By Amy Cooley
Retention and recruitment are probably the biggest human resources and management challenges of 2022. We’ve been talking a lot about what makes today’s employees tick, what they require, and what they expect of their employer. And perhaps most importantly, the biggest question remains, what keeps your best employees onboard and brings great new employees into your business?
The answer to that question is unique to each business and company culture. Just as your business works hard to cultivate a brand that you market to clients and potential clients, your employer brand requires similar attention. In fact, your marketing brand and your employer brand are very closely tied to each other. The mission and culture you promote to your clients can be attractive to potential employees. And you can be certain that the kind of employees on your team, and the way you treat them, shines through to your desired clientele.
So how do you promote your employer brand in order to attract and retain a great team? Here are some simple ideas to get you started:
- Consistently market your employer value proposition. Develop a simple and consistent message regarding what’s great about the employee experience at your business—perks/benefits, development opportunities, flexibility, great team environment, shared mission, what makes you a great employer. Simply offering a paycheck doesn’t differentiate you from any other employer.
- Promote your current team. Highlight your team members and ask them to share their stories—what they love about being part of the team, what they love about the job, how their background prepared them for the work. Videos and other content directly from employees come across as authentic and engaging and help potential employees picture themselves as part of your workplace.
- Share the history and mission of your business. Are you a family business with close ties to your community? A bigger business with the largest fleet in your market? Your story is as compelling to career candidates as it is to clients.
- Put your career opportunities front and center. We’re in an employee’s market right now, with low unemployment rates, and it seems like everyone is hiring. If you’re competing for hires, don’t make applicants search for you. Put pop-ups on your website; create a careers landing page; add “apply now” links everywhere. Think social media pages, website, email signature: if you’re promoting there, you can recruit there.
- Liven up your job postings. If your job posting is just a copy and paste of the job description, potential candidates are going to scroll on by. Choose an image that stands out to accompany your job description when possible.
- Shout out your community engagement. As workers increasingly find the lines blurred between personal and work life, they are seeking workplaces that align with their values. Community service and engagement are near the top of the list. Showcase service projects your team enjoys together and other ways your business gives back.
Your employer value proposition begins and ends with your culture. And your marketing strategy isn’t just about reaching clients. [CD0422]
Amy Cooley is HR Administrator for The LMC Groups. She can be reached at amy@lmcpeople.com.