In talking with recruiters over the last year, one of the biggest hurdles they’ve faced has been getting management to embrace the idea of using employer branding to recruit the right talent. In spite of the fact there’s plenty of evidence to show top talent does their homework and avoids employers that don’t look legit, leadership continues to fight against the need to market what it’s like to work at their company. First, recruiters have to educate the executive team on the concept of employer branding - only to get pushback about the need to share an honest look at who they are (and aren’t) as an employer. Change is scary. Especially, when it involves being vulnerable. Leadership doesn’t want to risk looking bad.
The power of creating your Workplace Operating Philosophy (WOP)
After banging my head against the wall a few times with executive teams who couldn’t see the value in employer branding, I had an epiphany: if I could take them through an HR exercise designed to help them get clearer in what they look for in talent, they could more easily buy into the concept. Soon after, I came across this article by the founder of a start-up. In it, he shared how he came up with his company’s manifesto of values, beliefs, culture and conduct. It’s a highly creative and entertaining document designed to set expectations and validate a candidate’s decision to work at their company. He has everyone review and sign it before they get hired. I coined the concept of developing this type of manifesto a, “Workplace Operating Philosophy (WOP).” I realized if I could interview leadership teams in order to help them draw up their own WOPs, they’d have their first piece of authentic employer branding content.
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WARNING: A WOP will make your leadership team obsessed with recruiting
One of the results of creating a unique WOP with your leadership team is they suddenly get excited about the idea of marketing what it’s like to work at the company. The exercise instills a sense of validation and confidence in who they are as an employer. Which means, they’ll be a lot more involved in the process. It’s a sort of, “be careful what you wish for,” situation. But, I still think it’s worth it. Especially, if you’ve been struggling to hire talent.
Embracing who you are is the first step, but then you need to...
The incredible thing about building an employer’s WOP is how quickly it takes away the fear of showcasing your employer brand. However, it doesn’t solve the problem of creating the right employer brand tools and messaging. That’s why you should attend Glassdoor’s 2016 Summit. This year, the theme is focused around how companies can do a better job of being transparent, yet still be attractive to talent. The two-day session is packed with speakers from companies that have built successful strategies for sharing their company’s employer brand - warts and all. They’ll give you the insights and confidence needed to move forward with your company’s own recruiting and employer branding strategy. Plus, if you sign up with the discount code GDFriends2016, you’ll save $100 on the registration.
P.S. - I’ll be there as the Livestream Host. So, I hope to see you there!
