Many organisations pour time and effort into creating a consumer value proposition but forget about what they can offer their people. Your employee value proposition (EVP) is the best chance you have at showcasing your unique offering as an employer.
Today’s candidate-driven marketplace is competitive, which is why it’s so important to formulate a core EVP message that resonates with your target market. It’s your best bet for attracting top talent to your organisation who fit with your existing culture.
Wendy Frew reporting for HRM Online explains the value of a great EVP.
“If you want your staff to go the extra mile, you have to offer them more than great pay and benefits. When it comes to recruitment, top candidates are often also looking for career development and work that is fulfilling and stimulating […] That’s where an employee value proposition (EVP) comes in. It’s a statement that outlines the key reasons people are proud to work for you, and it will help you attract and retain quality staff.”
An effective EVP consists of one engaging core statement (EVP tagline), plus a few supporting sentences.
Use your EVP to both engage current staff and attract the best talent.
Conduct internal research
A great EVP will reflect all your current employees’ points of view.
Start by determining your goal. Confer with internal stakeholders to pinpoint the key concerns your organisation wants to address. Do you experience high staff turnover? Are you hoping to create or increase your talent pool? Are you hoping to attract better quality candidates to choose from?
Involve current employees in the process from a cross-section of departments, tenure, and levels of experience. Conduct interviews and surveys to determine what they value and the common challenges they face.
Be authentic and honest
Customers are unhappy with products that don’t deliver in the same way candidates are disappointed by organisations that don’t meet their promises.
“Make sure the end result matches your organisation’s vision and strategy. For example, there is no point offering flexible working hours – even if your staff want them – if your business can’t sustain them. The EVP must be grounded in reality and not be an exercise in false advertising.”
A good EVP should be authentic and deliverable. A false message will only hurt you in the long run.
Create a draft and circulate for feedback
Be creative in formulating statements that are both inspiring and realistic. Your core statement or tagline should reflect your organisational vision and what makes you different as an employer.
Common EVP ingredients include the key elements of your employment promise, such as:
- inspiring purpose
- innovation
- professional training and development
- commitment to diversity and inclusion.
It’s important to get your EVP right, as your people need to live and breathe it. Seek feedback from key stakeholders and be prepared to make iterations.
Share and promote your message
So now you’ve created a winning EVP! It’s time to use your recruitment marketing skills to shout it from the rooftops. Brainstorm fun and interesting ways to share your message internally (for example, framing your EVP statements to decorate your office space!).
Promote your EVP externally too through your social media pages, website, careers page, and job advertisements.
“Even the best EVP is pointless unless it is well communicated to staff and job candidates, both verbally and in written form. It is important to use the right platforms to target different audiences. Make sure your message is consistent across your corporate websites and hiring channels, and that it comes from the top rather than from the HR department.”
Live and breathe your EVP. Reinforce it on a consistent basis so it becomes embedded in your organisational culture.
Measure results
After implementing and promoting your EVP, it’s important to measure KPIs. Refer back to your goals when you began the process. Are you receiving more applications? Are the applications you receive of better quality? Track and review these data points.
Keep in mind results won’t occur overnight, so be patient and consistent in promoting your message.
How do you share and promote your organisation’s EVP? Tell us in the comments.
Source
Wendy Frew
HRM Online
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