Recruitment is always a two-way process, and while candidates strive to impress, organisations need to do the same to appeal to potential candidates. The way in which an organisation presents itself to the world is its brand. When it comes to recruitment, as long as that brand aligns with the reality of the organisation and the experience of working there, it can play a key role in helping attract the right people.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) states that an employer brand is “the way in which organisations differentiate themselves in the labour market, enabling them to attract, recruit, retain and engage the right people.”[i] Put simply, it is how you market yourself to potential candidates. In a market such as lab informatics, where talented and experienced individuals are few and far between, it’s important to ensure that your organisation stands out from the crowd.
Developing your employer brand
Step 1: Identify current brand perceptions
How is your brand perceived? The best people to ask are the ones who have recently been through your recruitment process. Holding internal surveys with recent recruits will help you to see your organisation through their eyes, as both a job applicant and a new hire. Find out what attracted them to your organisation in the first place, and whether they think the reality aligns.
As well as recent recruits, engage with employees across the business for their perspective, and identify how it differs between groups or departments. How does your senior team perceive your company? How does this differ from the view of the technical team? Do these views align with each other and with how you want the company to be perceived? If not, why not?
It’s also useful to put yourself in the candidate’s position. Where and how is the role being advertised, what kind of messaging do you see as you apply for the role? What ‘personality’ does your brand portray? Is it formal and professional, or lighter and more ‘fun’? More importantly, is it accurate?
Step 2: Define your brand personality
Once you understand your current employer brand, you can then decide whether changes are necessary to shape the candidate experience. This is where your employee value proposition (EVP) comes in.
Your EVP is essentially what your company stands for. It should be employee-centred, talking about your company’s values and overall culture, and should motivate candidates to want to work for your company.
One small but crucial part of the EVP is your employee benefits, for example. A company that can offer better than average benefits will not only attract new talent, but retain existing talent as well. Benefits can also demonstrate your company’s values in action – for example, a company that offers flexible working hours and mental health support will be seen as a company that advocates for work-life balance and takes its social responsibility very seriously.
Step 3: Communicate any changes
While a whole rebrand exercise may be unnecessary, an employer brand refresh may still require updated policies, benefits, or initiatives. Involving HR and marketing experts can help you redefine and roll out any changes, and communicate them clearly, at the right time and in the right way. This can be anything from updating your messaging across hiring materials, to hosting an internal brand party with your teams, depending on the extent of the changes to your employer brand.
It is also important to make sure any changes are implemented company-wide, especially in global organisations. Getting your employees on board and involving them in the roll out will help your teams to engage. It also gives your employees in other regions the chance to have their say, as they can offer valuable insight into cultural differences that warrant attention.
Step 4: Monitor
Once your employer brand has been successfully launched and rolled out, the final (and crucial) step is ensuring that your hard work is paying off. Measure the impact and monitor the impression your employer brand refresh has on both your recruitment and retention strategies to make sure it’s making a difference.
Consider the following methods for monitoring and maintaining momentum:
- Measure recruitment and retention rates, and note any improvements.
- Conduct surveys both internally and externally to measure response and perceptions of your employer brand, and note if this is different from the responses you received in your initial audit.
- Monitor and record actions that demonstrate your business is consistently showcasing your employer brand – such as social media engagements, or website visits (particularly your vacancies page).
The benefits of building a strong employer brand
By developing your employer brand, you can be sure that your company is putting its best foot forward to potential candidates and external parties. This can help you attract new talent and ensure that your company reputation is strengthened.
Retaining staff is just as important as recruiting, and by showing your employees that their voices are heard can help shape a positive working environment – a big green flag for candidates looking for their next role. In a job market like lab informatics, where talent is short and demand is high, developing your employer brand and EVP is therefore more important than ever.
For support in attracting the best talent, contact us today.
[i] ‘Employer brand’ CIPD, https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/recruitment-brand-factsheet/ [Accessed 7th July 2023]