You could say that employer branding is like people's looks. Some are naturally attractive and while others...have to work hard to become !

As DNA explains, it's hard to attract talent when your employer brand reflects an image of a sluggish, tired, outdated company.

There are two possible scenarios that can arise:

• Either your company is effectively a talent repellent, with 19th century management and a bridge club corporate culture. In that case, there's no need to launch a big communications campaign about how wonderful your company is. You'll lose a lot of money and your future candidates will feel cheated, which is almost worse than doing nothing. Hire a bunch of coaches instead.
• Either your company's image doesn't reflect reality at all and your recruitment problems are primarily a matter of perception. And there, head for the makeover thanks to Inbound Recruiting !

Here is an example of an industry struggling to recruit related to an outdated perception of the profession: metallurgy. 

Yet this industry offers outstanding career opportunities!

Show your colors

It's no longer time for dull talk about assignments, simply posting a list of job openings. You need to renew yourself !

To do this, nothing beats betting on originality. In 2018, the Spotify platform launched a music recruitment campaign of rare originality !

They created a playlist named " We need you " whose tracks form the request :

Simple but effective!"

The title signifies the importance of recruiting to the company, and the place candidates have in it. Even before they interview, candidates are immersed in the world of Spotify.

Drive for change

The desire for change is THE characteristic of millennials. Well, and also those of 30-somethings, 40-somethings, "quincados"... in fact of everyone !

Everything is in constant motion, people always expect something new. That's why, don't be afraid to renew your image.

What if you lean on what is normally your weakness. What are the received ideas about your business ?

What are the received ideas about your business?

Take Uber, for example. This company is often criticized about the legality of its activities. That's why they decided to launch a "100% legal" recruitment campaign in video format:

This one introduces the company with a lot of humor and offers the opportunity to discover part of their team as well as their premises.

Thanks to the quirkiness, you will arouse curiosity and interest.

Also, even if the people you're targeting aren't currently looking for work, they won't forget about you. Indeed, the trend is no longer one-click recruiting, but Slow Recruiting. Companies don't have to search for candidates anymore, just at the moment T when they need them.

Candidates want to see content : they subscribe to newsletters, follow webinars, etc.

They may not currently be looking for a job, but by developing your employer brand you ensure that when they do look for one, your company is where they will turn.

They will know that you have what they are looking for.

Learn about your candidate personas

By analyzing as much as possible the profiles you're looking for (candidate personas) you can personalize your communication. You can even take it a step further.

For example, create an ad that is understandable only to the chosen profiles in order to obtain qualified resumes.

This is what the Business Lab agency did. In addition to humor, it wrote its ads in such a way that only certain people understand them (senior project managers, senior UX and developers).

The campaign also shows that the company has a strong commitment to the development of its clients.

This campaign also shows the creativity of the agency, which takes care of its employer and corporate brand at the same time.

If you add sleek design to humor, you've got the winning combo!

The goal of this search for information about your candidates is also to humanize the recruitment process. Candidates want to see the impact they can have for you. They want to be more than just numbers in a database.

To create complicity with your target what better way than to tell a story? We're talking about the famous storytelling!

Publisher Penguin made the choice to stage its logo to recruit. This puts the candidate at the heart of the brand's universe.

This way, the candidate makes the company's environment their own.

Give your company a face

Always in this spirit of humanizing the company, it is important that you give your employees a voice.

They are the ones who are in the best position to communicate with candidates, because after all a candidate is a potential future employee (and an employee is often a former candidate). They are also the ambassadors of your values.

Vinci has produced several videos highlighting employee testimonials.

The focus is on authenticity as well as the personal qualities and passion of each employee. These mini-films help illustrate the company's values  ambition, audacity, creativity, curiosity and generosity.

The substance but also the form

The formatting of the information you deliver is just as important as the information itself. Choose atypical formats to engage candidates.

In 2015, communications agency Havas Boondoggle Amsterdam launched a recruitment campaign on... Airbnb !

The company takes advantage of this format to highlight the 700m2 of housing provided with the job as well as the chihuahua and the beers in the fridge. A good way to motivate candidates !

Only constraint: do not finish all the beers in the fridge!

A successful employer brand therefore has one main characteristic  it highlights a world, an experience by creating a connection rather than trying to convince at all costs.

The candidate should be approached in the same way you would get in touch with a client.

If you can't, contact us !