One of the hardest parts of hiring is convincing the best people to work for you. Top talent has many options, so your company needs to stand out as a great place to work. You should start building that reputation, called your “employer brand”, long before you post any job ad.

A good employer brand is the base of a strong hiring plan. It helps you attract talented people again. A strong brand matches your business, culture, and reputation, giving job seekers a real and honest look at what it’s like to work there.

So, how much does your company’s reputation as a workplace really affect hiring? A lot.

A Good Reputation Attracts Top People

Your employer brand tells people why your company is a great place to be. It helps you beat other companies trying to hire the same people.

Studies show that a company’s reputation is key:

• Job seekers would refuse a job offer from a company with a bad employer brand, even if they were unemployed.
• The majority would consider leaving their current job for a new one at a company with an excellent reputation.
• Almost half of people aged 35–44 would leave their job for a company with an excellent reputation, even if the pay raise was less than 10%.

What Makes a Good or Bad Reputation

Harvard research from 2016 identified the top things that create a company’s reputation:

A Bad Reputation is Linked to:

1. Worry about losing your job (job security).
2. Teams that don’t work well together (dysfunctional teams).
3. Poor leadership.

A Good Reputation is Linked to:

1. Stability (feeling secure in your job).
2. Chances to move up in your job (career growth).
3. The chance to work with top-notch teams.

Job seekers now have powerful tools like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter to check out companies. This has changed the hiring process, making it a “review” by the candidates, too. Many companies haven’t caught up to this change. To attract the best people, smart companies need to make sure the brand they say they are, is the brand employees actually experience. They also need to encourage employees to share their stories publicly.

How to Build a Better Employer Brand

Companies that deliver on the promises they make to employees have better results in hiring, keeping staff, and getting employees to speak highly of the company. These employees are more likely to recommend their workplace and work harder.

To create an honest and strong employer brand, experts suggest these steps:

1. Live Your Truth: The best brands have clear values and goals. This attracts job seekers who share those core beliefs.
2. Keep Your Promises: Look at the difference between what your job ads say and what the work experience is actually like. You can do this by talking to new hires, running surveys, reading online reviews, and holding exit interviews.
3. Let Employees Speak: Candidates see current employees as the best source of truth. Since people don’t highly trust what companies say about themselves, employees must be the ones to share what the work experience is like.
4. Always Try to Improve: Being authentic doesn’t mean you stop trying to be better. An employer brand should include goals for the future, so it’s not just a collection of boring promises.

Having a good employer brand is a must. It helps you hire better people, costs less to hire, and improves overall productivity. Out of our research we know that most of the candidateswill research company reviews before applying. Also, most of the candidateschange their opinion of a company after seeing how it replies to an online review. A strong, visible online brand helps potential candidates see if they would be a good fit for your company.

Need Help with Your Hiring Strategy?

The future is uncertain, with constantly changing retirement and turnover rates. Do you want to ensure you are ready for what is to come and build a skill-focused culture, including an ironclad employer brand?

More at Work is well-prepared for whatever comes next. With our years of experience and great technology, you can be sure that we’re ready to adjust to any challenges in the next five years, whether it’s new AI developments or sudden changes in job market trends.

Feel free to reach out to us at info@moreatwork.nl or through the contact form if you have any questions.