Organisations with a better image have more chances of attracting talent that is aligned with their purpose.
In today’s modern world, stating that image is more important than ever is nothing new. In the work world, one can understand that potential employees try hard to be as attractive as possible for the organisations they want to be part of. However, this is not a one-way street; it is rather a two-way avenue. More and more, organisations are prioritising the concept that was born in the US in the 60s: Employer Branding.
Employer Branding is the image of the organisation as perceived by its customers and suppliers, as well as by its employees and potential candidates. For this reason, the importance of building up and taking care of the company’s image has become a priority for talent management teams. When looking for new talent (and later retaining them), we usually target the best candidates with the objective of working with the human capital that aligns the most with the organisation’s purpose.
Today, before applying for a job opening or showing up for an interview, candidates dedicate time to research about the organisation. Through different reviews, they find comments and opinions from current and former employees, as well as social media posts, and more relevant information. The more available data for an individual, the more chances they’ll have to build their perception about the company. Thus, it is essential to take care of every aspect involved in building the Employer Brand. Looking after the image in order to be attractive to the world helps when carrying out recruiting process to attract the best talent.
According to 2018 Randstad Employer Brand Research, employees want to know that they can count on their organisations to help them to reach their purpose at work, grow professionally and that they will be inspired to achieve their long-term goals. The study also showed that matters such as mission and culture have a leading role when attracting high quality candidates.
A success case of Employer Branding that encourages purpose and employee training is that of Starbucks, with their strategy known as “Employee First.” Thanks to a collaboration agreement between the international coffee chain and Arizona University, some employees are eligible to receive 100% tuition coverage to Arizona State University for online courses. This way, the image each customer starts to build when buying coffee at Starbucks is that, with their purchase, they are helping employees in their education and training.
