While our grandparents and parents were content with one job all their lives, having multiple working lives is now almost the norm. Generation Y is more attracted to start-ups than large groups. And the societal and environmental changes of the last 3 years have also shaken up the world of work. The balance of power has reversed and today companies must attract, retain and constantly improve their reputation externally, via social media, to recruit the best, especially young talent. Regardless of the sector of activity or organization, in a context of talent wars, cultivating your "employer brand" has become strategic.
But then, what is the employer brand? How should the company work on it? How can it help you in your recruitment process? Does it serve to recruit better ?
The identity of a company
The word is used for the first time in 90 ', during a conference on management in the United States. It was Didier Pitelet, who then repatriated the notion of “employer brand” to France in 1998. He defined it as: “the synthesis of what the managers of a company decide to share with the entire ecosystem to express their vision, values, positioning, and the sustainable and sociable dimension of their HR policy”.
It can also be defined as the employer brand image or HR marketing, which stems from an organization's human resources management strategy: QVT, place granted to telework, governance, workplace, benefits, training, etc. .
Why work on your employer brand?
Retain your employees
Recruiting new talent also involves managing talent internally. Beyond the ping pong table and the coffee machine, working on fulfillment, well-being at work, on your governance, your managerial practices, development prospects, allows you to retain and retain the best talents who can then identify with your brand image and adhere to it. Moreover, a loyal and satisfied employee will be able to speak positively about his organization outside the structure, which can help attract new employees. Loyalty is important for your employer brand, because your employees are potential ambassadors!
Attract talent
Today candidates are no longer satisfied with a simple job description on a job board to apply. They are attached to other criteria, which will allow them to find meaning in their work in your organization. Your value proposition, your culture must be highlighted in your external communication to attract the best profiles. For example Abajad, the association which accompanies non-French-speaking adults towards employment by giving them language lessons has a clear proposal: “Language at the service of employment”. Its values of humanism, inclusion and solidarity stand out on its site through concrete: videos, photos and testimonials.
Recruit relevant future employees
Attracting workers for your mission, your values, your commitments, your corporate culture, it also gives you more chances to meet the best candidates for you and to come face to face with the profile of your dreams. A well-defined employer brand also serves to facilitate recruitment and helps attract the best employees.
How to evaluate it?
You have worked on your DNA. Your values and your mission are clearly identified. Your internal and external communication strategy is built. How to assess the attractiveness of the company now?
Unsolicited applications
Beyond the job offers that you post, if you receive a high number of unsolicited applications, it is undoubtedly because you have a strong identity and the image of the company that you send back is attractive. Some companies, such as Àlancienne for example, do not even need to find talent, they receive around fifty unsolicited applications per month!
Employee turnover
Be careful, a high turnover can be a sign of chaotic human resources management. And that is not very good for the reputation of the company. You also risk attracting potential candidates who themselves will not stay long.
Internal survey
Are the vision, the mission, the values of the company well integrated by the collaborators? Beyond the annual interview, do they feel listened to? What do they think of the quality of life at work? of the work environment? Are their opinions taken into account? Does governance suit them? There is nothing better for this than to carry out a well-being study sent to your employees every year. This is what makesense does every year thanks to La Fabrique Spinoza.
Candidate surveys
In the context of recruitment, you can also assess the quality of your employer image through the candidate experience during interviews or by surveying new employees who have joined you. Where did you hear about us? What made you want to apply?
How to develop it?
Developing your employer brand not only means making it exist and embodying it internally, but also knowing how to communicate it to attract employees with the right skills.
To find out how to develop your employer brand and where to communicate it,
=> Here is our dedicated article on the subject to attract the ideal candidate!
They have great employer brands!
Alancienne
A delivery platform for local farm products.
On their site and on social networks, they present the producers, their partners in the field. Their values are clearly displayed and explained and their DNA is highlighted with a photo of the team, a group of 4 friends and the story of the creation of the company told in a very authentic way by Paul, the co-founder . Without knowing them, we already feel close to them!
Ma Petite Planète
Its mission is to raise awareness and get as many people as possible to take action for the preservation of the planet. On the company's career page, videos, photos and testimonials report on the company's mission and we also discover all the heads of the team and the reasons why they chose this company.
StaffMeAcademy
StaffMe Academy is a training and guidance organization for young people aged 18 to 30. In videos posted on Youtube and LinkedIn, many learners and companies testify.
Colette
Colette allows intergenerational cohabitation by connecting young people and guests with free rooms to rent. The human dimension is at the heart of the Colette project and it is present in the company's communication through the photo and video testimonials on its site. The company has also launched an activity club to bring its community together!