In the present competitive world, seeking the right talent fit for the company is pertinent. The emerging trends in talent acquisition reiterates the value of Employer Branding in the process of recruitment.
A recent article on employer branding and its role in effective recruitment, published in AIMS International Journal of Management, reveals that a stronger employer brand attracts job seekers and creates a competitive advantage in the job market. Let’s find out
what the industry leaders have to say about Employer Branding.
“Employer Branding helps build perspective, and is a reflection of the company’s culture and values, which is being highly valued by the current talent pool. Employer Branding helps organisations and HR leaders to differentiate themselves from the competition,” says Pranav Agarwal, Co-Founder, Sociowash. Agarwal adds, “Recent hires at Sociowash mentioned that they chose us over other organisations because they loved the website and our Instagram handle as they understood the tone of the organisation which matched their school of thought.”
According to Kulwinder Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, SG Analytics, “Employer Branding is the best way to level the playing field in the war for talent, particularly when you’re hiring young, skilled Professionals.”
“Employees who work with strong brands are generally more enthusiastic and motivated. Motivated employees yield higher productivity, which in turn facilitates the growth of a company. A financially stable company is always more attractive to potential candidates,” says Singh.
POSSIBLE FALLOUTS OF NEGLECTING EMPLOYER BRANDING IN RECRUITMENT
In the data driven world, being updated is the key to not left behind. On discussing the consequences of neglecting Employer Branding, Vijay Raghavan Pisharody, Chief of Culture & Performance, ZingHR, says, “If a company does not have a well-defined Employer Branding strategy, they will miss out on the probability of job consideration by prospective candidates.”
According to Pisharody, candidates base their understanding of the company culture from the third-party review sites first. So, it is essential for the companies to develop an Online Reputation Management strategy and tools to handle all kinds of reviews that pour in. Agarwal, Sociowash, says, “Every organisation has an Employer brand, either you drive it, or leave it. If I like a restaurant, I might not rate it on the web, but if I dislike a place, I’ll definitely rate them poorly. That’s how the majority of the population functions.”
According to Agarwal, this generation needs something more than food and shelter. They want to add value to the organisation, the clients and the society. In the era of social media activism, the employees don’t shy away from being critical about their organisation. And an organisation might miss out on opportunities to communicate its values, if the employer brand is not strengthened, he further adds.
WAYS TO STRENGTHEN EMPLOYER BRANDING
To keep up with the rapidly-changing trends, cultivating a brand identity is crucial. Talking about the possible ways to strengthen Employer Branding, Pisharody, ZingHR, remarks that social media handles can be updated with company events, company culture, video testimonials from employees and customers, etc.
At ZingHR, the work culture and company values are shared internally, as well as with the world. This creates a value for the employees and they in turn become brand ambassadors for the company, Pisharody adds. Building a strong Employer brand requires work on different forms of
communication – be it executive, employees, or client. The brand promise at SG Analytics – _Life’s Possible_ – captures all forms of communication with all stakeholders. And it reflects the company’s holistic approach to work and life, Singh points out. Singh adds, multiple HRTech firms have also emerged with great products offering a big help to HR professionals. These tech platforms ensure that the customer’s employer brand is reflected in all forms of communication.
Agarwal, Sociowash, brings out the aspect that in order to strengthen the Employer brand, crafting the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) must be considered as the guiding light.
While one may never disclose the EVP publicly, it shapes the “people deal” that exists between an organisation. The right EVP approach meets the company expectations of the individual employee or candidate and vice-versa.
THE FUTURE OF EMPLOYER BRANDING
It is very evident that fostering Employer Branding is the need of the hour and is inevitable in future.
Reflecting on the same, Singh, SG Analytics, remarks companies that are consistently revisiting their policies, procedures and people strategies will be best positioned to build stronger brands.
Companies will harness the diversity of their employees by encouraging professionals to use their unique strengths and perspectives to influence organisational outcomes, and in turn build a unique Employer brand, Singh adds.
Pisharody, ZingHR, observes in the future, companies will create an engaging experience for employees across every stage of their journey, right from interviews, onboarding process, induction and the ensuing work culture. This will not only attract the right talents, but will also ensure higher retention of those talents, he adds.
In today's time of the startup boom, new startups are chosen over the biggest and the oldest organisations, merely because of their exemplary Employer Branding initiatives. This reiterates the
significance and future of Employer Branding, says Agarwal, Sociowash. He concludes, “Your employees make you a brand, and good employees can only be attracted, engaged and retained by a well-crafted employer brand. To frame in a single sentence, the employer brand is becoming more important than the brand itself!”
