Employer Branding & Retaining Top Talent
Over the past 20 years I’ve spent an unquantifiable amount of time listening to what potential candidates want in a professional position, and even more time hearing about what they loathe in a job. Everybody’s unique, especially in this day and age, but there is a pretty standard set of expectations that most executives have when it comes to finding their next post.
Read on to unravel the conundrum of what executive job seekers truly want.
Best,
Rob Milner
Senior Managing Partner
Why is it Important to Build your Employer Brand?
Everybody’s business is splattered all over the internet these days. I say this literally because your business is on display for the world to see. Current employees talk about their satisfaction, or lack thereof on social media, and their posts can go viral. So, it’s more important than ever to build a strong employer brand to attract and retain top talent.
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Know What Employees Want.
Your first step in building your employer brand should definitely be knowing what potential talent looks for in a company. Looking at this generationally makes it much simpler to understand what recruits want.
According to the Pew Research Center, Millennials and then Gen Xers are the largest segment of the workforce. Millennials tend to want flexible work schedules, ability to work remotely, opportunities for further learning, time with family and they place a ton of importance on social responsibility. Gen Xers on the other hand are most worried about salaries, job security, career advancement and a 401k plan with employer contribution matching.
If you know what they want, you can build the workplace experience that they expect and attract top talent. For example, consider providing opportunities for volunteering with local charities during the workday for the do-gooder Millennials. And, be extremely transparent about how career advancement works in your enterprise and even publish the steps on your website; the Gen Xers will appreciate it.
Reputation Management
What are employees and consumers saying about your company? Of course not every opinion will be positive, but you can control the quality of your reputation to some extent. This is an essential piece of your strategy because future hires have their ears to ground and may make decisions on whether to sign a contract based on what current and past employees say.
You can combat this in two ways. First, always respond to negative comments and reviews in a polite manner and try to move towards a solution. Purchasing reputation management software can help with this. Second, give current employees a forum to talk about how fantastic it is to work there. Post their testimonials on social media or share them in recruiting materials.
Create Brand Awareness
Make sure the world and potential human capital know how awesome your company is! Use social media to publicize every single perk and benefit offered; right down to how soft the toilet paper is. Take pictures of the workspace and post them on Instagram. Record videos of team members volunteering at a soup kitchen and upload them to Facebook. Show, don’t just tell them how life-changing it will be to work at your company instead of someone else’s.
Foster a Work Experience that Employees Love
At the end of the day, creating a work experience that cannot be found elsewhere is what really matters. If you pay attention to the details of the daily employee experience, you will inevitably attract top tier talent. That’s good for the company’s bottom line and good for employees.
Looking to make some changes in 2018? See how Nations Executive Search Group Inc. could help you take the next logical step in your career!
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Nation's Executive Search Group is sought out by leaders in Enterprise Risk Management, Marketing Services and Decision Analytics for mission critical sales and marketing leadership talent.
For more information, email or call Rob at (410) 827-0180, rmilner@nesgroup.net.
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