It’s commonly acknowledged that it can take 20 years to build a reputation and only five minutes to destroy it. Developing an attractive employer brand is no different and it is ultimately Resourcing / Recruitment’s responsibly to ensure this reputation is upheld and strengthened.   

The HR Think Tank Series, a networking platform founded by Oasis HR, collates recent findings on how to avoid damaging your employer brand through internal resourcing, utilising social media, graduate recruitment, conducting assessment centres and enlisting technologies.

Internal Recruitment

In today’s candidate driven market, businesses must work with their internal recruitment functions to directly attract talent and help position their brand as an attractive employer. However if the process is managed poorly and candidates don’t receive a positive experience, internal recruitment can be very detrimental to the employer brand and consequently roles can become harder to fill. 

There are certain steps that recruitment functions can take to improve the exposure of their business and position it as an attractive employer. Firstly, recruitment should endeavour to understand the business in greater depth in order to educate recruitment teams on more effectively positioning the employer. Moreover, Resourcing should work alongside Marketing to firstly understand the internal and external employer brand perception, and secondly to utilise the department’s expertise in order to develop a sustainable strategy.

Many Resourcers often lean on the services of agencies for ease and speed of hiring, without properly weighing up the cost implications. It is therefore essential that Resourcing embraces the concept of referrals as a tool to reduce expenditure. However, should a referral scheme be adopted it needs to be managed with care, to ensure both the referrer and referee receive a positive experience. Generally speaking, the referrer has gone out on a limb to make the referral and this knowledge exchange should be appropriately rewarded. 

Social Media

All too often when something fresh springs onto the business scene, companies put the cart before the horse and begin experimenting before clear strategic direction is adopted. And, due to the ‘instantaneous’ nature of social media, many companies begin to develop a premature online presence in a bid to gain immediate return. This can result in an incomplete corporate presence, stakeholders being neglected, confusion around content, a lack of ownership – all of which will damage the employer brand.

What’s clear is the need to develop social media strategies based on thorough research of the target audience, their associated preferential platforms, the content they want to hear about, and of course how using social media will tie into the company’s overriding business objectives. Identifying your key motivators to network online is essential, whether it be to: strengthen brand perception, identify talent, engage with talent, position yourself as thought-leaders or add value to an audience; these factors will largely influence the channels you use and the content you publish.

Graduate Recruitment

University graduates are in no short supply, so effectively managing the volume of applications is something which needs due consideration. Ultimately, a poor or slow response can damage the employer brand and result in applicants joining competitors. However, this process can be tightened by increasing the minimum entry criteria, setting a series of pre-application killer questions, automating the process online or by introducing situational game screenings. 

Social media has been identified as an effective graduate recruitment tool, however it can be incredibly damaging to the employer brand if not handled carefully. The clear benefit of this channel is the interaction it can stimulate with prospective employees and the real time / personal feeling it can create. Good success has been reported using the company Facebook page to hold live bi-weekly Q&As with graduates to answer questions on the business, how they operate as an employer and the components of the graduate scheme. This tool has proved incredibly effective for driving traffic to employers’ careers site, however it’s essential that when graduates arrive on such a site that it’s functional, designed in alignment to the brand, friendly to use and importantly, mobile ready.

Assessment Centres

Assessment Centres (AC) should be used as a vehicle to positively portray your brand. Therefore, an important element of the process is the relationship you create between your business and potential employees. ACs are a great opportunity to showcase yourself as an employer and persuade candidates that they would be making the right decision, should they choose to work with you. However, when assessing ‘on mass’ many businesses are often in danger of damaging this delicate relationship before it’s begun. Whilst some of the personal experiences associated with one-to-one interviews can be hindered within the AC process, it’s essential to leave candidates feeling positive about your business based on: great efficiency, a fair process, timely response, engaging interactivity and a warm reception from employees (regardless of if it’s their 6th AC that week!).

Recruitment Technologies

With advances in technology, online assessment solutions can act as a great alternative to face-to-face testing / interviewing, in terms of reacting to the fast-paced market environment. Additionally, online assessment can be used for screening applicants before they get to interview stage to reduce the candidate volume of popular roles. With the likes of Skype, e-learning tools and online situational gaming; are we in a position whereby we can recruit more efficiently than ever before? The answer is surely yes, but it’s important to remember that whilst technology can help improve aspects of the recruitment process, it won’t offer a silver bullet solution. Businesses must avoid simply jumping on the band wagon because everyone else is, as using innovative technologies ineffectively and without proper resource dedication can be highly damaging to a brand.