It’s truly a job seeker’s market right now! People are quitting their jobs today or voluntarily separating now more than ever. Turnover is on the rise, and compensation is increasing as the job market tightens and companies need to compete for the best talent.
That means employers need strategies, and we have just the thing. Employers must refine their branding in order to attract and retain the best talent. That is just one change brands must address to meet their staffing needs. In the future, there are more to come.
So what does the future of employer branding look like? Here are some of our predictions.
Candidate-Centered Recruiting Processes
Until very recently, the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring process has been designed for the benefit and convenience of the employer. The role of the candidate was generally to:
- Submit their resume
- Wait to be called (if the employer’s interested)
- Attend an interview focused on the employer’s needs and expectations
- Wait again for a hiring decision
This fully employer-centered approach could be disheartening for candidates who might spend weeks or months waiting for a response to their application or sit for an interview only to be “ghosted.”
Now, expectations are shifting. Job candidates are demanding more control and involvement in the hiring process. They are also taking advantage of opportunities to share their opinions about their candidate experiences through employer review sites and their own social media pages.
In order to adjust to this and maintain a positive employer brand, companies are reconstructing the hiring process. Many companies are creating applicant portals where job seekers can log in to see where they are in the process, engage with hiring managers, and learn more about the company culture and work environment they are considering.
Employer Branding on Social Media
Social media has always been a natural choice for consumer branding. However, using it as a recruiting tool is relatively new. Additionally, many companies have even limited that to the occasional hiring post or employee engagement content share.
In the future, employment marketing is going to team up with social media marketing and look like this:
- Companies using a variety of platforms for employer branding
- Increased use of employee advocates as a recruiting tool
- Creation of dedicated channels for recruiting and hiring
- Social media content that focuses on company culture
Currently, social media is often used to supplement recruiting and employer branding efforts. In the future, it’s likely to be the centerpiece of this.
This change is a long time in coming but will definitely benefit companies that invest in social media recruiting marketing. Most job candidates use social media to learn more about an organization’s work culture, benefits, and employee experience.
Focus on the Employee Journey
In the future, employer branding will involve the entirety of the candidate’s journey through the recruiting and hiring process. Smart hiring managers, HR staff, and even marketing teams will examine every touchpoint to see how they can improve or better communicate their employee value proposition.
Additionally, every point of contact through the process is an opportunity to engage, educate, and entice potential candidates. Businesses may even engage in candidate journey mapping to better understand what each potential employee experiences as they progress through learning about a job opening, researching the company, applying for a job, interviewing, and waiting for a hiring decision. That will help them to identify pain points and opportunities throughout the process.
Consumer and Employer Branding Intersection
This is simple but really revolutionary. Consumers care about the way that companies treat their employees. They are becoming less and less likely to spend their money on products and services created by companies that don’t pay fair wages or offer a safe and supportive work environment. Likewise, candidates are also interested in working with companies that produce quality products, stand by their guarantees, and provide excellent customer service.
Because of this, employer and consumer branding efforts no longer exist in entirely different spheres. Each one impacts the other.
There’s even more to this. Consumer branding isn’t new. That’s why the marketing department at most organizations has the talent in place to create and execute campaigns, create engaging content, and use a range of marketing and social media tools. In order to succeed at their own branding efforts, HR teams are combining efforts with marketing teams to execute employer branding efforts successfully.
Data-Informed Employer Branding
More companies will increase their use of data to create recruiting and hiring efforts that are better personalized for each candidate’s needs. In addition to gathering the data to build in this level of customization, brands will use a range of technologies such as AI to analyze and gain important insights into the data they receive.
With the right combination of tools and data, companies will gain insights into candidate and employee sentiment. They’ll also be able to compare differences in compensation and analyze factors such as company culture or salary.
Heightened Trend and Brand Awareness
It isn’t enough for employers to be aware of upcoming trends and changes in employer branding. Companies also need to pay close attention to how their current branding campaigns are working for them. A strong employer brand helps you attract recruits and build a better talent pool.
Companies with good brand awareness will see that it’s easier to find candidates and form solid connections with them. Then, they can pivot to adopt the changes that will truly improve their ability to communicate their value to the talent they need.
