The times are changing, and you can’t hire people for life as many employers did in the 50s. Nowadays, you have to deal with employee turnover, and manage boomerang employees.
This goes beyond posting opening positions on job sites. You have to create an employer brand that will attract the kind of people you want, not repel them.
Why employer brand matters
In the era where brands are as visible as they never were before, you either adapt to the situation or go under. After all, 69% of employees won’t take a job from a company with a bad reputation, Inc reports.
84% are willing to change leave their current job and join a company with a good reputation. This is especially true for high ranking employees who are looking to become CEOs in the future. No one wants to be associated with a company with a bad reputation.
Here’s how to create a great employer brand. At the end of the article, you’ll receive a tip on how to manage bad PR.
See yourself from the eyes of an employee
Start building your brand from by putting yourself in the employee’s shoes. Think about the points that your prospective employees would want to see in your company.
This may take talking to your current workers and asking them why did they choose you and not the competition. It’s not just the money, even though it’s a significant factor.
Form the list of the virtues of your company, and be ready to show them in your online and offline presence. Depending on the type of company you have, this can be professionalism, openness to new ideas, comfortable working conditions, or lack of comfort zone.
Understand what type of employee you need
Different people will be drawn to different virtues. You have to form a portrait of the candidates you want to see in your team.
You can go for either innovation seekers or good and ambitious performers. Innovation is not something you can create by thinking inside the box. It will take a lot of analysis, experimentation, and failure. This is not something you want from people who need to perform their tasks well day in day out.
You need to fill some positions with thinkers, and some with doers. Decide on who fills what positions and craft the message in your job offer accordingly.
Depending on what type of management you have and how big your team is, you may be looking for self-motivated people or those who prefer teamwork. The first type of people are great for positions that require a lot of individual work and making hard decisions. The second type of people will fill your positions that require daily labour like serving customers. They can be managed with the help of HR software.
Understand what your employee needs from you
There’s a lot of sentiment around the fact millennials are different from the previous generations. However, American Express research doesn’t show that.
Many articles say that millennials like having meaning in the job they do more than any other generation before them. This graph shows that it’s not true.
In fact, Gen Xers want to enjoy work and have a good work life balance even more than millennials. This may be due to the fact more Gen Xers have families, and millennials are falling in the ranks of family people. This may be due to the times we live in.
Either way, you have to count these two factors when you form your employer brand.
Modern day workers want their job to have meaning. This doesn’t mean every shoe company has to save the world, though. For some people, helping others is great meaning in and of itself.
Form the message of your company along the lines of making a positive change in society or just making people happy, and you will see more employees willing to join.
Another factor you have to count is boredom. Over 30% of people leave a job because of boredom. Ensure people they will get tasks that challenge them, and you win this third of potential employees.
Speak the right language
Some companies choose to speak a language they think sounds “hip” to attract young people. That may not be the best way for all companies, even though some may find it work for them.
Craft your message in a way that signals your professionalism, but don’t use corporate language.
Avoid constructions that sound official and vague. Instead, be specific and explain the benefits of your company in the job offer in a simple way.
If you are communicating through the media, you can use informal language. This will signal to your potential employees they’ll find a friendly atmosphere in your company.
Choose the right media
Most people check the company of their choice in social media to see what are they up to. This is why having a presence online is crucial for your employer brand. There are two main things you have to do.
Establish yourself as professionals. Use your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles as hubs for knowledge your prospective employees may need. If a lot of professionals see your company as an influencer, they will be more than eager to work with you.
Use Twitter to provide your commentary on the events in the industry. This will show potential employees you’re active in your field, and you have your own vision. Engage readers and start discussions to show you’re willing to listen to new ideas.
Instagram is a great tool for showing the people behind your company. Generally, there isn’t much you can show on Instagram in terms of work or professionalism. Use it to market to young professionals instead.
Post pictures of pizza Friday nights at the office, Monday meetings, and people who look you up will know the atmosphere at your company is great.
Work with problems
Not all PR is good. Sometimes, your company may face controversy. It may be a bad review on Yelp or a lawsuit that makes the news. It’s not a reason for the company to go under.
Use bad PR as an opportunity for good PR. If you get a bad review, apologize, and fix the mistake. If you face a lawsuit, act in a way that will be considered noble. Whether you apologise and pay compensation or fight back, show that your company has great values and use the media attention to attract customers and employees.
When Starbucks was hit with the racism scandal, the company closed their shops for one day to conduct a special training. Experts are divided on whether this actually worked, but Starbucks was able to turn a horrible PR into a good one.
Talk to your employees
Employer brand doesn’t exist online only. If you mistreat your employee, be sure that all of his friends will know that and will pass the information on. Avoid creating a network of people who mistrust you by making sure your employees are happy with management.
Not all employees will stay with you forever. Some will leave for a higher position, even though they’re happy with the company. If you conduct the offboarding process with dignity, these people may become boomerang employees and come back. At the very least, they will give your company good reviews at their new workplace.
Employer brand is a complex thing
Employer brand is more than how you craft your job offers and lead your social media. It’s about having values your employees can stay behind and communicating them well.
Follow these tips, and you will form a basis for a great employer brand. Leave us your thoughts or suggestions on the comment sections below. Head over to Jobstore.com and unveil your next job opportunity.
Connie Benton is a passionate freelance writer and regular contributor for HR Software. She writes about work, millennial culture, and creativity.