Employer branding is based on the concept of promoting your company as a great place to work. It is necessary for developing a great reputation for your company for potential candidates so that you can attract the best talent to work for you and in turn helps your company grow. Examples of employer branding include testimonials, a great work environment, perks, online videos of activities and events and many others. More and more, professionals are forming their impression on employers even before they come to the interview just by doing basic online research so the more you can do, the better off you will be. To help you develop an effective strategy, here are 9 employer branding mistakes you should avoid.
Not Thinking Long-Term
Don’t treat employer branding as a short-term project. Your company’s reputation will continually evolve and change over time. It is, thus, important to consistently work on developing a great reputation for your company as an employer.
Design your strategy in a way that won’t require you to make drastic changes frequently. Leave some room for alterations and improvements along the way, but think of how your company is going to be represented for the next 10 years at least.
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Not Having a Clear Target Audience
According to CEO and analyst, Daniel Newman a one-size-fits-all strategy is often not effective. Since employer branding is based on marketing your business as a workplace to professionals, make sure to design your employer branding strategy to cater to a specific group of people. Know who you want to target as new potential employees so that you get the best applicants for the job. You know what your company needs and make that apparent in your strategy.
You don’t want to be sifting through resumes of under-qualified applicants, unrelated career professionals or of those who won’t fit in your workplace culture. Tailor what you do for promoting your employer brand according to your target audience. This way, you will have greater chances of attracting who would fit in your workplace.
Not Having a Clear Company-Identity
You have to be consistent with how you portray your company as an employer. Think of something that is an important feature of your company or something unique you can offer to employees. Develop your campaign around that. For example, if the work-life balance is one of the values your company adopts, showcase the perks and benefits you provide to your team members in relation to this concept.
Everything you say should be related to that and should help you drive that point home. You have to be consistent and clear about what your company can offer employees. Juggling multiple things will just make potential applicants stay confused about your company-identity.
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Overusing the Same Content
Think of a specific message that you’re trying to promote your company, and then create new content which helps develop that idea. Don’t stick to using one advert on multiple platforms with the same few lines time and time again. Be creative with generating your content and come up with new and interesting ways to make a similar point.
You won’t hold people’s interest if you go on like a broken record. New content that is creative and interesting can give people something to think about. Don’t stick to saying the same thing. Bring in fresh ideas, and think of creative ways of discussing them.
Focusing Only on the Job Description
There is more to the workplace than the job an employee is expected to do. The work environment and culture are also important for people to know before they apply to your organization. Include images of the office, videos of your employees going about their day, and testimonials of your current employees.
This will give candidates a better understanding of your company, and some insight into some of the work-ethic that your organization is focused on. Give candidates more reasons to want to join your company than just telling them about the job they’ll be doing.
Not Asking Your Employees for Input
Include input from your employees when you’re developing a new employer brand strategy. They will give you insight into things you may overlook. This may include some reasons why they choose to work at your organization or even some things you can improve. Employer branding is about attracting new employees, so don’t leave out the people whose opinion matters in this situation, i.e. your current employees.
Your employees are the driving force of your company and will be able to give you an internal perspective on how your company is an employer. Asking them for their input is also a good way to show them that you value what they have to say, writes CEO and Serial Entrepreneur, David Hassell. It can improve employees’ job satisfaction, helping them bring their best to work each day.
Not Delivering on Promises You Made
Every promise you make during your employer brand campaign should be realized once your new employees join your company. This is why it is important to effectively budget and create a process for making the strategy real before you begin your recruitment process.
If you fail to execute well, you risk making empty promises. This, in turn, can damage the reputation of your company as employees will speak about it to others. This can result in your company getting fewer highly-skilled applicants which are the exact opposite of what you want.
Not Staying Up-To-Date
Your employer branding has to be flexible in order to stay up-to-date with the changes in the world. It is important to have a long-term strategy, but you also must have enough room for you to introduce changes as the discourse changes on certain subjects.
You don’t want to be focused on ideas and principles that are considered out-of-date or are on the way to becoming obsolete. An example of this is the idea that rewards and punishments can create an effective team – it really doesn’t. Employees will be more productive if they feel that their ideas are respected by their colleagues and bosses. Focus on creating a workplace environment that encourages that.
It’s the 21st century. Make sure to use all forms of technological platforms so that you can reach a larger audience. Your social media channels are one of the most effective ways to publish and distribute your employer branding videos. Also, Update your company profile on WUZZUF frequently and mention your benefit in all your job posts, to attract and encourage qualified professionals to apply to your posted jobs.
To stay updated: keep a close eye on the job market, ask your employees for their input, and request candidates for feedback on your recruitment process.
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Trying to Emulate Other Companies
Be unique. Let people know how you stand out from other companies. Your goal is to have them pick you over others. Therefore, to do that, you must make it clear to them that you can offer them that which they can’t get from other similar employers. According to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, people’s attention is drawn to those organizations that stand out from the rest. That should be your goal too.
You are ruining your chances of setting yourself apart by trying to imitate other organizations or competitors. You also run the risk of pretending of being an organization that you’re not.
Employer branding is an important long-term process in making your company a leading choice for candidates. Thus, make sure to do it well, and avoid mistakes that organizations make far too often.
Are you done with your employer branding strategy yet? Share with us your thoughts and experience in this matter in the comments section.
