Building your employer brand in recruitment, onboarding, and beyond

The market for employers has never been more competitive than it is today. In 2023, job seekers and employees expect more than just a good salary. To attract and retain talent you need to have it all - work-life balance, positive company culture, a diversity policy, flexible working, and unique company perks. And in an age where people are more connected than ever, your reputation as a company and employer brand can make or break your HR efforts.

So what is an employer brand, why is it crucial to an organization’s success, and how do you implement employment branding strategies in recruitment, onboarding, and beyond? 

Let’s get started.

What is employer branding?

Employer branding is the process of building and managing your reputation as an employer among job seekers, employees, and key stakeholders. It encompasses everything you do to position your organization as an employer of choice.

Establishing and maintaining a positive employer brand is similar to building a consumer brand; it lays the foundation for your business. Think Patagonia, a leading outdoor clothing retailer, that has positioned itself as a consumer brand with a mission for the planet. By communicating its role as a leader in sustainability, Patagonia has created an identity that attracts engaged customers worldwide. 

And the exact same can be applied to employer branding. Reflect on what makes your organization unique as an employer and build an authentic brand that will attract like-minded employees.

The importance of employer branding

Done right, employer branding can significantly improve the talent you attract and the talent you retain. Done wrong, you can sabotage your recruitment efforts, employee well-being, and business productivity. 

The best employer brands are authentic and consistent. What does that mean? Authentic means you don’t only make promises, but you also deliver on them and hold up your values even if the sea gets rough. Consistent means you don’t only do one part well or for a certain group of people, but you walk the walk for everyone, regardless of where they are in their journey with you as an employer.

Get this right and you can help:

→ #1 Attract more qualified talent
Type ‘marketing manager’ into LinkedIn and voilá: thousands of job ads. By managing your employer brand authentically and consistently you can make sure you stand out amongst other employers. Actively listening to and responding to your employee feedback online and drafting job descriptions that accurately reflect your organization ensures you don’t only get more, but also more qualified applicants.

→ #2 Reduce hiring costs
Effective employer branding can reduce cost-per-hire by 43%. Well-informed prospective candidates can self-assess whether they will be a good fit for your organization, helping avoid unsuitable applicants, increasing engaged candidates, and reducing time-to-hire. And in turn, HR can spend their time on people that are more likely to join and stick around for the long-run.

→ #3 Improve employee engagement and productivity 
How your employees connect to your employer brand will have a direct impact on their engagement and productivity over the years. Setting your mission and values at the forefront of your employer brand will help your employees remember what resonated with them when they first chose to apply to work in your organization.

Employer branding strategy

So now we know what the benefits of employer branding are, how do we put it into practice? Your employer branding strategy can be broken down into two key steps. 

Step one: Develop your brand (the explorative part)

Building your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is step one of your employer branding strategy. Without it, you can’t move forward. An EVP states the unique value you offer as an employer in exchange for your employees' expertise, skills, and commitment. Your EVP will act as the roadmap of your employer brand, communicating exactly why potential candidates should choose you as an employer. 

An EVP can be developed and built out in many different ways, but here’s a 3-part breakdown we’ve seen work well in practice:

→ Company culture
→ Career path
→ Working environment & benefits

Jumping ahead? Download the editable EVP template!

→ #1 Company culture

People are increasingly choosing employers that align with personal values. That’s why it’s vital to make sure you communicate these clearly throughout the recruitment and onboarding process. 

→ #2 Career path

Your EVP should also include a clear outline of how your employees can grow and develop and whether there are advancement opportunities. 

→ #3 Working environment & benefits

To stand out as an employer, you need to offer attractive office spaces, flexible working options, and competitive benefits. And your EVP is the place to highlight them. 

Step two: Deliver on your promises (the action part)

Now you’ve got your EVP as your roadmap, it’s time to deliver on your promises. And while you as an employer should never put your brand & values aside in the day-to-day, focusing on 3 important parts of the employee journey will make sure you have the biggest impact on your team and the business overall.

→ #1 Employer branding in recruitment 

75% of job seekers consider the employer’s brand before applying for a job. So making sure you manage your employer brand throughout the recruitment process successfully is crucial. Getting it right from recruitment will help you build better, more cohesive, teams making your brand and company culture stronger in the long run. 

Employer branding in recruitment is all about setting the tone. It’s the time to identify your candidate persona, communicate your company’s EVP, and tell your potential candidates why you are the perfect employer for them.  

Opportunities to convey your employer brand in recruitment:

- Create and share career videos that showcase your workplace, introduce your team, and highlight your company’s unique culture
- Convey your company’s mission and values in the job description 
- Accurately describe the job expectations, skills required, and any benefits 
- Be as authentic as possible (if one your company values is ‘transparency’ it might be a good idea to list the expected salary in the job ad)
- Maintain a consistent tone throughout your communications and interview process 

→ #2 Employer branding in onboarding 

Employer branding shouldn’t stop at recruitment. To really show your authenticity as an organization, you’ll want to make sure you deliver on the EVP promises when you onboard new hires. 

New employees who experience a structured onboarding plan not only become more productive faster, but are also 58% more likely to stay with the company for three years. Incorporating employer branding in your onboarding process will ensure your new hires expectations are met, helping them to become engaged and productive members of your team.

Using onboarding software is the easiest way to maximize your employer branding efforts and provide your new employees with a valuable experience. 

Opportunities to convey your employer brand in onboarding:

- Provide a welcome pack that encapsulates your employer brand
- Send your new hire a copy of your company’s EVP
- Welcome your new hire on social media and provide them with a Linkedin template post 
- Make sure your new hire has all the information they require for a successful start
- Arrange a (digital) meet-and-greet with your team 
- Set your new hire up with an onboarding buddy  
- Give your new hire a taste of the company culture through a social event
- Schedule a follow-up and get feedback

Ready to try to take your employer branding to the next level with onboarding software? Book a call with one of our onboarding experts!

→ #3 Employer branding in offboarding 

The third key, and often overlooked, moment for employer branding is the offboarding process. 

While employer branding is often associated with recruitment and onboarding, it’s important to remember that effective employer branding also goes beyond employment. Why? Because happy, former employees who feel their contribution was appreciated, are excellent brand ambassadors. 

Opportunities to convey your employer brand in offboarding:

- Gift your departing employee something that will remind them of their fun time at your company
- Conduct an exit interview to show your departing employee you value their experiences and feedback (offboarding software is your secret weapon for feedback collection!)
- Enroll leavers in an Alumni group
- Provide a LinkedIn transition post template
- Depending on the size of your organization you may like to share a goodbye post thanking your employee for their contribution

The takeaway

When done well, and with that we mean authentic, consistent people-first activities, employer branding can be the oil in the engine that makes the rest of your people & culture operations run smoother with more impact for the team.

Too few applicants? Early leavers? Low engagement and commitment? These are all problems that HR can fix with a concerted effort to put employer branding strategies into action.

And smart software, like Talmundo’s onboarding & offboarding app, can help make the process simple, automated and scalable for HR.