8 easy actions for an effective employer brand
Employer branding is "THE" HR topic "so" 2020! This phenomenon can be explained by a number of criteria converging to create tension in the job market: full employment of executives, new generations in search of meaning, and the growing influence of social networks.
Directors and HR managers have been aware of this change in their functions for several years, but it's time to step up the pace and marry marketing and HR.
There can be no communication plan without promoting the company's image: its environment, its qualities, its values and its people; there can be no recruitment without a communication plan.
This creates a virtuous circle of communication that benefits products, brand awareness and the attractiveness of the company.
Here are our best practices for effective employer branding and recruitment:
Introducing yourself
The company's website is its commercial showcase, but the employment/career page is a site in its own right. It must present internal life, career opportunities, employees, actions taken to build loyalty, promote QWL, CSR...
The site must be responsive, i.e. accessible on tablet and mobile, this represents over 60% of traffic, we must also be able to apply on the move.
📝 What to do?
Treat your career site like a dedicated HR site, with articles, news, employee testimonials, images of internal life, examples of careers, and a presentation of the company's history and management. We create a real editorial line to differentiate ourselves and show our own identity. Job offers must be visible, up-to-date and easy to apply for.
Example of a career site created in 10 minutes with Softy.
Focus on video
It's the essential vector of communication: we no longer read, we watch.
A video offer attracts 34% more candidates than a written offer, a testimonial is more impactful than a presentation brochure, get your message across through images.
📝What to do?
We make short videos to present the environment, the tasks, we rely on the employees in place, they will be enhanced by this spotlight. We film everything: what we do, how we do it, with whom and where. Offer a candidate experience with an immersion in your company through images, open your doors!
Don't have a video? Softy's communications team can help you create a video tailored to your recruitment needs.
Work on your candidate relationship
From the moment they read the ad to the moment they leave the interview, candidates have a user experience with your HR department. A bad experience will tarnish your employer's image by being passed on to friends and family, but also on social networks (company evaluation sites are increasingly consulted).
📝 What to do?
We respond to all candidates who apply, we present a clear and simple application process, we treat the candidate like a customer.
Employee ambassadors, during and after the event
HR communication efforts are often concentrated upstream of recruitment. We take care of the company's image for current employees, who act as ambassadors for their company. Increasingly solicited by candidates directly, they are the ones who inform about the internal climate, the advantages of joining the company, and who paint a picture of what goes on behind the scenes. Getting referrals is essential for companies too!
Whether the departure is voluntary or forced, the employee's relationships and image are preserved right up to the exit door. Former employees are often the most talkative.
📝 What to do?
Exchange ideas, involve employees in employer image work, appoint volunteer ambassadors, communicate about opportunities and give meaning to practices.
Keep an eye on social networks
Social networks are the most relevant media for communicating and working on your image with candidates and employees. But the power of social networks can also backfire: bad buzz, damning testimonials, uncontrolled images or videos, the veracity and speed of data can sometimes be uncontrollable.
To keep your e-reputation under control, you need to be constantly on the lookout.
Keep in mind that you can't control 100% of your communication on the Internet, so framing and anticipating is already a way to avoid certain setbacks.
📝 What to do?
Train and inform your employees about best practices, appoint internal relays and monitor the content and data available about your company. HR communication on social networks and on the career site must be coherent, with an editorial line and a strategy.
Adapt recruitment processes
Candidates interested in a job offer or who wish to submit an unsolicited application must not get lost in the recruitment process. You've just captured their attention, so don't let them slip away! On average, 10-15% of readers of your job advert will become applicants, so the application process needs to be simple, fluid and fast. Optimizing your application form can win you up to 20% more applicants.
The recruitment process isn't just about the application form, it's also about the application process (attachments, tests...): why ask for a cover letter if it's not read or not adapted to the profile you're looking for? Why ask technicians to take a Word test?
📝 What to do?
Adapt! Every recruitment process needs to be strategized: who is our target? Is it a tight market? The application process needs to be parameterized according to the offer, for greater personalization.
Create a communication plan for each vacancy
As with the recruitment process, the media used to communicate your offer must also be tailored to your needs.
You don't look for a bricklayer on the same job boards as a sales manager. Think about your candidates, analyze their practices and behaviors.
The support and lifespan of the offer are evaluation criteria; an offer that's been online for 6 months is a weak signal in the eyes of the candidate.
📝 What to do?
Ask your employees about similar positions to find out about their Internet practices, interview the candidates you receive, trace the origin to invest in relevant media.
Analyze your HR performance
There can be no HR marketing without strategy, and no strategy without figures. We become data analysts, i.e. we analyze HR data : turn-over, application rate, bounce on my job site, origin of visitors, origin of candidates, which offers are the most consulted? And when? Which job boards are the most effective? What is the cost per application/recruitment?
In short, we create indicators to pilot our employer image and target concrete objectives: increase applications, reduce recruitment costs, optimize job board budgets...
📝What to do?
Equip yourself with the tools you need, and the ROI will be very rapid, enabling you to manage your HR indicators flawlessly.
Conclusion
Implementing an Employer Brand strategy is essential if you want to attract the best talent. To implement such a project, it needs to be addressed in its entirety.
To meet this challenge, and put in place a comprehensive strategy, consider relying on existing tools. Choosing a recruitment software like Softy enables you to address issues of image and attractiveness with a complete career site and videos, but also to work on the user experience with customizable application processes, to communicate better with candidates and to manage your recruitment more rapidly.
Softy can be customized to suit companies of all sizes looking to make their recruitment department more efficient!