Every employer brand will have to redefine itself at some point. Sometimes your career page gets outdated or your job copy needs to address talent in a different way. Maybe your recruitment rates are dropping like flies and you’re trying to figure out why. Whatever the reason. If these top 4 indicators sound familiar, then it’s definitely time to refresh:
Be honest: if you covered up your logo on your career site right now, would people still recognize you? If not, it's time to claim your spot with a fresh look and feel. If you don't show people who you are as an employer and why you matter, there's no reason for them to stop and take the time to get to know you and your jobs.
Or maybe, you aren’t getting the right applicants. Either way data doesn’t lie. If you’re struggling to find candidates that you really want to interview, your talent brand might not be connecting. If you aren’t communicating to the right people, it might be time for a rebrand.
It’s no secret – employee referrals are the best source of new hires. Afterall, good people know good people. If you see your referral rates drop, your people might need better toolkits to pick it up again.
Your talent brand is much more than a cool career page in Recruitee. It’s more than sharing your benefits. Or core values. It's about visually and verbally communicating what makes you stand out. It’s a practical set of tools used every day by everyone in your company and one of the most important tools is your pitch. Ask around, if your colleagues are telling different stories, it’s about time to get your communications in order.
Remember, your talent brand is constantly evolving, so try to tell your story in the most honest, simple, and powerful way possible. Your team and future hires will thank you for it!
The cost of hiring is arguably one of the most expensive parts of running your startup. But, just because you have a small budget doesn’t mean you can’t get a lot of bang for your buck. There are plenty of affordable things that can help you attract talent.
Post smarter, not harder.
Advertising your job on job boards is the first step to attracting qualified candidates. Job boards are still the number 1 source of hires for most companies. And they’re free. Let’s repeat that. It’s free. Make sure to post, delete and repost your jobs every 2 weeks on sites like Indeed, LinkedIn and Google for Jobs.
Fan-tastic facebook.
If you have a Facebook or LinkedIn business page you will benefit quickly from their fan-targeted advertising. You pay per click and investments can be capped to suit your individual budget. Some social media platforms even allow you to hyper-target employees who work at your competitors #letsgo
Sharing is caring.
One of the most effective marketing tools in recruitment is social media. Depending on your industry and type of jobs there are a number of channels which can be taken advantage of at zero cost. Let’s keep in mind that 62 percent of job seekers are using social media to engage and consume content about jobs.
Hire us a copywriter
What this means is simple: focus on the message. Who writes your job descriptions? If you read it right now: is your job copy engaging and memorable? Just find a journalism student, content writer or freelance copywriter to build a creative job grid. One job description should cost you about 500 bucks including feedback loops and translations.
Stats don’t lie…. a whopping 56% of startups in Europe overspend on hiring, every year. Some hires come free. Others are disproportionately costly. But, let’s be honest, hiring exceptional employees who add real value to your company is always gonna be expensive. Or is it? One thing is for sure: you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
When I was a kid I dreaded the question: what will you be when you grow up. I didn’t know. My brothers didn’t know. We watched cartoons, frolicked outdoors and played video games. That’s it. While everyone else seemed to have an idea. We didn’t. I didn’t. Until that one night in 1987. That night my brothers rented “Top Gun” from our local Blockbuster. After seeing Maverick hit Mach speed I knew right there and then: I’m going to be a fighter pilot.
Two important lessons from the journey that followed. First, Tom Cruise makes every job look cool - I mean really. But, more importantly it showed me that storytelling, done right, has a big impact on others. Stories make you want to move. Make you act. Make you dream about being part of something big. And it’s not just me. Stories are universal, meaning that most of us get the same feeling when watching or reading it. Precisely why Top Gun led to a 500% increase in military recruiting within the first year of its release.
While my personal story took an unexpected turn when I got rejected by the Airforce at 18, I always remembered this seemingly tiny yet powerful lesson. I made this skill my own. Storytelling became my talent and helped me to get where I am today. To get my first promotion. To seal the deal on my first funding. To grow the business to a point where I can use my talent to help others find theirs.
Storytelling is a powerful method to hire faster and stronger. Whatever story you choose to tell, make sure everyone in your team, from top to bottom, knows it and loves it. But if you need help writing that story and creating original recruitment copy we would love to hear from you too.
There’s usually one in every startup crowd. That person who stands out by not being satisfied with doing the bare minimum. Leaders who make bold moves early, even during downturns. Sure, we’re all experiencing supply chain issues, volatile stock markets, strategic layoffs, and hiring slowdowns. But did you know that right now 26% of your current employees are open for a new job? Ouch! So how will you deal with attracting and retaining talent in these unpredictable times?
It’s worth taking a step back. The downturn will have different outcomes across sectors in terms of duration and intensity. But, acquiring new talent is costly. Some say it’s even 6 times the cost of keeping talent you already have. Whatever you believe about the cost of churn, you don’t want to lose those who you need most, especially now. So think beyond meetings and have open, transparent conversations with your top-performers. Build a brand they are proud to be part of. Can you slow down new hires? Yes, but it’s good to keep your skin in the game to replace critical roles and be ready when the time comes to start scaling again.
1. Improve your employer story and core message
2. Prioritize career site improvements
3. Build your recruitment dashboards
4. Create engaging content
5. Experiment with new tactics
6. Run small low budget campaigns
A leadership role can be over-consuming, lonely, and stressful. Ask a random scaling veteran or CEO what the key to their success is and you’ll most likely get an answer that echoes Steve Jobs's quest to always hire the right people for the right job. In almost every organization, success depends on a small core of people who deliver outsize value. Sure, you can lean back like your competitors but this could also be your moment to do something great. This might be that once in a decade moment to add extraordinary talent to your team. Talent you’ve always dreamed of.
1. Reinvent recruitment: make talent as important as strategy and finance
2. Reframe what winning means and identify positions that add value
3. Use your team to methodically identify your top- and under performers
4. Act with confidence and quickly let go of lesser performers
5. Hyper-target your dream candidates
6. Increase your visibility as an employer
Ready to talk about how your employer brand can work for your business? Even during downturns? Let’s talk.