Building a Strong Employer Brand: Architecting Your Organization's Talent Magnet

Conducting an Employer Brand Audit: Holding Up the Mirror

Before you can chart a course for where you want to go, you need to know where you stand. An employer brand audit is your compass, providing crucial insights into your current position in the talent marketplace. It’s like taking a 360-degree selfie of your organization - sometimes flattering, sometimes not, but always illuminating.

Start by gathering data from multiple sources:

1. Employee Surveys: Go beyond the standard engagement surveys. Ask probing questions about why employees joined, why they stay, and what might make them leave. For instance, you might ask, “If you were to describe our company to a friend considering applying here, what would you say?”

2. Exit Interviews: These are gold mines of honest feedback. Analyze trends in reasons for departure. Are you losing talent due to lack of growth opportunities? Misalignment with company values? Understanding why people leave is just as important as knowing why they join.

3. Candidate Feedback: Reach out to recent candidates, both successful and unsuccessful. Their perception of your hiring process and overall employer brand can be eye-opening. Ask questions like, “What was your impression of our company before applying? Did this change during the application process?”

4. Online Presence Analysis: Dive deep into review sites like Glassdoor, social media mentions, and online forums. Don’t just look at ratings; analyze the sentiment and specific comments. Are there recurring themes in positive or negative feedback?

5. Competitor Analysis: How does your employer brand stack up against your main competitors for talent? Look at their career sites, social media presence, and employee reviews. What are they offering that you’re not?

6. Leadership Interviews: Get perspectives from your leadership team. How do they perceive the organization as an employer? What type of talent do they believe the company needs to achieve its goals?

Once you’ve gathered this data, look for patterns and discrepancies. Are there gaps between how leadership perceives the company and how employees experience it? Is your external employer brand aligned with the internal reality?

For example, imagine you discover that while your company prides itself on innovation, many employees feel stifled by bureaucracy. This disconnect between brand promise and reality is a critical area for improvement.

Defining Your Ideal Employer Brand Identity: Painting Your Masterpiece

With the insights from your audit in hand, it’s time to define your ideal employer brand identity. This is where art meets science - you’re creating a vision of what you want your organization to be known for as an employer.

Start by answering these key questions:

1. What are the unique strengths of our organization as an employer?
2. What type of talent do we need to achieve our business goals?
3. What values and attributes will attract and retain this talent?
4. How do we want to be perceived in the talent marketplace?

Let’s bring this to life with an example. Imagine you’re a mid-sized tech company aiming to disrupt the finance industry. Your ideal employer brand identity might include elements like:

• A culture of innovation and calculated risk-taking
• Opportunities to work on cutting-edge fintech solutions
• A flat organizational structure that encourages idea-sharing
• A commitment to work-life balance and mental health
• A diverse and inclusive environment that values different perspectives

Remember, your ideal identity should be aspirational yet achievable. It’s not about creating a fantasy, but about setting a realistic goal that you can work towards.

Aligning Employer Brand with Company Culture and Values: Finding Your True North

Your employer brand isn’t just a marketing tool - it’s a reflection of your company’s soul. To be authentic and effective, it must align closely with your organizational culture and values.

Start by revisiting your company’s mission statement and core values. How can these be translated into employer brand attributes? For instance, if one of your core values is “customer obsession,” your employer brand might emphasize opportunities for employees to make a direct impact on customer experiences.

Next, look at your company culture. What are the unwritten rules and behaviors that define “how things are done around here”? Your employer brand should reflect these cultural norms. If your culture values collaboration, for example, your employer brand might highlight team-based projects and open-plan office spaces.

However, alignment doesn’t mean you can’t evolve. If your audit revealed aspects of your culture that aren’t serving you well, use your employer brand as a catalyst for change. For instance, if you’re trying to move from a hierarchical to a more flat structure, your employer brand can emphasize empowerment and autonomy, helping to drive this cultural shift.

Consider the case of Patagonia. Their employer brand is deeply aligned with their corporate mission of environmental stewardship. They offer employees paid time off to work on environmental projects and have an on-site childcare center that aligns with their family-friendly culture. This deep alignment between brand, culture, and values creates a powerful and authentic employer brand.

Developing a Compelling Employer Value Proposition: Crafting Your Talent Magnet

Your Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is the heart of your employer brand. It’s the unique set of benefits and experiences you offer in exchange for an employee’s skills, capabilities, and experiences. A compelling EVP answers the question, “Why should a talented person choose to work here instead of somewhere else?”

To develop your EVP, follow these steps:

1. Analyze Your Strengths: Based on your audit and identity work, what unique benefits can you offer employees? These could include things like:

   • Opportunities for rapid career growth
   • Chance to work on cutting-edge projects
   • Exceptional work-life balance
   • Strong commitment to diversity and inclusion
   • Industry-leading training and development programs

2. Understand Your Target Talent: What does your ideal employee value most? Different demographic groups and personality types may prioritize different aspects of work. For instance, millennials might value purpose and work-life balance, while Gen X might prioritize stability and advancement opportunities.

3. Find the Intersection: Your EVP should lie at the intersection of what you can uniquely offer and what your target talent values most. This is your sweet spot.

4. Craft Your EVP Statement: Distill your findings into a clear, concise statement that encapsulates why someone should want to work for you. This isn’t a marketing slogan, but a substantive declaration of your employee offering.

Here’s an example of what a strong EVP might look like for our hypothetical fintech company:

“At FinovateTeсh, we offer passionate innovators the chance to revolutionize the financial industry through cutting-edge technology. We provide a collaborative, fast-paced environment where your ideas can flourish, your skills can grow, and your work can directly impact millions of lives. With us, you’ll enjoy the stability of an established company combined with the excitement and growth opportunities of a startup. We believe in balancing hard work with life, offering flexible schedules and a commitment to mental health. Join us in creating the future of finance, one line of code at a time.”

This EVP touches on multiple elements - the opportunity for impact, the nature of the work, the company culture, growth opportunities, and work-life balance. It’s specific to the company and industry, and it paints a vivid picture of what it’s like to work there.

Remember, your EVP isn’t set in stone. As your company evolves and the needs of your target talent change, your EVP should adapt. Regularly revisit and refine it to ensure it remains relevant and compelling.

Building a strong employer brand is a journey, not a destination. It requires ongoing effort, regular assessment, and a willingness to evolve. But when done right, it becomes a powerful tool in your talent strategy arsenal, helping you attract, engage, and retain the people who will drive your organization’s success.

By conducting a thorough audit, defining your ideal identity, aligning with your culture and values, and developing a compelling EVP, you lay the foundation for an employer brand that not only attracts top talent but also fosters engagement, productivity, and long-term success. In the war for talent, a strong employer brand isn’t just an asset - it’s your secret weapon.

Further Reading and Sources

1. Mosley, R., & Schmidt, L. (2017). Employer Branding For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons.
2. Sartain, L., & Schumann, M. (2006). Brand From the Inside: Eight Essentials to Emotionally Connect Your Employees to Your Business. Jossey-Bass.
3. Backhaus, K., & Tikoo, S. (2004). Conceptualizing and researching employer branding. Career Development International, 9(5), 501-517.
4. LinkedIn. (2016). Global Recruiting Trends 2016. Retrieved from LinkedIn Talent Solutions.
5. Universum Global. (2020). Employer Branding Now. Retrieved from Universum Global website.