Using Employer Branding to Attract CandidatesIn a candidate-driven market, it’s extremely important to hone in on your employer brand to attract the best talent. Quality candidates seek out employers and organizations that fit their skill set and also their values. Companies with a strong employer brand often attract the best and brightest talent because they clearly communicate who they are, and what they stand for.

We’ve put together the following tips to help you evaluate your employer brand and discover where you might be able to make adjustments or improvements.

Check out your competitors

It’s important to see how you fare against your competitors, especially if you’re in a crowded industry. Check out your competitors’ websites, marketing materials and social media presence. It’s important to see how others are interacting with candidates and customers to see how you stack up.

Take a look at their career page or job listings as well. Do you often find you’re losing candidates to other companies? Are candidates coming to your job postings before your competitors’ or vice versa? How, and where, are they distributing their job postings?

Evaluate your current employer brand to assess if what you stand for clearly comes through your communications. Don’t neglect technology and social media channels, these are prime recruiting tools. For instance, if your brand is centered around the fact that you have a fun, creativity-driven company culture, your social media platforms and recruiting efforts need to reflect that.

Upgrade your job postings and careers page

Gone are the days of relying on text-based job descriptions and job boards to share your open positions. In today’s marketplace, candidates want to see what they’ll be doing, not just read about it. Utilize photos and videos to upgrade your job posts and maximize the candidate experience before the first interview. Sharing meaningful, engaging content boosts your social media presence, thus expanding your network and potential candidate base.

Don’t neglect your careers page. These pages are often missed opportunities for showcasing your core values, employee benefits and perks, and the real people who work for you. You want to be as authentic as possible, no matter the industry you’re in. Highlighting this visually right where candidates apply is an optimal place to communicate your employer brand.

Make hiring a team sport

Rethink and re-imagine your hiring process to better reflect your employer brand. Consider involving employees as well as HR managers and executives in both the hiring and interview process. What better way to be reflective of who you are as a company then to involve the people who contribute to your organization every day? Not only will this help to strengthen your company’s image, it will also go a long way in showing employees that their opinions and input are valued and desired.