10 Tips for Building a Strong Employer Brand that Attracts Top Talent

Marketing professionals are well aware of the importance of good company branding when it comes to attracting and keeping customers. But what about alluring top talent?

In today’s competitive market, having a positive employer brand plays an important role in attracting top hires and increasing retention rates.

So how can you get started? Below are 10 practical tips to promote a positive employer brand at your company.

1. Extract Information Through Glassdoor & Indeed Reviews - Thanks to the internet and its many, many review sites, employers are just as likely to be reviewed as an Amazon purchase. A great place to start improving your employer brand is by reading through the reviews on these platforms to gain insight into what current and former employees think about your company. Make time to respond to reviews regardless of if they are positive or negative. This shows both the reviewer and anyone reading the review that you care. Afterwards, create a strategy to improve the weaker elements that could potentially deter right-fit talent from applying. 
2. Utilize Surveys - Once every six months, send an anonymous survey to your current employees. What motivates them to work at your company? What are the pain points they experience? What is distinct about your company? In addition, ask them about how they first heard about your company and what channel they used to apply. These questions will give you insight about what your employees think about your employer brand and the platforms that are commonly used to attract top candidates. 
3. Who Are You: Develop an Authentic Brand - Think about your company’s mission, vision and values. What does it mean to work at your organization? What does your company care about? Make sure that the brand you are cultivating aligns with your employer values and culture. 
4. Invest in Social Media - Social media is a powerful tool which can have a great impact on your company’s reputation. Take the opportunity to control the narrative. Post footage of fun company events, team appreciation posts and high quality imagery. Also, encourage employees to share their work and accomplishments on social media. This can give potential employees a behind the scenes glimpse into what it's like to work at your company.
5. Put Your Employees in the Spotlight - Your employees are your brand ambassadors. Learn about their journeys, success stories and achievements and showcase them through a blog or informal video. Prospective hires are more likely to apply for a job at a company that shares real stories of employees.
6. Watch How You Reject Candidates - No rejection is pleasant, but it's important to be professional and considerate when rejecting candidates. Always send a polite email explaining why the candidate will not continue to the next stage of the hiring process - unless they come into the office for an interview. After an interview, a phone call is owed. Giving concrete feedback to the candidates, encouraging them to apply the next time you post a relevant open position, and mentioning that you will keep their information on file for future positions goes a long way. 
7. Set Realistic Position Requirements - Candidates can be put off by a career page that lists exaggerated position demands with mile long requirements. Keeping your requirements for the job reasonable and focusing on the potential employee skill sets, prevents applicants from running off as soon as they view the page.  
8. Set Up an Incentivized Employee Referral Program - Create a referral program that rewards employees for the successful referral of qualified friends, previous colleagues and people from their network. This program can increase the efficiency of the recruitment process, plus your employee is a few bucks richer and happier as well. Everybody wins.
9. Strive for Consistency in Your Online Presence - People will research your company on various sites. Make sure your website, social media channels and articles are all aligned with your brand so there is no confusion.
10. Focus on Employee Wellbeing and Facilitate Career Development - People want to work for organizations that offer more than just a paycheck. Companies should take into consideration employees wellness, skill development, career growth and networking opportunities. Companies that show support in these areas will increase employee satisfaction and retention.