Employment Branding is Important

I am a big proponent of importance of a strong employment brand in recruiting so Ken Horst’s post “Employment Branding –  Your Agency’s Big Lie” on RecruitingBlogs.com struck a chord with me.  Ken states that agencies can’t build employment brands with ads, and unless you are listed on Fortune’s “Best Places to Work” your money is better spent on lottery tickets.

Ken is absolutely right about the fact that a company’s employment brand is determined by your target audience and not by your ad agency.  No slick ad campaign is going to deliver the personal preference required to build a brand. Right now, your company culture is being discussed, debated and shaped actively in social media communities all over the web.

Social media has made it easy for people to tap their vast online networks to discuss company cultures and career opportunities.  This is a world of “digital discoverability” where your Google results are your reality. Candidates are reading blogs mentioning your brand on Google, following your employees on Twitter, and reading company discussion forums on sites like Indeed and Glassdoor before they take your call or click “Apply Now” on your site or on a job board.

Ken states the first responsibility of a talent acquisition leader is to “make it easy for your recruiters to find and hire quality candidates”.  I’d argue that making it easy for your ideal candidates to find you in their communities online is just as important.  In this ERE article on the top recruiting trends for 2009, John Sullivan said “Nothing is hotter around the globe in recruiting than employment branding.” “Key focus areas include increasing media coverage, increasing visibility online, building your “green” brand, and countering negative perceptions.”

For a glimpse into our point of view on the impact of social media on talent acquisition, check out the recent presentation we delivered at our SHRM Staffing Conference workshop.