COVID-19 has gripped the world and changed so many aspects of everyday life. People’s personal lives have changed, and this has also affected business cultures across the globe. Working from home has become a social norm, and the daily commute to the office has become more about grabbing your coffee from the comfort of your kitchen to start your workday in the home office.
In this time of uncertainty, and the rapid transition towards remote working, your company’s employer brand matters more than ever. Potential candidates are looking for companies with greater digital transparency and a visually collaborative digital culture. Your online presence matters more than ever, simply because this is the way that everyone is connecting with the outside world.
This is where your employer brand needs to shine. How you promote your company and your reputation in the market affects the talent you attract to your business. With the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, right now, it is vital that your company’s online presence is the strongest it has ever been.
“The employer brand is a sum of benefits associated with a job and an employer” – Ambler and Barrow
In short, employer branding is all about the presence, value proposition, consistency, and authentic look and feel that your company has with (potential and current) employees.
What is the role of employer branding?
Employer branding is about utilizing these benefits to make sure that potential candidates see your company as an ideal place to work. It’s about effectively communicating your company’s purpose and role as a desirable place to work. The stronger your brand, the more attractive you appear, and the more talented employees will apply for your vacancies.
A LinkedIn study found that 72% of recruitment leaders worldwide agree that employer brand has an impact on hiring the right talent and that it can lead to a 50% cost per hire reduction
Your employer brand matters, and right now, it is more crucial than ever because of the change in the digital landscape. Online presence is much more critical as it is not only the first point of contact, but the ongoing contact for employees, candidates, and the public.
Your online presence matters
With increasing amounts of information online, it isn’t surprising that candidates use this to make informed decisions about job applications. Does this company fit their needs? What are their values? What do people say about them? Do they support the same purpose?
According to Hubspot, 96% of the global employees who changed jobs researched potential employers’ reputation online, even before the current crisis, and even Glassdoor found that 84% of job seekers say that employer reputation is essential when deciding to apply for a job.
With employees and candidates currently stuck at home and having more time on their hands to go online and check out your company and form impressions – isn’t it time to take a look at your online reputation?
We live in a digital age, and online recruitment is nothing new. You need to express who you are as a company to attract the right candidates, and they can make an informed decision on whether or not to apply for your company’s positions and decrease the chance of hiring mistakes.
This is where your strong employer brand comes in, and the need for a robust online presence. Utilize your website, your career page, your social media, and other external sites like Glassdoor. But what specific actions you can take now to strengthen your employer brand?
Our tips for building a strong employer brand:
1. Transparency
You must be transparent about corporate decisions, not only right now, but on all occasions. Share quality content and updates on your company strategy in regards to the current climate, and take the situation, and candidates seriously. Be open about your recruitment processes and what candidates can expect in the next steps.
2. Brand ambassadors
Your existing employees are your best brand ambassadors. Encourage your employees to be active on social media and engage with your content regularly. It’s also important to encourage feedback and referrals from candidates and employees online.
3. Creativity
Be creative about how you advertise your positions. Create job description videos to attract more attention to your open positions and allow candidates to gain a first impression about you through videos. Show off your team, your workspace, your culture, etc.
4. Authenticity
Share authentic images in your online communication (social media, website) regularly. This offers your candidates a genuine window into your company culture. The more they understand you, the more likely you will attract the right candidates that can identify with you and will stay longer with your company.
5. Consistency
Your potential employees will use social channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat to get to know a company and its culture. Keeping all of your company pages up-to-date and consistent is crucial in creating a trusting relationship with your candidates.
6. Navigation
As simple as it sounds, ensure that your website and career pages are easy to navigate through and that candidates know where to go. Make sure it is easy to find the information they are looking for about your company, teams, and jobs.
7. Simplicity
Make it as easy as possible for candidates to apply or reach out to you. Don’t be one of the companies that require double information or thousands of clicks for one application. According to a study by CareerBuilder, 60% of candidates quit an application process because of its complexity and length.
8. Innovation
Stand out from your competition. Everything is becoming more and more digitalized, so make use of technology, gamification, and other current online trends. Offer your candidates something new in the process to make your company stick in their minds.
Your employer brand is always essential; however, in the current climate, your company needs to focus on it even more. Your employer brand is the very first thing that potential candidates will find online, and as the saying goes – first impressions always count.
Zocket specializes in not only helping create the ultimate candidate experience but can help revolutionize your employer branding, so even in this critical time – we can help your company attract, engage and retain the top talent you’re looking for.
Take your employer brand to the next level
Right now is the best time to take a look at your employer brand and make positive changes. Zocket can help you make these changes with our Candidate Experience Assessment using the following techniques
Analyze your employer brand
Most of us are in the safety of our own homes at the moment and working remotely, and so are your future candidates. They have the time to look at your company and formulate an impression about you, so make sure it is a positive one.
Due to the uncertainty created by the current crisis, many companies have slowed down their recruitment. Why not use this down-time to re-evaluate your online candidate experience and be prepared for the future?
Get your employer brand analyzed before making any significant financial decisions. With Zocket, you can receive a full report, including an employer brand scan, bias checkup, analysis of your candidates. (through a candidate survey), and a thorough review of your online application process. Download our Candidate Experience Assessment information pack for more information and get future-ready.
Transform your application process
Staying innovative and competitive in this digital age means that your talent attraction, recruitment, and retention must be digital as well.
Why not gain a competitive advantage with a talent attraction platform integrated into your website and career page. It will attract best-fit talent with a robust external employer brand and realistic job previews.
Our HR tech tool offers an easy way for candidates to get an authentic picture of your unique company’s culture, and at the same time, you can facilitate an easy to navigate application process for potential candidates.
Our smart algorithm assesses the needs of both your candidates and your company to make the best hiring decisions and helps you encourage internal mobility and professional growth inside your company
Ready to take that next step and position yourself in the virtual market with a strong employer brand? Let Zocket take you to the next level and help you create a future-ready, robust employer brand with the ultimate candidate experience. Download our information pack here.
