How do you measure the impact of your employer branding on graduate recruitment?

1 Define your goals and metrics

Before you start measuring your employer branding, you need to define your goals and metrics. What are you trying to achieve with your employer branding? How will you know if you are successful? Some common goals for graduate recruitment are to increase the number and quality of applicants, to reduce the time and cost of hiring, and to improve the retention and engagement of new hires. Some common metrics to track these goals are the application rate, the conversion rate, the cost per hire, the time to fill, the turnover rate, and the employee satisfaction score.

2 Collect and analyze data

Once you have your goals and metrics, you need to collect and analyze data from various sources to gain insight into your employer branding content, such as the number of visitors, views, clicks, shares, and comments it generates. Additionally, you can use your applicant tracking system (ATS) and recruitment software to track the number of applicants, interviews, offers, and hires from different channels. Employee surveys and feedback can provide insight into how satisfied, engaged, and loyal your employees are. Lastly, external surveys and reviews can give you an understanding of how your employer brand is perceived by external stakeholders.

3 Benchmark and compare

To measure the impact of your employer branding, you need to benchmark and compare your data over time and across different groups. For example, you can compare your data before and after implementing a specific employer branding campaign, or between different segments of your target audience, such as graduates from different fields, locations, or backgrounds. You can also compare your data with industry standards, best practices, or competitors' performance. This can help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as the gaps and areas for improvement.

4 Report and communicate

To measure the impact of your employer branding, you also need to report and communicate your findings and insights to relevant stakeholders, such as senior management, hiring managers, recruiters, marketers, and employees. You can use various formats and tools, such as dashboards, charts, graphs, tables, stories, or case studies, to present your data in a clear, concise, and compelling way. You can also use storytelling techniques, such as highlighting the challenges, solutions, results, and learnings, to showcase the value and impact of your employer branding.

5 Evaluate and optimize

Finally, to measure the impact of your employer branding, you need to evaluate and optimize your strategy and actions based on your data and feedback. You can use various methods, such as SWOT analysis, SMART goals, PDCA cycle, or A/B testing, to assess your current situation, set realistic and measurable objectives, plan and implement changes, and monitor and adjust the outcomes. You can also seek external input, such as from experts, consultants, or peers, to get fresh perspectives and ideas.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?