Your best organisational advantage is your people. Organisations that develop reputations for being great places to work through effective employer branding have the best chance of attracting top talent. The following myths about employer branding could be holding you back.
Eric Friedman reporting for HR Dive states, “Unfortunately, many [organisations] believe that successful branding is beyond their reach; they believe that the branding they see in other companies is impossible to replicate.
“Fortunately, employer branding responsibilities do not fall only to HR, marketing or communications. It’s is a whole-business function, which any company has the opportunity to develop.”
Myth: employer branding costs too much
One myth surrounding employer branding is that’s is unaffordable; however, in reality, you can’t afford not to! Use your existing resources to shape and implement a branding strategy. For example, use your existing website and social platforms, and ask current employees to share job opportunities.
Myth: only big organisations need to worry about employer branding
Another myth is that employer branding is only for large organisations. It is even more important to have a good employer brand if you have a smaller or lesser-known organisation in order to attract the best people, as you don’t have the big name to draw candidates in by default. How are candidates finding you? Be informed what search results candidates find when they search for your organisation online.
“Many candidates use information they find in a Google search as a factor in deciding whether to interview or accept a job offer from a company. And you don’t have to be a big company for people to look you up.”
Invest in building your online presence through a variety of content and across channels such as your website, careers site, and social media; determine which channels produce the best ROI in terms of candidate attraction, engagement, and hire conversion.
Myth: employer branding is too hard to measure
Some business leaders believe employer branding does not produce measurable results. It is possible to measure results from implementing your employer brand by:
- studying and comparing analytical data from your website, particularly your careers page,
- measuring the number of applications you receive
- comparing and benchmarking the quality of your candidates
- measuring how many people are interacting with you on your social pages
Myth: employer branding doesn’t matter to candidates
The data is in: the majority of candidates are more likely to apply for a position with an organisation that actively manages its employer brand. The belief your organisation doesn’t need employer branding is another common myth. Are you actively checking reviews on Glassdoor, updating your profiles, and sharing updates about your company culture and work environment? You should, because people are looking at these platforms before deciding to work for you!
Myth: employer branding is too difficult
Lastly, don’t believe the myth that employer branding is too hard! Your employer brand already exists – you simply need to understand, articulate, and amplify it. Draw feedback from your current employees: what do they love about their work, what do they love most about their company, and what are their common challenges? Use these as part of your unique offering. (Employee-generated content is a simple strategy to overcome the perceived difficulty that employer branding is too hard!)
An authentic employer brand has a hugely positive impact on your organisation’s success by expanding your talent pool, attracting the best people to apply for roles, lowering your cost per hire, and engaging your current employees.
Source
5 employer branding myths that are holding you back
Eric Friedman
HR Dive