Yesterday, in the first of a five-part series of articles on employer branding, we outlined the basic thinking and value behind having a strong employer brand, and shared a number of strategies that are part of any effective thinking for any employer brand campaign, whether building a new one or improving an old one.
Now here are a dozen examples of companies that illustrate good employer branding better than anyone else could, as they have all perfected the art and science involved, each in their own distinctive way. These companies are doing it right: they’re offering both existing employees and potential candidates much more than simply work. They’re offering rich experiences that could change someone’s life for the better.
Google – Google may have the most attractive employer brand in the U.S. There’s a movie from a few years ago called “The Internship” where Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn enroll as interns at Google and struggle to compete. That’s what they mean when they say “strong employer brand”: when the environment of a company is so well-known that they can base a mainstream comedy around It, you have achieved the rare distinction of presenting employment opportunities some might think of as a vacation or a further stretch of university education – including three good meals a day.
Starbucks– Seattle’s coffee giant maintains fantastic, best-in-class social media accounts for the means of promoting their employer brand, including a full playlist on YouTube of nothing but real-life employee stories. Starbucks’ passionate stance on diversity and inclusion – with a focus on the LGBT community – has gotten them a strong, earned reputation as a humane and forward-thinking organization.
Cisco– This company also has an impassioned internet presence, encouraging job candidates to stay tuned in to the conversations surrounding the #WeAreCisco hashtag. Through that medium, candidates see stories and photos from Cisco employees that ring authentically as being representative of the company’s culture. As far as social action, Cisco recently dedicated an enormous amount of money ($50 million) to address the issue of homeless in Santa Clara, near the company’s home base of San Jose.
PwC– “At PwC every career is different. That’s why we help you design your own. At PwC you will have personal ownership of your career path.” That’s part of the text on PwC’s careers site. The page is chock full of uplifting examples of applicable employee stories, as well as photos, bios, and career timelines. Interested applicants can get a strong sense of how PwC will help with – and deeply cares – about employees’ professional development.
SAP– This company was a heavy winner at the 2019 Employer Brand Management Awards, winning or placing in five categories and a making noise as a serious contender in many others. The company has a strong focus on being one’s own whole self at work, and one of the company mottos reads “Bring Everything You Are, Become Everything You Want.” SAP is also very committed to encountering young talent at the university level, and that’s another pillar of strong employer brand efforts.
Apple– Apple offers employees a truly astounding suite of terrific perks, but special notice has to be paid to their parental leave policy and certain related benefits. Women who work for Apple and are expecting are given a notably generous 18 weeks of paid leave, with four weeks of that coming before the birth. Other non-birth parents, including fathers, can count on six weeks of paid leave. And for employees who aren’t due for parenthood yet, the company also offers egg-freezing. This is a majorly compassionate package regarding childbirth, and a clear sign to jobseekers that the company understands that some events in our personal lives will always come before work.
Hubspot– Hubspot nearly beams with justifiable pride about its employer brand. The company is famous for the way it is run and the way it treats employees with dignity, inclusiveness, and autonomy while remaining incredibly supportive. And Hubspot is the full package, offering substantial benefits along the lines of a retirement savings matching program and unlimited vacations. They also have a strong commitment to continuing education, and they provide a substantial yearly benefit to employees who are taking external classes. Hubspot’s employer brand proves that simply being a good company that treats its employees genuinely well is most of the battle when it comes to employer brand.
Shopify – The headline on Shopify’s careers page right now is a beautiful expression of the idea at the heart of employer brand: “We’ve read a lot of cover letters over the years. Now it’s your turn. We’re applying to you.” The company’s commitment to being upfront about its mission (“Changing the face of retail”) is very attractive to jobseekers who may be very attuned to companies who only talk the talk when it comes to values. The company is so mission-forward that the focus also serves to weed out candidates who don’t have much personal interest in the mission or don’t have much personally to offer in that regard.
Salesforce – Present on every informed list of the best employer brands is Salesforce. They also have a strong method for courting young talent, and the internal blog post that currently sits greeting visitors to their website touts “5 Reasons Salesforce is a Great Place to Work for Generation Z.” Among the points cited are the company’s transparency & feedback, their sense of purpose, opportunities for career growth, healthy work-life balance, and strong flexibility and mobility. These are, indeed, exactly the things Gen Z has made it known that they are looking for in an early career, and companies likes Salesforce that advertise how important those things are to their culture are way ahead of the curve.
The Home Depot– This well-beloved company starts candidates off on the best foot by offering an attractively simplified hiring process. In 2017, The Home Depot began using a new tool for mobile devices that allowed interested job candidates to choose their own in-person interview appointments. The process covered 80,000 open positions. This is another example of a terrific first impression a company can give to candidates: if they’re this good about making hiring easy, candidates may think, that same sense of thoughtfulness has a good chance of extending throughout the entire company.
Netflix– “A great workplace combines exceptional colleagues and hard problems.” That’s the first thing you see on Netflix’s career page, and a truer distillation of what exactly makes a great workplace would be to find. And right away, jobseekers are struck by that clarity. This is the definition of strong employer brand messaging, implying a deeply satisfying experience that goes far beyond what we can cram into words like “job,” “work,” or even “career.” The company’s career page is exemplary in its richness and clarity, especially in terms of outlining benefits and opportunities for professional development.
Zappos– Via their @insidezappos and @zapposculture handles, this company has nearly optimized the way social media can be used to influence outsiders about what life inside the company is like. Zappos is very good at being clear about its commitment towards giving back to communities. A company really does need an identity beyond being just an engine for its own financial success. The youngest talent are burdened with quite a lot of conscience, and that’s a good thing, but it means an organization has to be in it for reasons that can appeal to the heart as well as the head – since every candidate has both.
We’re not going to factor ourselves into these pieces, but if you’d like to learn more about us please visit Comparably to learn more about the company and the tools we offer.
This article is the second part of a 5-part series on employer branding. The other parts of the series are here: i: The Basics of Employer Brand Strategy II: 12 Examples of Great Employer Brands III: The Best Employer Branding Software Solutions. IV: New Employer Brand Ideas V: Employer Brand Vs. Recruitment Marketing
