Who will they become? 🔬 EBH
And how do you help them become that?
When we think about “our employer brand,” we focus on “how we’re seen.” How our company is seen.
🔭 Are we seen as an innovative place to work?
🔭 Are we seen as a company that cares for our people?
🔭 Are we seen as being the place where people are pushed to perform at their best?
But we’re missing a bigger opportunity here.
Think about NPR.
NPR doesn’t give away tote bags because people need tote bags. They give away tote bags because people who give to NPR want to be seen as the kind of people who give to NPR.
The tote bag is a badge that tells the world something about themselves, that they are the kind of person who cares about balanced and open reporting, that they see themselves as smart and informed.
The reward isn’t the bag, the reward is in how its owner is seen.
You know how important a job is in informing how people see themselves. People introduce themselves to strangers with their name, title, and company. Or the first question we ask people is often, “where do you work?” This isn’t idle chit-chat. We use company as a signifier of something. When you say you work at a certain place, people make judgments.
Don’t believe me? Go down south and say that you work for PeTA. Go to California and say you work for a tobacco company.
People will judge you based solely on where you work.
So are you tapping into how your employer brand is allowing people to say something about themselves? And are you using that idea as messaging to prospects?
It’s easy to say, “We focus on performance” or “we help you perform at your best.”
It’s harder to say, “The people we hire want to push themselves to greatness.”
It’s even tougher to say, “When you work here, people will know how hard you work, and what you’ve accomplished. They will know you’re among the best of the best.”
There’s no question that the last statement will scare away applicants. But it will attract the people who want to be seen that way, you can see how you support their own vision of themselves.
They will wear your shirt and swag not because the company is generally successful, but because of what wearing that shirt tells the world about them.
Instead of thinking about how prospects and candidates see us, are we spending time wondering how people want to be seen when they join us?
Are we asking, “how will joining our company change how people see themselves?”
Like the NPR tote bag, the value of our brand is that it reinforces someone’s identity, creating even more value.
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Are you on the waiting list for Employer Branding for Small Business?
Bring your pen! From strategy to collaboration and execution, James expertly outlines actionable tips you can use to elevate your organization’s employer branding approach.
- Christy Spilka, VP, Global Head of TA, iCIMS and ATAP Board President
***This Newsletter Contains No ChatGPT***
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