission statement that inspires candidates. Include characteristics of employees you’re seeking, ask for testimonials from current employees who love what they do, and use an authentic voice in your messaging. If possible, use real professional photos of your staff instead of stock photos. The authenticity of your visuals will only help to reinforce your culture.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have an active job opening. An informative page that conveys your company’s culture and sparks interest is a simple way to capture the attention of passive website users who may file the information away for a later date and a shinier opportunity.
Extra Credit: Review or develop content that spotlights your charitable contributions or community involvement. People want to work for companies engaged in their communities, supporting the initiatives they also value.
Check Your Social
If you’re not actively managing your social channels, it’s okay, but spending time ensuring that your company information is current and that your imagery represents your brand is a concrete step in making a solid first impression. Setting up administrative privileges for the right people on platforms like Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, Glassdoor, and Google My Business will make content management more accessible and allow you to receive alerts on reviews or testimonials that may require a response. If your workforce is more active on specific platforms, you may want to elevate your engagement there. If not, keep it simple and authentic to your brand.
Enhance Over Time
Once you lay the groundwork for a marketing and HR collaboration, you can then optimize over time. Participate in Job Fairs, enter “Best Places to Work” competitions, and get creative to spot opportunities to reach a wider audience.
Ultimately, your employer brand is best served by consistently fostering a great employee culture. Whether the focus is on clients or candidates, word-of-mouth referrals or “earned media” are the holy grail for your business operations. Successfully managing the employee-employer relationship over time gains you the street cred that will grow your referral networks for great candidates.