Employer branding can be called buzzword of the year in the business environment. Although it has existed as a practice for over a decade, changes in the labor market and the need for a more active approach in seeking ideal candidates today place employer branding in the focus of most companies. Together with Iskon employees, we defined eight key steps that, they note, should not be skipped if you want to send the right messages to potential employees and present yourself authentically. Skipping these steps is considered the most common mistake today. In the commercial market, a customer will punish you if you lied to them about the functionalities of your product in advertising. This will cause their dissatisfaction, departure, and a long-lasting negative stance that they will share with their surroundings. The same rule applies in employer branding, except that the customer is actually the employee, and the product is their job position in your organization.
The approach is long-term and may not satisfy the needs of teams whose goal is to present initial results in a short time.
– In the team, we immediately removed any need for a quick fix way of thinking. We wanted the result to be authentic, to be accepted first by existing employees, and for the values we chose to present as our greatest uniqueness and strength to truly be lived within Iskon’s walls – explained Krešimir Madunović, CEO and internal sponsor of the project.
This is Iskon’s eight-step recipe for an authentic employer branding campaign:
1. Gather a multifunctional team
Lead in employer branding most often comes from HR, which possesses knowledge related to all hiring needs. However, instead of quickly teaching your HR people digital marketing, content creation, and event management, as well as managing the company’s reputation, it is better to assemble a multifunctional team that will include marketing and PR experts, as well as internal communications.
– In our team, we respect the expertise and previous experiences of other members, but we also learn about other areas of business ourselves. Every day I am becoming more of an HR expert myself – laughs Ivana Šarić, who joined Iskon’s employer branding team as an internal communications specialist.
2. Define key talent groups
As a smaller organization or specialized company, you will easily define this, but if you are a large organization with a more complex structure and departmental division, you may need to make some very important decisions here. The key role of HR is crucial, as they understand natural fluctuation and, together with management, anticipate potential talent gaps for achieving the company’s long-term strategy. We will again draw a parallel with the commercial market, where every successful marketing campaign has a completely clear picture of the audience it addresses – it is never ‘everyone’, but rather the focus is directed at several personas.
3. Rely on research
After defining and aligning with management regarding key talent groups, it is necessary to get a picture of your ranking among them in the labor market. If you are not already doing this, definitely budget for it as it will be your main guide for further defining your employer branding strategy. In addition to questions about your reputation in the labor market, include questions about the preferences and priorities that talents have when choosing a new employer. Iskon’s experience shows that global research on talent preferences does not necessarily translate to our market – check this for your key talents if you have the opportunity.
4. Compare yourself with the competition
Compare what your direct competitors are doing in the field of employer branding. How do they present themselves to potential employees on their career page, LinkedIn, and within job ads? What is said about them on employer rating sites and forums? What does the all-knowing Google say?
