The Cyclical Nature of Employer Branding, an Intern Story
A couple years ago, I was conducting an interview for a development intern, along with two other managers. We were in the midst of discussing the position and company culture. As I was mid-sentence, I began to hear a buzzing coming from outside the glass door behind me. I paused for a moment to consider the source of the noise and whether it posed a threat. As I paused, I noticed the prospective intern raise his line of sight about 2 feet above my head with a look of confusion.
I whipped around ready to take down whatever workplace ninja was behind me (because who else would sneak up on an interview). As I did so I discovered a toy helicopter floating just outside the door and then watched it slowly fly away.
As I turned back to my meeting companions, I saw a collective look of uncertainty on their faces. I believe they weren’t sure how to react at that moment. I giggled, and informed the candidate that flying helicopters were, indeed, a potential hazard of the job…and yes, that is who we are as a company.
I was glad for the appearance of that helicopter at that juncture. To me, that little toy helicopter was indicative of the employer brand I had hoped to create. No, our employer brand wasn’t “you get to play with toys all day”, but it was one of innovation, collaboration, and FUN. And the arrival of that helicopter proved we were living our brand.
When many business leaders are approached with the notion of designing an employer brand, the usual reply is “What do you mean? We already have a brand.” Here I will clarify what employer branding is (and is not) and some key considerations in regard to this process.
What Employer Branding Isn’t
Corporate Branding
Employer branding is connected to the corporate brand but is defined as something completely different. Think of it like a doctor with a good bedside manner. The MD behind her name indicates she is qualified to offer physician services, and sure, she’s good at what she does. But what keeps her waiting room full of patients and her staff loyal? It’s her team’s relentless pursuit of compassion and caring. Doctor’s offices don’t all have that kindness, but hers does. That is her employer brand.
Our intern (from now on known as Helicopter Intern) didn’t initially apply to the company because he was passionate about the industry we served. He applied because he heard we used the latest technology (super important to tech students) and was an overall fun place to work.
What Employer Branding Is
A Value Proposition
Picture two companies directly across the street from one another. Both have the same open positions and pay the same rate. They face the challenge of promoting their own company as the “employer of choice”.
If Company A figures out what value they have to offer over Company B, they win. They get the right candidates at the right time and Company B is left with the “B Team”. Company A has developed and embraced their employer brand to gain a competitive edge in the talent acquisition game.
Helicopter Intern could have chosen another company to spend his summer with because it paid more, but he was looking for a certain set of values over price.
Core Values
The core values established by a company set the stage for the employer brand. This is not an activity to be taken lightly or created quickly by one person. Core values should not be hollow words taken from cheesy inspirational posters, rather they should be an intentional documentation of the qualities and standards for which a company, and its people, operate on a daily basis to achieve the company mission/vision. They should be a guiding source of reference and aspiration employees can connect and identify with.
Sure, you can chant your core values in every morning meeting, or make your team memorize them for pop quizzes (gross BTW), but wouldn’t it be great if your team simply embraced the meaning behind them and lived to those core values organically every day?
The Candidate Experience
Walk in the shoes of a candidate navigating your recruitment process. What is that experience like? Is it enjoyable? Are they excited at the possibility to work there? The candidate experience is a reflection on what it may be like to work for your company.
If Helicopter Intern expected a quiet place to work, he may have viewed a flying helicopter as a distraction and elected to go elsewhere. In this case, the Intern was excited about the prospect of working for a company that embraced freedom of activity while still focusing on high performance.
The Employee Experience
Employee referrals are key for hiring to your cultural fit. Now walk in the shoes of an employee, are they excited about coming to work? Why or why not? Employer branding is the story your employees are telling their friends.
At the end of the summer, Helicopter Intern wrote an article for the company blog. The article outlined not only what technical skills he learned during his time with us, but also of the overall experience of spending the summer with our company. Helicopter Intern then returned to school, where he promptly told all his classmates how cool his summer internship was. He was evangelizing our employer brand.
Employer Branding Considerations
Be Honest
Don’t lie. Be genuine. It’s okay if you’re not a fit for everyone, and it will save you a lot of heartache in the end. Some people may actually enjoy your cubicle-ridden life while others may strive to be outside in the elements all day. It’s important to address your reality, even if the reality you’re proposing is “This will make a great starter home for your growing career”. And what if you don’t like your reality? Change it.
Careers Page
The design and feel of your careers page should reflect your employer brand. It should give a sense of what it’s really like to be an employee at your company.
Items to consider including on your careers page:
Company values - (not your mission and vision, but what drives the everyday operations of your company).
Cultural video – Don’t have the budget for a videographer or professional video? That’s okay! Because let’s face it, who are you going to trust more? A highly edited video of a sales rep in makeup in front of a green screen reading off a queue-card or a smartphone video of a camera-shy customer service rep sitting at her messy desk, talking about her “day in the life of…”. I’m going with messy desk lady.
Job Descriptions
Are your job descriptions a snooze fest? Or are they fresh, honest and communicate in a language similar to the way your employees communicate? By utilizing a focus on your employer brand, you can give job descriptions a spin from the norm, and something the right candidate can relate to.
The Recruitment process
The application process should be as simple as possible. I’m going to say this again for emphasis.
The application process should be as simple as possible.
According to SHRM, 60 percent of job seekers quit in the middle of filling out a job application because of length or complexity.
This is probably when some of you will say “yes, but it weeds out the candidates who aren’t serious about your company”. And then I say “bull”. It’s weeding out the candidates who are well qualified and have better options than spending an hour completing a copy/paste job from their already beautifully crafted resumes.
Some employers must require certain information at the time of application, or need to communicate certain information, and that’s okay. The point is to make the application process as easy as possible.
Questions to ask yourself when posting a job:
Is the information asked for at the time of application necessary?
You don’t need their social security number if you’re not at the stage of running a background check. With all the recent concerns about online security, a candidate who was only 50/50 on applying will jump ship quickly if they are asked to provide sensitive data before even speaking with someone.
Is the job posting in keeping with our employer brand?
Is the message conveyed different than that of our workplace?
Is your recruitment platform or applicant tracking system helping or hindering?
I challenge everyone in a hiring role to go through the entire process of applying for a position at your company. Reflect on that experience and ask yourself, would I feel good about the process I just went through as an applicant?
Total Rewards (Benefits and Perks)
Don’t chase the shiny penny. What benefits are important to your team? The top items job seekers tend to look for are; flexibility, work/life balance, competitive wages, and benefits… generally in that order. This may not be the case for your company though. What are the things that matter most to your team (or your dream team), in a job right now?
Employee Handbook and Other Company Documents
This is not a cut and paste activity. Employee documents should be living documents that reflect the brand and values of a company. If you truly don’t care if employees wear shirts with writing on them, then take it out of the policy. Does the handbook read like an attorney wrote it? Hmmm, it’s probably not reflective of employer brand then.
Walk the walk
You consider yourself the ‘Employer of Choice’, but for whom?
Employer branding it is not a one-size fit all. There may even be a different “sub-brand” for different areas of the business.
As companies walk through their business lifecycle the employer brand will walk through a lifecycle as well. Who you are today is not who you will be tomorrow. Neither should your employer brand. It is not a one-time discussion or overhaul, it is a way of operating and marketing your company with intention.
The following spring after Helicopter Intern left, I received an email from a student at our former intern’s school. Her email expressed an interest in joining our company for the summer, based on what she had learned from her classmate. She was genuinely excited to join the team. I paused before sending a response email and contemplated…who were we last summer and how are we different today?
I made an internal note, and responded; “Hi! I’m so glad you got a chance to get to know us! I would love to re-introduce you to our company and who we are. Let’s talk.”
