Good Brands Attract Good Talent
09.27.18
A few months ago, we wrote about why your brand is your most important marketing asset. With every email you send, campaign you run or website you build, your brand is the unifying voice that tells people who you are and what you believe in. But your brand is also a powerful recruitment tool, one that could get your dream employee in the door–or turn them away at first glance.
The workforce is changing.
Today’s workforce is trending younger than ever, and new generations expect much more from themselves as well as their employers. In the past, you offered a job and people lined up. Job seekers now are a little more selective. They’d rather apply to three companies they really admire than 10 companies that seem just okay.
And nothing sparks admiration like thoughtful, confident branding.
Make new candidates believe in you.
Cohesive branding shows people that you care about your image and are willing to put in the time, money and attention needed to maintain it. No one applies for a job based solely on its description. People will crawl your website, look up your reviews, even stalk your employees on LinkedIn. If they see a disjointed message and design that’s all over the place, they’ll assume the worst about your company and its reputation.
Show employees you care.
For as much as your branding efforts will help bring people to your door, they’ll also keep people from storming out of it. We’ve all seen the articles, “5 Reasons Millennials Need Bean Bag Chairs at Work,” or “Why Nap Pods are Changing Workplaces.” Let’s be clear, no one is arguing against the idea of nap pods–but they aren’t the secret to keeping great talent.
The best employees, the ones you’ll want to keep for as long as possible, want to invest in their company as much as they want their company to invest in them. They want to talk about their workplace proudly and they want to refer it to their friends. And when you create an identity that’s backed by messaging, design and beliefs that resonate with your staff, they’re more motivated to do just that. They’re also more inspired to go the extra mile for you and turn out better work, because they understand the connection they have with your company and your purpose.
It’s so easy to get caught up in how branding benefits your relationship with customers that you may forget how it benefits your current staff and your future hires. But as the competition for top talent increases, caring for your image is the best way to rise above the crowd and attract career seekers, not job hoppers.
