How to Build Your Employer Brand

17th October 2018
How to Build Your Employer Brand

 By Paul Wolfe, Senior Vice-President, Human Resources at Indeed, the global employment search engine

October 17 2018: The online revolution has changed the decision-making process for everything from what to eat for breakfast to where we apply for a job. In an age of radical transparency when information is just a few clicks away, a whole new HR discipline has come to the fore: Employer branding.
Employer branding seeks to tell a company’s story so job applicants have an idea of what it’s like to work for that company. To find out what job seekers want to know, Indeed surveyed 500 U.S. workers. The results reveal the new rules governing corporate reputations online.
An online reputation is a must-have
Crowdsourcing information through online job review boards is now one of the most common ways to assess a company’s reputation. In fact, it has become an expectation. A vast majority (95%) of workers say insight into a company’s reputation is important.
What’s more, inadequate online presence elicits “automatic” distrust from 70% of job seekers. In the absence of information, over two-thirds (69%) say they would doubt an opportunity was real – making them less likely to apply.
Five tips for developing your employer brand
The culture and expectations around job searches have changed forever. Employers should embrace this new culture of transparency and seize every opportunity to start sharing stories online and building their employer brand.
Here are five tips to help guide you:

  1. Focus on compelling stories – Job seekers respond to human stories that demonstrate how your company makes a difference and why its culture is unique.
  2. Spotlight the employee experience – Show how you help employees fulfill goals and aspirations. Go beyond clichés such as foosball tables and tacos. Many companies highlight philanthropic activities.
  3. Share useful information – Describe your company in words, pictures and videos.
  4. Offer compelling stats and data – Include industry data and comparisons that demonstrate your company’s success and show how salaries and perks compare.
  5. Respond to any negative reviews – Negative reviews are better than no reviews. Less than a third (32%) of workers say they distrust a company with a negative online reputation. What’s more, it pays to respond to a negative review. Over 70% of job seekers are willing to change their minds if an employer responds.

It’s never been more important to build your employer brand online. Why wait?