UK 
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As the job market continues to go from strength to strength, there’s more noise in the industry than ever before; great news for job hunters, but potentially problematic for businesses. As the talent war rages on and employers continue to fight over the same talent, the need for a strong employer brand continues to increase.
To uncover how job hunters feel about employer branding and to ascertain what’s most important to them, CV-Library surveyed over 3,000 of its candidates, revealing that over half (58.1%) of UK professionals consider an employer’s brand to be important to them when searching for a new job.
Furthermore, it seems that companies with a strong brand are being favoured by today’s candidates; 70.8% of professionals would choose the company with a ‘good’ brand when faced with a decision, while almost two-thirds (66.4%) would prefer to apply to a company they’d heard of before (over one they haven’t), suggesting investing in their employer brand should be a top priority for the UK’s businesses. So what steps can be taken strengthen an employer brand? CV-Library explains…
Build your online presence
Job hunters are more likely to trust a company with a strong online presence; in fact, CV-Library’s latest research reveals that almost two-fifths of the UK’s professionals place a high importance on a business’s social media presence alone. Essentially, if your company isn’t easy to find online, it’s going to struggle to attract talented candidates.
Furthermore, businesses should consider using tools such as Company Profiles; these are useful for giving job hunters an insight into working life at your organisation, which can ultimately improve your application and retention rates. Furthermore, creating a Careers Area on the company’s website is another way to share information about your business and highlight why it’s great to work there. And if you do implement a page like this, you might consider sharing testimonials from current and previous employees; job hunters will be more likely to trust what they’re hearing if it’s coming from someone who could be their colleague.
Tap into the digital generation
With technology leading the way in the recruitment industry, it’s important to embrace the latest tools and innovations, and tap into the digital generation. Speaking directly to job hunters is crucial, and a powerful way to do so is through careers videos. A digital insight is key in engaging applicants, and is an ideal way to strengthen your employer brand. Offering a direct look-in to the company, its values, working life there and the people behind the brand is essential, as this engagement is often what gets candidates excited about working at a company.
And as the millennial generation is primed to take over workplaces across the country, boosting your employer brand and implementing a recruitment strategy that speaks directly to these job hunters is well worth the effort.
Use targeted eShot campaigns
Making use of targeted eShot campaigns is a great way to pinpoint your audience; this is an effective way of speaking to specific candidates with job roles suited to their skills and experiences. Campaigns of this nature also provide a platform for a company to showcase itself, in addition to showing job hunters why they should come on board.
What’s more, CV-Library offers ‘company profile eShots’ where you can introduce your organisation and promote your brand. So if your company offers great workplace perks and staff benefits, make sure you shout about it! By showcasing the businesses strengths, and highlighting how well a company treats its employees, you'll be building your employer brand up. Candidates want to feel valued by their employer, so if your company is great to work for, make sure you brag about it.
In today’s job market, you have to be prepared to fight for the best talent, and the importance of a strong employer brand shouldn’t be underestimated. Attractive, reputable businesses are the ones who will draw in the best talent, and by working to ensure that your employer brand speaks directly to these job hunters, you’ll stand yourself in good stead to secure and retain the best recruits.
