Employment Branding Matters More Than You Can Imagine

Branding You Know

I’ve talked about the importance of branding for nearly 10 years, in virtually every capacity, to pretty much anyone who would listen. It is the sine qua non to any successful recruiting effort, for without it, no one is going to know what a great place to work you’ve got and all your efforts depend on the that other kind of branding, the one we all know: product and services marketing . And while it’s certainly true that branding matters (anyone NOT know the “brands”at right???), I think there’s a strong case to be made that employment branding matters even more. More than most organizations can even begin to imagine. Because at the end of the day, your company isn’t run by products and services, it’s run by people.

Yeah, I know…”people are our most important asset”; “people come first”; “our people are our best advertisement”. We’ve all have heard various corporate lines about how valuable employees are, right up until the company stock misses a target, or the jobs can be done more cost effectively in some part of the world that’s wide awake while we’re sleeping. You can bet the term “human capital” wasn’t coined by an HR person.

It is small wonder that Millennials entering the workforce today expect to change jobs 8 (!!!) times or more by the time they hit 30.

Thankfully, not every company thinks this way. And we know exactly who they are - the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For List.

If you look at that list, one of the things that will most stand out for you is that, far and away, every one of these organizations takes a view towards branding their staffing and recruiting efforts that is every bit as powerful as their message towards the products and services they offer. They live and breathe the mantra of employment branding every day so that they can continue to attract world class talent, and more importantly, retain them once they’re there.

What must life be like as a recruiter for one of these companies? What really are the advantages?

For one, potential applicants will flood your openings. A broader pool of applicants means more choices, both in qualifications and diversity. Name recognition soars, as your company’s name gets picked up by other publications as well, and other companies start calling to see “how you do it”. Your recruiting costs will decrease, sometimes dramatically, as you’ll rely less on 3rd party searchs, and enjoy a reduced need to advertise. Retention becomes virtually a non-issue, as employees find making the decision to leave such a culture extremely difficult (e.g. really, who leaves Google???). Sales increase as the positive PR generated from being on the list feeds what everyone knows - people want to buy from “great” organizations. Why? Because “great” organizations must make great products. Employee referrals likewise soar as employees now have all the reasons in the world to back up their position of why their company is such a great place to work.

Not least among the advantages is the view taken by senior executives about HR and its strategic value. Make the list, and the CEO WILL call you. Of course, in order to make the list, you’ll pretty much need his or her full support to begin with. The Great Places to Work Institute is the one who runs the list, and in order to be considered, you first have to apply.

But before you apply, think of all the things this kind of employment branding would make possible, and what are the implications to your organization. Aside from running the list, Great Places also assists companies in their efforts to get ON the list. Perhaps a phone call would be a great place to start.

Know who you are

At the end of the day, though, there can only be 100 companies on the list, but the benefits of marketing yourself and your employment brand as an organization that truly values it’s greatest and most difficult to find asset - people - will still make your life as a recruiter infinitely less challenging, your company’s bottom line significantly healthier, and your organization’s reputation in the marketplace vastly more positive. And that kind of marketing is priceless.

And yet despite countless articles around employment branding, and its objective and demonstrable advantages, has anyone noticed vast improvements in corporate working environments over the last five years? Arguably, the types of changes many organizations might need to make in order to be considered a “great place to work” involve a level of cultural change that could take years to fully realize. But aside from talking, have enough organizations really started to do something, especially in light of an ongoing, and already existing talent shortage that will leave them wholly unable to compete?

My own feeling is that much of what isn’t getting done boils down to a simple lack of the one resource no one can buy: time. They find themselves trying to put out whatever fire might be in front of them with limited budgets and limited resources rather than being able to focus on what can be done to make 2009 or beyond a banner year.

Can a solution like RPO help put out those fires so you can focus on things like strategic employment branding? It’s quite possible. But even beyond that, before another marketing campaign gets underway, have a conversation with your senior marketing person, and talk about how to look at employment branding and the dramatic impact it can have both on your recruiting and retention efforts, but also the impact it can have on the company’s sales and revenues.

At rightPRO Advisors, we often make employment branding strategies a key component of our recommendations, especially if coupled to an RPO service offering. But even if RPO isn’t for you, I think…no, I know… you’ll find the advantages of finally doing something about employment branding in 2008, when things have slowed down — a lot — in this economy, a key part of your company’s go-forward strategy in 2009 and beyond, and make you a key player “at the table”.

Good recruiting,

Michael