‘Employer’ + ‘branding’ have become buzzwords amidst the recruiting community in any industry these days – if there is a talent shortage and high competition among companies, employer branding strategy and activities within talent acquisition teams needs to be a top priority. But there is one step that is critical to a successful employer branding campaign, and it is usually the one that businesses severely FAIL at.
First, let’s walk through a few of the necessary ingredients to employer recruiting in the defense industry.
- Develop a clearly defined employer branding strategy.
- Create an inviting careers page.
- Use social media platforms to share employee testimonials or hiring success stories.
- Manage company review sites and encourage your employees to share a review for potential candidates to see.
- Manage advanced profiles on career marketplaces like ClearanceJobs.
- Create fun (and not boring) job descriptions.
- Invest in the candidate experience for the application process to set a good impression.
- Participate in career fairs / networking events, but also speaking engagements to attract passive candidates.
***Don’t forget about diversity, equity, and inclusion along with refining as you go. Things change, people change, candidates change, as do companies.
WHERE COMPANIES FAIL
Getting employees involved in employee branding is where it is tough for companies to get traction. Whether they don’t have a presence on social media, feel awkward being vulnerable in a digital space, or are convinced they just don’t have the time to get involved, not having a village behind you promoting the brand that you’ve created makes the entire strategy null and void.
Make posting easy for your employees, come up with curated posts or set aside time for 30 minutes to create a ‘Why I Love My Team’ video with them. Show them examples of successful posts and remind them of how important this type of recruitment marketing is essential to filling openings on their teams.
When candidates are researching companies, they are seeking more than your corporate messaging. Of course recruiters are going to talk about how great the team is to get a candidate on board – what they need to hear is more from the actual team members.
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