Why Should I Work For You?
Or Employer Branding to Attract Talent
By Jon Piggins, Executive Recruiter, IT Sales & Marketing
It’s a tough hiring market out there!
Companies are struggling to meet objectives, get products released, win new contracts, and succeed. Hiring is an integral part of any business, but boy can it be time consuming. And with the tech talent unemployment rate is so low, employers need to do a sales and marketing job on candidates in order to attract and enlist them.
Whether hiring needs are immediate, or a company is trying to build its talent pipeline, it is always the right time to be thinking about your Employer Brand.
To get started building and communicating your Employer Brand, think about the following:
Selling the company.
Candidates don’t know what it is like to work at your company. You’ve got to paint the picture of what their work life will be like if they were to join your firm. Answer these questions: What makes it unique to work there? What is the profile of the employees who work there? What is the company culture all about? Have there been famous employees or ground breaking technologies?
What is in it for an employee?
Is the salary competitive? Does the company offer medical insurance, life insurance, equity, bonuses? Do you have green programs, commuting reimbursement, paid maternity or paternity leave? Is there a policy for taking a sabbatical or transferring between corporate offices?
What are the perks?
A lot of larger companies have a gym, cafeteria, even child care on site. Smaller companies may offer a subsidized gym pass, provide snacks or meals, or tailor their own bennies to something that appeals to the personalities on board. Does the team go out to dinner or drinks together? Are there Hackathons, jam sessions, massages as part of a work-day routine? Can pets come to the office?
Flexibility/ Creativity.
Flextime, virtual offices and the like are an important aspect of work for many folks. For example, Millennials who identify the concept of work/life balance as their top professional value. Some tech companies allow people to write their own job title, does your company have fun quirks? Do you offer continuing education or help employees achieve their goals?
Streamline the Hiring Process.
Many folks, especially those already gainfully employed, don’t want to embark on a long, drawn out interview process. Does your company have a logical and practical process in place that it can articulate to prospective employees? Remember time kills all deals, so know how to move quickly on the right candidates!
Enculturation/Indoctrination.
Are all the employees drinking the Kool Aid? Making people feel welcome and valued is an important part of greasing the wheels. The culture and enthusiasm will shine through if it is there, create it and let it shine. Empower your employees to use social media to inform the world of what a great company you are. Let people know what you believe in as a company.
PR/ Evangelists.
Seek awards and recognition and then get the word out. Become an employer of choice. Take advantage of third party recruiters to proselytize on our behalf. As an independent party who chooses to work with your firm, recruiters can inform and evangelize candidates for you. As independent professionals with a strong working knowledge of your sector, they can also position your career opportunity against competing firms.
Work for Us!
Every company should have a Career page, all prospective candidates will look to it. Does your career page communicate all of the unique and cool things about working for your company? Answer the questions and think about the points above and then infuse your employer brand into your company career page.
As an example, take a look at the Redfish Technology Infographic “Why Work for Redfish Technology”?
About the Author:
Jon Piggins, Executive Recruiter, High Tech Sales & Marketing
Jon is personable, knowledgeable and completely reliable. He has extensive sales and business development experience, in both B2B and B2C. Put Jon’s business insights and acumen to work for you by expediting your talent acquisition and hiring processes.
About Redfish Technology:
Nationwide High Tech Recruiting
Founded in Silicon Valley in 1996, Redfish Technology has been a leading provider of high tech professional and executive talent. Partnering with growth mode companies, small and large, Redfish staffs executive functions and builds out the teams below. The company provides services nationwide and has offices in Silicon Valley, the East Coast, and Sun Valley.