November 16, 2015
Brand Branding Marketing Commercial Name Concept
The latest buzz word in human resources and talent acquisition is the candidate experience. The candidate experience refers to the process a job applicant goes through to become an employee. The reason this is so important right now is that once the economy improved, it became a job applicant’s market. The days when a company could get someone way over qualified for relatively cheap are over. Now, candidates are in control and they’re flocking to the job market in record numbers. Many companies are finding it difficult to keep employees and to fill new positions. With candidates in control, they now demand more information to make a decision on whether to join a company or not. This information a company provides is its employer branding.
Employer Branding is More than Just a Name
Employer branding is the messaging a company controls. It’s the information they provide about the company’s values, goals, and culture. Many candidates use this to gauge whether they’d feel at home in a company. But how can companies use employer branding to enhance the candidate experience?
- Enhance communication. Employer branding can enhance communication with candidates, which improves the candidate experience. This can be done in numerous ways, including offering access to brand ambassadors within the company. These employees can fill in the information gaps from first application to job interview. This is a great use of employer branding because it utilizes the company’s strongest asset- it’s happy employees. Candidates want to know what life is like inside a company. While many companies do well by providing information on their websites, the voices of its employees provide a compelling story. They further the conversation with the candidate in a time when a candidate may not have communications informing them of an interview yet.
- Get personal. Part of what’s lacking in companies’ candidate experience is personalization. To candidates, the job search is extremely personal. It’s their potential livelihood and the fruition of their dreams on the line. Shouldn’t these candidates be treated as more than applicant number 182? Some tools, such as video interviewing, can personalize the candidate experience by offering an immersive branded environment. Consider how personal it is to log onto a video interview and receive a welcome video from team members and further insights into the position itself. When confronted with the alternative- the in person interview, this is a fun and engaging experience. This is employer branding at work, letting a candidate feel as if they’re a part of the company’s story.
- Reduce time to hire. Part of the uncomfortable parts of the candidate experience is a long time to hire. Candidates want to get hired quickly and to start their dream job. But often, it’s long wait times and silence. The answer is to organize the hiring process efficiently with an applicant tracking system. Applicant tracking systems are more than just organizational tools, though. They’re vehicles for employer branding. The talent acquisition team is able to offer communications about the company and its culture in addition to updates about the hiring process. These can be automated and save the recruiting team time while enhancing the candidate experience.
- Help candidates visualize their role in the company. Employer branding helps companies tell their story in a more meaningful way. This allows candidates to actually visualize themselves in the role. Once they’ve been able to visualize their place in the company, candidates get excited. This excitement creates a fun candidate experience. When was the last time you had a candidate tell you that they had fun in their job search?
Employer branding is always a great idea to market goods and services. But it is also a great idea to improve the candidate experience. These simple tools can encourage candidates to choose one company over another.
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