Do you have an employer branding strategy and are you prepared for disruption?
You can’t turn your head these days without coming across the word disruption. It represents the radical changes occurring in many industries as new business paradigms, usually facilitated by digitalisation, reinventing the rules and overturning the incumbents. This again gives customers what they were missing. We’ve witnessed it in publishing, music, transport, and payment and its set to continue.
Disruption has become a growing concern amongst leaders, not simply in terms of how it affects their business model, but also how it will affect their staff and the skills they need to compete. If you thought the war for talent was tough before, buckle up, disruption is going to have a profound effect on the type of people you hire in future and the way you attract them.
The demand for talent
Change is happening as we speak. For instance, students studying specialist skills (usually in design, consulting, or technology), are increasingly being sought out in their first year of study by companies eager to get first pick of the talent. Arguably a gamble for any employer, but such is the pressure to meet forthcoming business opportunities where the right skills are business critical.
Baptised in disruption
Graduates trained in new skills have grown up in the throes of a recession. Benefits that previous generations took for granted such as property, security, and pensions aren’t available to them, making them more mobile. And because they are web natives, they quickly embrace and discard technology as it suits them. This generation, the millennial has been baptised in disruption, they are comfortable with uncertainty, and seek employers who can enrich their lives with a greater purpose beyond earning money.
Repurposing experience
Some employees can’t cope with change and have to make the decision to move on or have it forced upon them. Conversely, there are always those who are invaluable to a company, who with new training or a reframing of their role can continue to be key players. Many 50-60-year-olds are rethinking their retirement plans as the prospect of living longer becomes a reality. These people have the wisdom and experience that is only acquired in the school of life and can be a valuable resource to capitalise upon.
The shape of jobs to come
There are roles that haven’t been invented yet that will at first seem exotic, such as the Web Programmer did in the nineties. Five years ago roles like Cloud Consultant or Content Strategist would have been inconceivable. Blockchain, Virtual Reality, and 3D Printing are technologies that will give rise to new roles across many industries. And skills such as sociology and storytelling will be needed to humanise ever more data driven services.
How employer branding helps
These emerging business conditions are forcing employers to rethink recruitment, and consequently, employer branding is establishing itself as a best practice to ensure businesses are ready for an unpredictable future. These are some of the benefits that can be achieved:
Employees are guided towards behaving in a way that benefits the business and creates a learning culture.
People looking to change jobs are aware of you and more likely to apply.
Potential candidates for the future have you on their radar and connections can be made in advance.
Employers filter out unsuitable prospects and target the best candidates.
Long-term, the company develops a connection with the market, making recruitment more effective, saving time and money.
These benefits, combined with the added influence of disruption, means that employer branding is evolving beyond the remit of Human Resources, to become a shared challenge between HR, Marketing, and Senior Leaders. So how does an employer brand come to life?
Creating a clear understanding
Having a strong sense of self is fundamental to sharpening company culture, and is the corner stone of employer branding. Workshops and research are essential to establish a clear understanding of:
Your value to potential employees
Targeting candidates
Internal challenges
Evaluation of current tactics
Sharpening message and expression
This kind of insight provides the foundation to establish an Employer Value Proposition (EVP). This is a succinct statement that pin points how you create value for potential recruits and existing staff. It should compliment company strategy, be authentic and distinguish you from competitors. With this in place, you have a focal point for what you stand for and what to communicate internally and externally.
Staying connected with strong content
It can be impossible to predict when the best talent will become available. This creates a need for continuous efforts to make the company attractive and relevant. Good employer profiles always look for content and stories that show the business in the best possible light. Profiles of successful employees who have advanced convey a clear picture of what it takes to succeed. Stories about new successful deals or community involvement will always help to present a more rounded business culture, with progress and a broader view of values than pure profit.
Choosing the most effective channels
Employer branding has become multi-channel. Utilising specialist recruitment sites are useful, but not all candidates visit them. Linkedin has been the ‘go to’ social media platform for recruitment with 500 million users. But even they are being challenged by Facebook looking to capitalise on their 1.86 billion daily users to provide recruiters with greater reach. Having a sharper understanding of who you’re talking to and the channels they use, makes for a more engaging employer brand.
In these disruptive times, nobody can claim complete control of their business and its readiness for what lies ahead. But one thing that remains true is that people are a company’s most valuable asset. Any employer that can develop, retain and attract great people will have the intellectual capital to compete far in to the future - this is the essence of contemporary employer branding .
