In today’s talent market, filling roles isn’t just about posting vacancies—it’s about telling a story that makes people want to work for you. Recruitment has become as much about marketing, storytelling, and data-driven engagement as it is about interviews and job descriptions.
An effective employer brand can make the difference between attracting top talent and losing them to the competition. But how do you craft one? And who’s responsible for making it happen?
Who Owns Employer Branding?
The short answer: everyone.
Research shows that 60% of CEOs believe employer branding is their responsibility. Many HR leaders think it belongs to HR, while marketing departments have the tools to reach wide audiences. The truth is that the best employer brands are built collaboratively:
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Marketing brings the skills to target and engage audiences.
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HR understands the company culture and job seeker mindset.
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CEOs provide vision and credibility.
When these groups work together, employer branding stops being a departmental task and becomes a company-wide mission.
Crafting Your Message
Your employer brand is the story you tell about your workplace.
Your talent brand is what employees and job seekers say about working there.
The most effective brands happen where the two overlap—when the company’s aspirations align with the authentic experiences of employees.
To get there, start by asking:
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What do job seekers really think about us?
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Why do employees stay?
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What’s our true value proposition as an employer?
What Candidates Care About Most
A survey of job seekers in India revealed what truly connects them to an employer:
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Work that makes a positive impact – 38%
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Mission and values that align with theirs – 37%
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Diversity of opportunities – 33%
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Transparent, responsive recruiters – 32%
If you want to stand out, weave these themes into your employer brand story.
Choosing the Right Channels
Once your message is clear, it’s time to share it in the right places:
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Career Site – Mobile-friendly, culture-rich, and easy to navigate.
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Social Media – Employee voices are more powerful than corporate press releases.
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Review Sites – Job seekers trust peer reviews.
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Targeted Ads – Ensure your message reaches the right talent.
Every channel should showcase not just what you do, but why you’re worth working for.
The Power of Reviews
Job seekers behave like consumers—they research before they buy.
98% of candidates read reviews of a potential employer, and 54% do it before they even start job hunting.
Your approach should be:
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Be transparent from the start.
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Respond to reviews—both positive and negative—in a professional and honest manner.
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Share authentic stories from employees to balance the narrative.
Measuring Success
Employer branding is not a “set it and forget it” exercise. To improve, you need to measure:
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Social Media: Views, likes, shares, reach.
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Career Site: Visitors, applications, conversions.
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Review Sites: Overall ratings, location-based feedback, competitor comparisons.
Consistent tracking lets you refine your message, invest in what’s working, and fix what isn’t.
The Role of Candidate Personas
Marketing teams know their ideal customer. Recruitment teams should know their ideal candidate.
A candidate persona is a detailed profile of the type of person who would thrive in a specific role. To create one:
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Study your top performers.
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Use hiring and performance data.
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Talk to hiring managers.
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Ask your employees for insights.
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Watch industry hiring trends.
With clear personas, you can tailor job descriptions, refine sourcing strategies, and target your messaging effectively.
The Bottom Line
Thinking like a marketer doesn’t mean turning HR into a sales team—it means applying the same principles of audience understanding, message crafting, channel selection, and performance measurement to talent acquisition.
When employer branding is authentic, consistent, and data-driven, you don’t just fill roles—you attract people who genuinely want to be part of your journey.
