Employer branding best practices to boost your talent attraction and retention

Every business has a brand. But most businesses tend to focus on their customer-facing brand and forget that their brand as an employer is just as powerful. Your employer brand is how candidates and employees view you as an employer. It’s your reputation based on how you value, support and engage current, potential, and former employees.

Why is employer branding important?

75% of candidates spend time researching a company before they apply and what they’ll find goes beyond your website and official marketing. Encompassing everything from reviews from former employees on Glassdoor to posts from candidates who have gone through your hiring process on social media, your employer brand has a much wider reach than you imagine.

The employment market is a good place for the candidate right now, so your employer brand needs to stand out from the crowd. Then you can wow them with a seamless recruitment experience, strong company culture, benefits and competitive salaries. All of which will also boost talent retention and encourage them to spread the word.

According to research by LinkedIn, strong employer branding can:

• Reduce overall turnover by 28%  
• Shrink your cost-per-hire by 50%  
• Make time-to-hire up to 2x faster  
• Help you reach up to 50% more qualified candidates  
• Reduce the likelihood of new hires leaving within the first six months by 40%

Why not try some of our employer branding best practice tips?

• Let your people be your best advocates

Your employees should amplify your messages and values, so trust them to talk openly about their experiences at your organisation. Also, when hiring new candidates, make sure you show the human side to your business. People aren’t attracted to faceless organisations.

• Embrace transparency

Websites like Glassdoor have transformed the way people search for jobs. They offer an honest insight into what it is like to work for your business. 89% of jobseekers say they trust a current or ex-employee’s opinion of a workplace over official employer communications. If you keep your workforce happy, this will reflect in the reviews and encourage more people to apply to your open vacancies.

• Ask for feedback… and then act on it

Don’t just ask for feedback, act on it! Whether that’s via regular company-wide meetings or an anonymous feedback box, make sure you hear and value your employees and take the necessary steps to keeping them satisfied.

• Build an easy and efficient candidate journey

Focus on developing a recruitment process that is frictionless at every stage. Remove unnecessary application forms and ensure your jobs website is mobile accessible. Don’t forget to communicate promptly, even when it’s not good news. A good candidate experience will give a positive impression; even to unsuccessful applicants.

• Build a culture with diversity and inclusion at its core

According to Deloitte, 80% of candidates indicated that inclusion is important when choosing an employer.?Integrate diversity and inclusion into your hiring practices, internal and external communications, processes and workplace culture. Make sure you clearly communicate your efforts to current and potential employees.

• Be flexible

Candidates now expect flexible working options when they’re applying for new roles now. Offering remote working as an option, or flexibility about hours spent in the office, will build a foundation of trust. It will also help to attract and keep key talent by enabling staff to maintain a healthy work-life balance, juggle external responsibilities, and generally be satisfied with their role.

• Realise that fun is good for business

Create a positive work culture by injecting a bit of fun into your employees’ working lives. Whether that’s regular socials, quizzes, or themed events around Christmas or Halloween, this will prove invaluable to boosting morale and encouraging staff to connect with their peers. It will also undoubtedly have a positive impact on your bottom-line, as happy employees work harder!

Need help with attracting top talent through strong employer branding? Get in touch with Fruition IT!

We're a team of individuals with a passion for connecting the right candidates with the right businesses. If you’re looking for support in attracting dynamic and skilled professionals, then get in touch.