Have You Checked Your Brand Image Lately? Find Out Where Your Employer Brand Stands

Your employer brand matters more than ever now—especially when it comes to attracting top talent. In fact, 59.9% of job seekers always research the hiring company before applying for jobs, according to a recent iHire survey. That means they’re checking your website and social media to learn more about what it’s like to work for your company.

But when’s the last time you checked out your web presence? It could be time to clean up and refine your corporate image.

What Is Employer Branding?

The first question you may ask yourself is, "What is brand image?" Your company’s employer brand image describes how other people think about your company. In a crowded job market, polishing your employer branding strategy can open the door to more high-quality job candidates. Here’s how to learn where your employer brand stands.

Survey Current Employees

An anonymous survey is the quickest way to pinpoint weaknesses in your corporate image. Assure employees their answers will be kept confidential. Ask questions like:

• What are the best parts about working for us?
• What would you tell your friends about working here?
• Is there anything you would change?
• Are there any reasons you might consider leaving?
• How did you first hear about this company?
• How did you research the company before applying?

Look at Online Reviews

Check out online reviews of your company, both from current and former employees. This can give you an idea of how they feel about your company. Respond to both positive and negative reviews. If you notice a lot of negative feedback, that could signal a weak spot in your branding. This should be the first area you address when you rework your employer branding and recruitment strategy.

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Review Overall Messaging

Take a look at your current website. About 45% of job seekers visit the company’s website directly when they’re seeking out job opportunities. Would a job seeker be able to get a sense of what it’s like to work for your company?

Your website should include your company’s core values and mission statement—and accurately reflect your current culture and branding vision. To breathe new life into your values and mission statement, ask a group of veteran employees to come up with some words and phrases they feel describe your company.

Your website should also include a careers page that lists your current openings, benefits and perks, and employee testimonials and videos.

Refresh Social Media Approach

Use social media to shine the spotlight on the day-to-day life of employees. To improve your employer branding and recruitment, you should be posting regular content on company news and initiatives, events in the office, team outings, and hiring updates. Showcase a different employee every week to give job seekers an inside look at the individual personalities that comprise your team.

To ensure your content stays fresh, plan out your content for the month ahead. If you’re already in the habit of posting regular content, see which updates are receiving the most likes, shares, and saves, and which aren’t performing as well. This can help you refine your social media strategy.

Check on Employee Involvement

To combat an overly curated feel to your corporate image, tap into your most valuable resource—your employees. If they aren’t participating in your overall employer brand image initiatives, here are some ideas to get them involved:

• Create videos of employees sharing their experiences working for the company
• Ask associates to post their testimonials directly on the company website
• Encourage staff to share images of their work lives on social media and use a designated company-branded hashtag

Communicate With Applicants

As you create a positive corporate image, don’t neglect the importance of communication—it’s directly related to your employer brand. In our “What Candidates Want” survey, 38.7% of job seekers said they’d be less likely to interact with a brand in the future if they didn’t hear back from the employer after applying.

It’s important to let job seekers know where they stand in the recruiting process. Take time to craft an email that acknowledges the applicant's time and effort to apply and advise them on how to keep in touch for future job opportunities.

For more help leveling up your employer branding and recruitment strategy, access our Employer Branding Toolkit.