Transcript
Page 1: The Insiders Guide to Employer Branding - 27 Best Practice Insights

27EmployEr BrandingBEst practicE insights

T h e I n s I d e r ’ s G u I d e T o e m p l o y e r B r a n d I n G

By Scott EilBES & KlauS töpfEr

Page 2: The Insiders Guide to Employer Branding - 27 Best Practice Insights

inSightS

thought lEadErS

minutES

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Upsid

e

down

ThaT’s how employer branding looks and feels righT now To Those in hr and markeTing.

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Many of the old tools and strategies for building an authentic, globally relevant employer brand have been discarded, and new ones are taking over. Both the challenges and opportunities have grown almost in tandem, and it’s all happening at break-neck speed.

One thing is clear: employer branding has changed, dramatically. Our Global Best Practice Xchange (BPX) Roundtable on the subject confirmed it. It was 90 minutes of rigorous discussion with eight seasoned professionals leading the way in employer branding innovation for their organizations. They shared their successes, mistakes and thoughts on their plans for the future.

so, if you are wondering if There’s a beTTer, clearer way To lead your organizaTion and pracTice Through This change, This guide is for you.

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to help you demonstrate a global and best practice approach to your employer branding strategy and tactics.

we’ve distilled key insights

topics

277

over

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CONNECT AND STAY CONNECTED

BEYOND COMMAND AND CONTROLBEST-LAID PLANS

B e h o n e s T , I T ’ s n o T a l l r o s e ypUBlish QUality, pUBlish oFtEnpUBlish QUality, pUBlish oFtEn

Be Targeted in your Approach

your brand be what you thinkmay not

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our thought leaders

birger meier

SEnior

managEr of hr

communication

and gloBal

EmployEr

Branding,

BoEhringEr

ingElhEim—

gErmany

Janelle l. hawes

managEr of

univErSity

rEcruiting,

roBErt BoSch

linda linzenbold

managEr of

pErSonnEl

marKEting,

roBErt BoSch

mary fricke

talEnt

rEcruitmEnt

lEadEr,

gE capital

megan rafTery

marKEting

dirEctor,

KElly SErvicES,

inc.

michael kirsTen

dirEctor,

gloBal contEnt

marKEting,

KElly SErvicES,

inc.

naTe buTki

ExEcutivE

vicE prESidEnt,

grEat placE

to WorK

shaunda zilich

rEcruitmEnt

and marKEting

lEadEr,

gE

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your brand be what you thinkmay not

The conversation has changed

Connected, networked and always ‘on’—this is now the norm rather than the exception for much of the professional workforce. Work is no longer what it used to be. And, employee loyalty? What’s that?

The rising influence of social media has altered the way we seek, evaluate and engage in work and the employers that offer it. Naturally, this means the ways in which employer brands are promoted, shared and even deconstructed has evolved too. Finding new tools, strategies and ways to connect are now crucial to success.

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A couple of years ago, marketers were busy

designing nice corporate videos, telling the world

how great their company was and how fantastic it

was to work there. This approach has had its time.

pEoplE arE Starting to Build thEir oWn

picturE to undErStand What companiES

arE rEally aBout inStEad of juSt

accEpting Who thEy Say thEy arE.

Candidates come better prepared and knowing

much more about your company than ever before.

They’re not just looking at your website! You’re still

the owner of the employer brand, but it is shifting

towards what other people say about you—not only

what you say about yourself.

authenticitymichaEl KirStEn,

KElly SErvicES, inc.“

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An employer brand must be accessible. We have a

video channel that delivers what we call ‘corporate

insights’. WE Want to dElivEr a conSiStEnt

EmployEr Brand ExpEriEncE through all

major touch pointS like career websites, our

YouTube channel and Instagram account. By posting

historical pictures from Boehringer Ingelheim on

Instagram we can show (rather than just talk about)

our company’s history.

demonstrate

BirgEr mEiEr,

BoEhringEr ingElhEim

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of human capital professionals believe the talent shortage is

and will continue to do so in the future.

negatively affecting their business now,

75%

2013 confErEncE Board SurvEy

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CONNECT AND STAY CONNECTEDbuild relationships by being useful

Candidates look around for employers. They do their research. To connect with them, businesses must be present in the right places. But, more than this, they must demonstrate why their employer brand is different, relevant and useful.

Start by focusing on what candidates need and want from you— it’s not just about giving them a job. Be helpful in people’s job search and in the development of their careers. Be responsive and look to the bigger, longer-term picture when building connections with potential employees.

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You have to know what people are really looking

for besides basic company information. What is

the audience interested in? Employer branding is

not only about communicating how great we are

and how great it is working for us, but also about

providing the candidate market with information

they really need.

Social mEdia iS a tool to havE a

convErSation, to talK With candidatES,

to undErStand hoW thEy thinK and to

providE information. With this information

you can start to build a conversation, build

engagement and a relationship.

content & conversation

michaEl KirStEn,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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There are a lot of the ways to get information

out there about your company, but it really

depends on talking to people about things

that interest them. it can go aS far aS

to includE cuStomErS and cliEntS

talKing aBout hoW our company

hElpEd thEm With thEir BuSinESS—

that’s of interest to candidates who are

thinking about a career with us.

engagement

mary fricKE,

gE capital

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Do your best to understand what kind

of information candidates really need.

What are their pain points? What is the

buying process for candidates? firSt,

undErStand What you can do

for thEm. Then, be mindful that there’s

a lead-nurturing process to consider, just

as there is in any buying decision.

candidate perspective

mEgan raftEry,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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know whom you’re talking with and why

Employee loyalty isn’t what it used to be. As a result, employers and their brands need to speak directly to passive candidates—those that are not actively seeking new roles, but would move for the right opportunity if it caught their eye.

We know that tenure is now hovering at around the two-year mark, and that it’s likely to be lower for Generation Y (and Z) workers, so the need to build ongoing relationships with passive talent is now non-negotiable.

Be Targeted in your Approach

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The first thing to do is to segment your

audience. Then you can set priorities. thiS

mEanS, undErStanding What Kind of

candidatES you rEally nEEd, WhErE

thEy arE, and hoW you can find thEm.

You need to talk within your organization about

what really has changed and how your candidates

are behaving. You need to build a pool of passive

candidates that you may need in the years to

come. So, it’s important to continually connect

with these candidates and be there over the

medium to long term.

know your audience

michaEl KirStEn,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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In our employer branding efforts we have

eight focus universities that we target.

When we’re on campus we do quite a few

activities that are focused on promoting

our rotational training program. What

WE do iS to actually ShoW Who

BoSch iS, What our valuES arE

and hoW thiS WorKS acroSS

Each of our product linES.

audience focuslinda linzEnBold,

roBErt BoSch

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The big difference that makes your employer brand

successful is how you communicate it. Do you have

a unique selling proposition? When we started, we

looked at our history—where did we come from?

What are our values? What is our big asset that we

can communicate? We’re a family-owned company

with over 125 years of history and this is one major

aspect we use in our employer brand communication.

We have stability. WE valuE partnErShip and

WE’rE hErE today and tomorroW; and

WE undErpin thiS With thE StoriES of our

EmployEES, Which givE thE company a

rEal facE. I think this makes a big difference to

being authentic.

communicate with clarity

BirgEr mEiEr,

BoEhringEr ingElhEim

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When companies are operating in many different

environments WE maKE SurE thEy arE

diffErEntiating thE gloBal corporatE

Brand from thE local or EvEn

rEgional BrandS, and that thEy arE

doing it in a mEaningful Way.

What are the aspects of their culture that are

consistent with being a part of a bigger family,

and what are those things that are specific

regionally? When organizations have a clear

view of what that means to them and how that

matters, it makes a big difference to attracting

the right candidates.

Targeted messagingnatE ButKi,

grEat placE to WorK inStitutE

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empower employees to evangelize from inside

No one knows your organization better than those who work there. This is your employment brand. Empowering employees to speak on your behalf and be the voice of your brand is no longer the risk it once was seen to be. And, it can often be the authentic, on-the-ground view that prospective employees are really seeking.

Finding ways to balance the risk and reward of employees using social media to discuss their work is now central to the employer branding challenge.

BEYOND COMMAND AND CONTROL

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People often get tripped up on the need for a water-

tight social media policy, and they’ll run into internal

concerns that question how much the company should

embrace social media because what happens if people

misuse it? People really get stuck on having a strict or

a rigorous policy when it’s actually the best companies

that do (almost) the opposite. having a high

lEvEl of truSt on thiS ShoWS you truSt

your EmployEES morE gEnErally, and that

SpEaKS to your culturE.

If your company has a need for say IT developers, why

not use your current IT developers to start a blog for

an outside audience about the stuff that IT developers

are interested in? It’s about really using your internal

sources as ambassadors to your brand.

employee trust

michaEl KirStEn,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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Sometimes we lose sight that thE

EmployEr Brand rEally iS oWnEd

By thE EntirE organization.

Even though that partnership between

HR and marketing is so critical, it needs

to be integrated throughout the

entire organization.

holistic approach

mEgan raftEry,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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We find that the absolute best way to show

who Bosch is, is to have our associates really

speak for us. We invite current graduates

to our alumni and ask them to join us on

campus at recruiting fairs, as well as to

classrooms to explain our products and

our culture. WE mEntor and coach

StudEntS, providE caSE StudiES and

invitE thEm hErE to lEarn.

socializing experience

janEllE l. haWES,

roBErt BoSch

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You have to be transparent. As a big company it is

easy to look like a big corporate machine and I think

one of the things that we’ve really tried to do is make

things more personal and human.

Our GE Works campaign is basically testimonials

from our employees about what GE means to them.

It’s more than just a day in the life of. I think it’s really

what GE means to them. thiS iS onE of thE WayS

WE can SEt ourSElvES apart and tEll a

truE and honESt Story aBout gE and not

givE falSE ExpEctationS. Recruiting people

to be your brand ambassadors can be one way to

manage this proactively and have structure.

Transparency & authenticity

Shaunda zilich,

gE

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The best companies are very clear about

who they are and what they represent.

They’re authentic and true, and they use

their people to help represent what that

is. from day onE thEy’rE Building

truSt With thEir EmployEES.

clear vision

natE ButKi,

grEat placE to WorK inStitutE

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hr and marketing must align

A good strategy, backed up by an actionable tactical plan that’s implemented with discipline is what great employer branding is made of. Yet, too often, companies hold all their cards until they formally employ a candidate. This is when they reveal the true workings of their organization—and this is precisely the opposite of what candidates now want, need and expect.

So, how do you get off on the right foot with the talent you’re seeking?

Developing strong links between HR and Marketing so that the organization speaks with one voice, and as one, clearly differentiated brand across the entire globe, is the aim.

BEST-LAID PLANS

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You really need to look at your internal resources.

You need to understand the capabilities of your

recruiters—are they really social media savvy? Do

they understand how to work within social media,

how to talk to candidates using these tools, how to

be in constant, ongoing conversation with them?

I’d encourage HR and marketing to work much

closer together on employer branding. hr can

undErStand What marKEting doES

and marKEting can adviSE hr on hoW

to attract thE right candidatES

using social media and help them produce

compelling content.

engaging conversation

michaEl KirStEn,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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There are two prongs to brand messaging and

talent acquisition. thErE iS thE intErnal

communicationS plan—you nEEd that

foundation WhErE EvEryonE’S on thE

SamE pagE. This is how all of HR is aligned, and

it’s how you reach out to candidates.

The second prong is the 50-thousand-foot view

of brand messaging, which is your external

marketing plan; the ‘one’ global brand that works

to get your name out there.

messaging approachShaunda zilich,

gE

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We have a global employer branding team, which

works closely together. Our colleagues from corporate

communications developed a corporate brand and

we took that and enriched it with employer and HR-

specific elements. So, our EmployEr Brand iS

BaSEd on our corporatE Brand, and WE

try to SpEaK With onE voicE.

We developed different key messages on a high level

and then we adjusted to the local needs. This is crucial

because we compete on the global talent market, but

local markets can still have differences.

Global message with local flavor

BirgEr mEiEr,

BoEhringEr ingElhEim

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A lot of companies cut right to the tactics without first

really understanding how to be true and authentic.

Getting this right is a huge differentiator; it’s what

makes companies either ‘good’ or ‘great’.

WhEn you thinK of thE marKEting tacticS,

KnoW What thE Brand attriButES arE

that you’rE marKEting firSt. thiS iS your

EmployEE culturE. The ones who get this right are

really clear on what their culture is and what it isn’t.

Every brand has amazing things to say to their market,

but the story you’re telling to help people understand

who you are must be believable.

understand to be understood

natE ButKi,

grEat placE to WorK inStitutE

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One of the beautiful benefits of

marketing partnering with HR is using

the marketing strategy template to

think of things (like content) and to

pinpoint What and WhErE thE

targEt audiEncES arE.

strategymEgan raftEry,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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Employees in high-trust environments are three times more likely to talk about their company on social media;

in working for their organization.”

and twice as likely to express pride natE ButKi, 2013

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don’t try to be everything to everybody

People want to be a part of a great workplace. They want to know how to get a foot in the door, and what it takes to be successful and achieve their goals once they’re inside. However, high-performing workplaces aren’t for everyone, nor should they pretend to be. Sometimes, they’re tough places to be because of high expectations and demands from customers, leadership and from shareholders.

Great workplaces do great things, and great things don’t come easily. Tell this story too so candidates know what’s required of them.

B e h o n e s T , I T ’ s n o T a l l r o s e y

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Great workplaces are not country clubs. Sure they

offer great perks and work environments but they

also do amazing work and have people who work

really hard and want to share in creating success.

Companies attract employees who want to

contribute on this level because those companies

are very clear on who they are and what the

value is in working there. not EvEry grEat

WorKplacE or grEat culturE iS grEat

for EvEryBody. But thE BESt KnoW hoW

to attract thoSE Who Will fit.

articulate who you are

natE ButKi,

grEat placE to WorK inStitutE

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Show and tell candidates how they need

you. In recruiting, sometimes we get in the

habit of saying we are X company and this

is who we are. Instead, we need to mold job

descriptions to say “hEy, arE you looKing

for a joB WhErE you can innovatE

all day long? arE you looKing for

challEngES?” Ask those questions. Help

candidates put themselves inside the role and

the company so they know if it is the right fit

for them.

ask questions Shaunda zilich,

gE

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One of our main things in our messaging is

career development as a value proposition;

So WE havE EmployEES talKing aBout

thEir carEEr pathS and hoW thEy

got to WhErE thEy arE, and What

intErESting thingS thEy havE WorKEd

on. This helps identify similar candidates who

value career development and who might be

committed to us for those outcomes.

Talk career development

mary fricKE,

gE capital

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why good content matters

Establishing a proactive branding position for attracting passive talent now requires organizations to have a publishing strategy. It’s no longer just about posting jobs and working networks to get referrals. All organizations must bring the right candidate attention their way.

Content—the fuel to the social media fire—is still a differentiating feature of the best employer brands. It can help organizations to influence, if not entirely control, their employer brand position.

pUBlish QUality, pUBlish oFtEnpUBlish QUality, pUBlish oFtEn

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You have to have a plan. You really can’t let the

public drive their perception of you entirely because

perception is reality. if thEy’rE thE only onES

out thErE talKing aBout your company

thEn that’S What pEoplE arE going to

BEliEvE. So your ‘fans’ own your brand but you can’t

give it over to them. You have to really drive it with

some of your own content. And, you have to walk the

talk. If you’re saying externally what your company is

like, what it’s all about, why it’s so great, you have to

make sure that your own employees believe that and

experience that.

perception is reality

mary fricKE,

gE capital

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Social media is the fire but content is the gas.

Social mEdia doES not WorK Without

contEnt BEcauSE pEoplE uSE Social

mEdia to gEt information. Around 70%

of buying decisions today are already done

without speaking to a sales person because people

inform themselves on the Internet and on social

media. It’s the same for candidates and for the

candidate market.

content driven decisions

michaEl KirStEn,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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We see that the foundation of great content is

really understanding what your culture is. What

makes you different and how do you evolve and

communicate that over time? pEoplE Who arE

WorKing in high-truSt EnvironmEntS

havE SomEthing to talK aBout. When

the organization is really clear about what their

culture is, what those differentiators are, and they

demonstrate trust with those employees on social

media, it has a dividend. Employees can be out

there as representatives, sharing their stories.

content pays dividends

natE ButKi,

grEat placE to WorK inStitutE

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There are different levels of the buying process for job

candidates; and they’re not ready to buy right away in most

cases. So, we look at it like a typical B2B lead-nurturing

process on our candidate side.

We also want to make sure the content we develop gets seen,

so you have to pay attention to SEO and make a concerted

effort to make sure that content gets to the places where

the target candidates hang out. thEy don’t alWayS

hang out on carEEr pagES or in company

Social channElS; But thEy Will SpEnd timE

in thoSE channElS from thEir profESSional

organizationS. So, we get sound bites on search engines,

but we also make sure that content gets shared through

channels where candidates are already hanging out.

Take a strategic approach

mEgan raftEry,

KElly SErvicES, inc.

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The reality is that organizations have to hunt and

fish at the same time. WE talK a lot today

aBout thE Social channElS, But WE

havE to comBinE it With pErSonal

contact and pErSonal connEctionS.

We can’t just throw the information out on that

site or at social media and expect results. We

have to take the initiative to talk to those people

and build the relationship beyond just providing

content or links.

A diversified approach

linda linzEnBold,

roBErt BoSch

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Employer Branding has moved from a focused concept to something that encompasses the entire organization. It is no longer the hierarchy, the leadership team, nor even the HR or Marketing teams that can claim to own or control the brand going forward. Branding is now crowd-sourced and often on a global scale with local influence.

Employer brands are no longer only about the present embodiment of any one particular business, they are a continuum of voices from past, present and future employees who have seen things from the inside.

CONCLUSION:

a holistic going forwardapproach

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if evoluTion is The only successful sTraTegy, employer branding will conTinue To evolve, and iT’s only JusT beginning.

The employer brand has become fluid, responsive and an ever changing conversation between organizations, employees, candidates and the media. The new age of employer branding has created additional challenges and opportunities for HR and Marketing staff, as well as for leadership teams that want and need the best talent for their businesses. By understanding the current environment and trends in employer branding, HR, Marketing and leadership teams can learn to adapt their strategies to influence rather than control, and to guide rather than dictate.

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aBout thE authorS

SCOTT EILBES is a Talent Strategist with the Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group (KellyOCG) where he consults with clients on labor market trends, talent acquisition strategy, thought leadership, workforce analysis, strategic workforce planning and talent acquisition benchmarking and best practices. Scott holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Marian University in Marketing & Management, earned his M.B.A. in Management from The University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and is certified by the Human Capital Institute in Human Capital Strategy and Strategic Workforce Planning.

KLAUS TOEPFER is Director Talent Sourcing EMEA, access KellyOCG. Klaus leads the KellyOCG Talent Sourcing Practice, which designs and delivers project-related support of bespoke recruiting and employer branding activities to attract, hire and retain academic talent through a toolset of innovative products, services and solutions. He is based in Cologne, Germany. Klaus has been working for more than 12 years in the employer branding and HR-marketing business. Before joining KellyOCG, he led the graduate recruitment for Germany, Switzerland and Austria at Booz & Company. Klaus holds a degree in psychology and completed the Young Managers Program at INSEAD.

for more thought leadership go to talentproject.com

aBout KEllyocg

KellyOCG® is the Outsourcing and Consulting Group of workforce solutions provider Kelly Services, Inc. KellyOCG is a global leader in innovative talent management solutions in the areas of Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Contingent Workforce Outsourcing (CWO), including Independent Contractor Solutions, Human Resources Consulting, Career Transition and Executive Coaching, and Executive Search.

KellyOCG was named in the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® 2014 Global Outsourcing 100® list, an annual ranking of the world’s best outsourcing service providers and advisors.

Further information about KellyOCG may be found at kellyocg.com.


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