Why Incorporating Employer Branding Into Your Recruiting Strategy is a Smart Move

Incorporating Employer Branding Into Your Recruiting Strategy 

Your company brand is a prized asset that takes a tremendous amount of time, resources and goodwill to develop. And your brand can go a long way on its own to tell your story – how innovative you are, what your priorities are, and how you’re fit to lead your market. For recruiters, the brand is a pre-built tool just waiting to be tapped and incorporated into recruiting activities.

Good recruiters know that as an employer, you’re more than just a provider of jobs. You’re an enabler of careers and a home for like-minded people to dedicate their days toward a common goal. This “employer brand,” similar to the company brand but re-invented for the recruiting profession, must be thoughtfully crafted and well-executed as you attempt to scale and raise the value of your recruiting operation.

Here are a few ideas to keep top of mind as you forge your employer brand into something candidates will recognize and admire.

Brand Is More than Spin

As a recruiter, it can be all too easy to pitch the buzzwords that show what a great company you are: we’re a market leader; we work hard and play hard; we always work as a team; we care about career development. But without support and authenticity, these empty statements can work against you. Employer brand should reflect your company values and what makes your company different from everyone else out there. Maybe it’s the strength of your technology infrastructure, the interesting problems you are trying to solve, how your employees are valued, or your company’s mission. The strong components of your company brand should be embedded into every aspect of your employer brand – from job descriptions and social posts to candidate communications and conversations – to put your best foot forward from the get-go.  

Help Candidates Self-select In or Out

Transparency and authenticity go a long way towards helping candidates make the critical decision to consider working at your company. When they see your brand, vision, employees, and work environment as they really are, they are armed with the insight to determine for themselves if it’s a good fit. Your ultimate goal is to attract like-minded candidates who will fit with your business and culture, so you have more to gain by being authentic with your brand and not selling them a false bill of goods. In other words, your brand is your first step in the candidate experience. When it’s done right, it helps you and your candidates make the right decision to remain in your pipeline or not.

Employees Are Your Best Assets for Recruiting

Let’s face it, not every company has a brand with the kind of cache that just sells itself. But every company has one asset that can really elevate the employer brand, and that’s your existing workforce. Top recruiters these days are taking a cue from their digital marketing counterparts and using social media to help create and propagate the brand. Employee testimonials posted on your social media or recruiting pages can be invaluable for candidates trying to narrow down their options. Showcasing top employees and the interesting projects they’ve worked on, portraying a “day in the life” on the job for your developers, or just featuring happy employees in the lunchroom can put the human touch on an otherwise stressful and competitive hiring process. Your people are a direct reflection of your employer brand.  

Extend Brand to the Candidate Experience

Your employer brand is a means to an important end. In the tech world, candidates are looking for that value-add: not just the right salary and functional tasks but a sense of belonging to a strong team. Start by establishing an employer brand that reflects the great elements of your company brand, and extend that to the candidate experience, where transparency and an accurate picture of what your company is really like can be the solution to turning candidates into new hires. It’s a recruiter’s responsibility to use these tools to make high-quality hires.

Take Action with Employer Branding

To learn more about how you can boost your employer brand throughout the hiring process, check out our webinar recording here. In addition, check out how companies like Chase, Bark, and Wayfair co-hosted events through Hired to increase brand recognition as tech employers.

Originally published in 2018, this blog was updated April 17, 2023.