Some years ago, I was interviewed by Keka HR on How to Build a Strong Employer Brand.
This is the summary, thanks to Google Gemini
Employer Brand as a Filter (0:30-1:12): Ghosh emphasizes that an employer brand should act as a filter, attracting the right candidates who identify with the company's values and deterring those who don't. The goal is to get the right applications, not just the maximum number.
Criticality of Employer Branding (1:21-3:28): The importance of employer branding depends on how critical talent is to a company's overall costs and operations. If payroll and hiring costs are a significant chunk of expenses, or if specific talent segments are critical and in short supply, then employer branding becomes crucial. HR professionals need to align with business leaders to understand their challenges and how employer branding can address them.
Leveraging Employee Networks (3:31-5:44): Employees' personal networks on social media can be far more influential than official company pages. Companies should encourage and enable employees to share content about their workplace, provided the employees genuinely believe in what they are sharing, as their loyalty is first to their networks.
Leadership as Brand Ambassadors (6:00-9:14, 19:06-19:37): The personal brand of company leaders, especially founders and key executives, significantly impacts the employer brand. Their public statements and social media activity can reflect and amplify the company's image, attracting top talent. Examples include Flipkart's founders and Elon Musk for Tesla.
Candidate Experience and Career Website (9:17-11:00): The company's career website must align with the employer brand story being communicated through social media. A seamless and user-friendly application process is vital; a broken or cumbersome careers site can negate all positive branding efforts.
Measuring Employer Branding Effectiveness (11:05-13:21): Employer branding can be measured through a funnel approach, similar to marketing. This involves tracking impressions, engagement, clicks, applications, interviews, and ultimately, hires. Data from social channels and internal recruitment systems can provide insights into the effectiveness of initiatives.
Continuous Engagement and Advocacy (13:23-14:52): Companies should monitor the funnel weekly, use newsletters to keep potential candidates aware, and encourage employees and alumni to share content. Identifying and incentivizing vocal brand advocates among employees is also key.
Collaboration with Other Departments (14:56-19:05): Employer branding is not solely an HR function. It requires strong collaboration with corporate communications, marketing, and even customer support to ensure consistent messaging and to leverage positive customer stories to humanize the company.
