Employment Branding – “Why” it Matters

The recent Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce Luncheon presenter Z Energy CEO, Mike Bennetts, left me feeling inspired.

The theme was “why” we do things around here - what makes Z distinctive as a company and a brand, what they believe in, value and stand for. Plain English, no fancy words like “innovate” - just down to earth, relatable stuff.

Afterwards, I checked out Z’s website to see if it was just fancy talk. Sure enough, there’s a “why” tab packed with great info aligned with their brand.

Dig a little deeper and you find “The Z Why” Document.

This got me thinking about employment branding - or the lack of it - and what a missed opportunity it is in the war for top talent to join businesses in their quest for success.

Customer experience has been around forever but what about candidate experience?

We forget that candidates are people with needs and wants just like customers and they’re becoming more discerning. Top talent have options and they know it. They also know they’re taking a risk – what if the reality doesn’t live up to the hype?

Candidates have a bunch of “why” questions – here are some of them:

• Do you have a good reputation?
• Is the culture a good fit with their values and interests?
• Are the role scope and responsibilities clear?
• Is there flexibility around personal commitments?
• Are the remuneration and hours of work fair and reasonable?
• Are there opportunities for career progression?

Pretty standard stuff, right? But how easy do you make it for candidates to find this information?

Think about your last weekend trip to Wellington. I’m guessing you hopped onto booking.com, checked airlines, the ferry and rental car providers, looked at restaurants and then asked friends for recommendations.

Top candidates are doing exactly the same thing - about you, your team, company, brand and the role. They download the ad, check out the job description, search your website and careers pages, news articles, companies office info, board reports, social media channels (personal and company Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram pages) and talk to their networks to see what the real story is. Think 'TripAdvisor.'

So next time you’re looking for a talented new person to join your team, take some time to think about your employment branding and value proposition as an employer.

If you think you could do better, put it on your “to do” list today – it matters.

Written by Jessica Rolinson, Intepeople Talent Partner.