💡 Employer Brand Headlines: The "New Amsterdam" Edition (#131)
Why haven't you hired a poet or comedian?
My mission: move the conversation around employer brand forward.
Employer Brand Headlines, is brought to you by James Ellis.
In this issue…
Poets and comedians
Adding with subtraction
Sharpen your strategy
The big idea
Though officially attributed to the movie Contact, the root idea within “they should have sent a poet” has been an element of space program marketing since its inception, primarily as a means to inject emotion into the act of seeing the universe from a very different perspective.
Behavioral science-er (he wouldn’t call himself a scientist) and marketing genius Rory Sutherland talks about how ad agencies should hire comedians and install them in every brainstorm meeting, as their entire job is to look at what is (and likely has always been) and see it in a very new way.
But when it comes to employer branding, it feels like we’re mostly playing a game of “follow the leader” without any sense of who the leader is or why they might be worth following. We use the same words on job postings to describe the same ideas despite the fact that they are very VERY different teams and companies.
We use words like passion, mission, commitment, innovation and strategy without defining, illustrating or proving them and pretend they mean anything to our audience.
We use phrases like “Highly motivated self-starter with strong problem-solving skills,” “Excellent written and oral communication skills” and “Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills” like they mean anything. Is there even such a thing as a job that doesn’t require problem-solving skills?
We offer “world class benefits” and “care about our employees” without any kinds of specificity.
I see companies with language around being an “equal opportunity employer” or their commitment to diversity and inclusion while the company is being sued by its own staff and customers for being racist. It’s just words and since they don’t mean anything, they are safe to use, right?
Beyond the spin-tactular double-talk marketing speak, I look at so much of our work and I think, “why aren’t we hiring poets and comedians?” Every job opening is a chance for someone to change their life for the better, to make it possible for them to feel pride and ownership in their work, to spark curiosity and raise your horizon. So much of our language is shaped by lawyers and committees. Do you want your emotions sparked by three lawyers looking for the safest way to say something generally positive that’s impossible to prove?
Saying the garbage you’ve always been saying isn’t working and won’t work (if you would only admit it). Its time to start thinking like a comedian or poet.
Yep, we’re still podcasting about a book.
The revised and annotated version of Talent Chooses You (the revenge!) continues with episode 3: Employer branding will reinvent your hiring.
Headlines!
Employer Branding: The New Marketing Frontier
Be still my beating heart! Marketing realizes we exist! [Forrester]
When Subtraction Adds Value
When humans encounter an issue, their instinct is to “add a new process” or “add a new tool.” If we have a slow race car, we look to add power. What if we started by focusing on removing friction first? What if you started by paring things down and test it before building it back up? (See also Hidden Brain podcast on hidden obstacles.) [HBR]
A (Revised) Radical New Model for Recruiting
I don’t know that “radical” is the right word here. (Radical might involve paying for interviewees’ time as you put them through a trial run, or deciding on rejecting job postings altogether and focusing on your overall brand, though I’m not promoting these ideas so much as establishing what “radical” might look like.) I see this as a truly comprehensive model, one where all the functions and stakeholders are valued and connected to drive towards a collective mission. Totally worth reading. [Kevin Wheeler]
Brand Promises And The OGSM Framework
Is your brand a nice to have? It’s a lot harder to get stuck in the “nice-to-have” box if you can apply your work to objectives, goals, strategies and measures. [Brand Strategy Insider]
Sharpen your strategy document
Conflating strategy, mission, purpose, traditions, culture and tactics is probably the #1 reason why leadership doesn’t “get” your EB strategy. That’s a fixable problem. [strategy+business]
Measurement over management: Utilizing research to drive brand engagement
“When considering brand measurement, it’s important to understand that it is a means to an end, and not an end in itself.” [Siegel+Gale]
Measuring The Business Outcomes Of Purpose
Breakdown of how EY measures its brand “purpose,” tying things as much to business outcomes as the “feel good factor.” [Business Strategy Insider]
The Meta Trending Trends: 2022
What’s going to be a big deal this year? Radical inclusivity, having fun like a kid, wellness, home continues to be elevated, virtual goods, career polygamy, and audio. [On Advertising]
8 Proven Ways to Improve Candidate Experience
Care about the candidate as a person, care about the candidate as a person, care about the candidate as a person, care about the candidate as a person, and… care about the candidate as a person. [Recruiter.com]
Top 10 Reasons Why Employees Leave and What to Do About It
Alternate title: 10 ways to almost say “care about the candidate as a person” without having to actually suggest that you should care about them as a person. [Recruiter.com]
How to Excel at Employer Branding to Attract and Retain Top Talent
Have we considered caring about the candidate as a person? [Recruiter.com] 🙄
Praise your competitors
Yes, saying nice things about your competitors makes you more attractive, interesting, and credible. [Ariyh]
I’m trying to practice saying “no” to podcasts and webinars this year, but I can’t say no to Shelley and Serge at The Recruitment Flex.
Inside the fortune cookie
“Given the same amount of intelligence, timidity will do a thousand times more damage in war than audacity.” - Carl von Clausewitz
Thanks, everyone!
There are now more than 1,300 links in the link archive. Enjoy!
Finally, if you have a question, just reply to this email and it comes directly to me.
Cheers and thanks!
-James Ellis (LinkedIn | Twitter | Podcast | Articles)
Where the subject line came from:
Elvis Costello - New Amsterdam
Down on the mainspring, listen to the tick tock
Clock all the faces that move in on your block
Twice shy and dog tired because you've been bitten
Everything you say now sounds like it was ghost-written
