Nobody wants to be trapped working for fraud companies or those having defamation suits to deal with and a tainted employer brand. Amidst advancements in technology, ‘employer branding’ is the new black for HR leaders who want to level up their hiring strategy. Building positive employer branding is no longer a merely nice-to-have, but a must-have value that should be embraced by every company.

Employer branding becomes increasingly crucial in an era defined by image and representation. The battle to fetch the best people from the talent pools is growing more and more competitive. Encountered with a broad range of job offers, candidates today have more bargaining power to choose companies that better suit their interest and career development goals.

Not only does the prestige factor and pride of working for reputed big names in the business makes a difference to their personal branding, but also company culture is the main consideration for talents during decision-making.

If you want to draw top talents in the workforce to work for your brand, then you need to work on building your employer brand as one of the most sought-after companies. Here are some do’s and don’ts for effective employer branding you can start practising right now:

See: How to Make Talent Mobility Program Work for Your Business?

Do’s

Know your company position

Before building or enhancing your employer brand, you must first know where does your organisation stands in the business, society and how is the brand perceived by the masses at large. This will help draw a consensus to actually realise how your company brand and goodwill has been in the business till date. If you find something is not right, you can immediately resolve the situation and improve related department functions.

Use social media

In the current age, most people cannot stay away from their Smartphones for long. One of the most popular use of smartphones is for social media, wherein millions of people connect and communicate through their social accounts every day.

While not everyone has the time to check your company’s website, they always take time to log into their social media accounts. Considering this phenomenon, you need be proactive and reach out to this talent through company’s official account on mainstream social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

Engage with employees

Do not just focus on improving the external elements, you should also develop sound employer branding from the inside. Engaging with your employees will be the first step in the right direction to discover, what they feel about the company they are working for.

When employees are engaged and satisfied with their jobs, they will offer positive reviews or recommendation for future applicants. Indirectly, they can be agents to build effective employer branding.

Make change

Do not just make another job offer to a prospective talent, which can be easily overlooked. Sometimes, it is important to take risks by making change and initiating something new in your organisation. As a HR leader, you need to figure out exceptional methods to engage with your candidates.

Don’ts

Underestimating the power of employer branding

If you ever thought that employer branding is merely one of the many options for better hiring strategy, you are possibly wrong. Never underestimate the power of employer branding to attract best talents in the market. If you manage an employer brand carefully, it would eventually lead to business success and significant investment returns in the longer run.

Ignore employees’ inputs

Employees are the main force behind a strong employer brand. You need to dedicate more time to listen to the inputs, advice, and even complaints from employees. If they say something negative about the company, it could be all true and this is the time for you to fix it.

Put on a fake face

Authenticity is the most important thing which often gets overlooked by companies in their employer branding efforts. For creating and building a good image, sometimes companies tend to exaggerate their organisation’s features and perks available.

This is definitely not a wise move to attract potential talent, because it could mean that you have lied to applicants when making an offer. If you do not want to lose your reputation and goodwill in the long term, you should stop putting a fake face and be true to your beliefs and values.

Assume inaccurately

Never assume that you know everything about what your employees think about the company brand. Rather than wondering and guessing without any solid ground, it is important to conduct regular surveys or questionnaire to understand loopholes in the employer branding strategy.

More than anything, employer branding is a vital aspect if you want to hire the right talent to maximise productivity, boost business profits and fill vacant job roles. However, employer branding is not something that can be built in an instant. To make this work, you will need ongoing efforts and support from all elements of the organisation. Thus, it is important for HR leaders to understand the best branding strategy that suits your company culture.

Read more: How Can HR Use SMS to Effectively Communicate with Employees?