Employer branding and recruitment: How Expr3ss! sets you apart

Employer branding isn't just about ensuring people know who you are, it's about ensuring they also know that you're a great place to work.

Why employer branding really matters

When you talk about employer branding, it's easy to assume that you've got this covered if your business already has an established brand. Sure, you've got a sign out the front with a great logo, and people already know who you are and what you do. But that's not enough.

The difference is that your business branding is aimed at attracting potential customers, while your employer branding is aimed at attracting potential employees. Customers and employees look for very different things in a business, and to be successful you need to do a great job of attracting both.

Employer branding is how you proactively manage your image as an attractive employer. It's the reputation you have as an employer, among your own employees and the wider workforce, as well as how you market your business to jobseekers.

In a tight labour market, effective employer branding is critical to catching the eye of the best talent, as potential employees scroll through a long list of job ads.

Related article: The ROI of Predictive Hiring: Calculating success with Expr3ss!

Win top candidates with strong employer branding

It’s important to appreciate that, while your employer branding and your employee value proposition have some things in common, they are not the same thing.

For example, they both might be informed by your company's mission statement, values, vision and culture. This can include corporate social responsibility and how your business impacts wider society.

The difference is that your employee value proposition tells potential and existing employees what they can get in return for working for your business.

Meanwhile, your employer branding is your reputation as an employer. It's what the rest of your industry, and the wider world, thinks of your business as a place to work.

Investing in your employer branding is critical for recruitment. Three quarters of jobseekers consider an employer's brand before they even apply for a job, according to LinkedIn. That's not surprising when the Edelman Trust Barometer found that almost 60 per cent of employees choose a workplace based on shared values.

One way of getting across your employer branding is to inject some business personality into your job advertisements. That means avoiding dry and boring ads, unless you want to come across as a dry and boring place to work.

Related article: Align employee values before hiring

Show jobseekers why you're a great workplace

Putting your employer branding on show is what helps convince potential applicants that your job is far superior to the jobs offered by your competitors. Apart from your job ads, your employer branding can also shine through in your presence on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

This can include testimonials from your own people about the business' values and culture, as well as espousing how great it is to work for you. 

Many businesses in Australia’s Aged, Disability Care and Child Care sectors are particularly skilled at employer branding as a tool for attracting and retaining great employees.

Disability Living, Community Support Inc, Kirinari, Challenge Community Services, and Anyinginyi Health Aboriginal Corporation are among those which use a combination of job descriptions, images, videos, staff testimonials and other material to show off why they are great to work with and work for.

With the new Aged Care Act imposing stronger expectations on workforce planning, the stakes for aged care employers have never been higher. The Commission’s guidance is clear: safe, consistent, and person-centred care depends on a workforce that is well planned, supported, and aligned with consumer needs. When your employer brand demonstrates how you attract, develop, and retain great staff, you not only meet regulatory requirements but also position your organisation as an employer of choice in a competitive market.

The quality of your recruitment practices are also a key part of your employer branding, which is where Expr3ss! can really help. Remember, every time you hire someone, or even interact with a potential employee, it's actually a reflection on your business.

Employers often have a poor rating on job boards because people have had a bad experience with the business.

Perhaps poor communication during the hiring process left people hanging when they needed certainty. Perhaps poor hiring decisions meant that some people were hired but later let go once it became clear it was a bad match.

Expr3ss! is designed to streamline your hiring processes to ensure you quickly find people who are a great fit in terms of skills, attitude and temperament. Some of the benefits are improved employee retention and satisfaction, along with a more cohesive workplace culture which underpins your employer branding.

At the same time, Expr3ss! offers enhanced communication which ensures that applicants are informed every step of the way. Those who aren't successful are notified quickly, which helps make a great first impression should you decide to call upon them down the track.

You can't just glance at a simple resume and get real insights into a person, which is where Expr3ss! helps their true qualities shine through.

Likewise, jobseekers can't glance at a simple job ad and get real insights into what you're like as a business and a workplace, which is where employer branding helps you sell them on the idea that you're a great place to work.