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2.1 As touched on above, KPIs are not an end in themselves but need to be used to help identify changes or to add weight to continuing a course of action. Who considers the KPIs will vary from organisation to organisation, but if your senior managers have been involved in preparing the employer brand it is a reasonable expectation to report back on how things are going. When monitoring, some areas to consider are:

Be realistic about timing. Some aspects of the brand will show results relatively early. This is particularly true for internal awareness. If you have communications right, there should be knowledge about the brand around its launch. Changing perceptions of an external market may take far longer.

Stay with it; not only will some audiences be harder to reach but others may lose key messages if they are not repeated or are not experienced by staff on a day to day basis. The effectiveness of the brand may be whether in six months or a year post-launch, people cannot recognise or only have a vague memory of. Monitoring needs therefore to be ongoing.

Being clear to decision makers what the information is saying. If an organisation is committed to ‘enhancing careers’ you should see an increase in job applications from a younger demographic; the strength of the brand will be enhanced if this outcome is seen across all advertisements rather than simply the annual apprenticeship programme. Do not jump to conclusions based on the immediacy of evidence just to support the concept of the brand.

When to ask decision makers for help and being clear what this means for them. Using the above example, if staff survey information suggests the organisation is not committed to career development there may be problems in a particular area; find out and present the problem and work with other HR/management colleagues to suggest solutions.

Adjust your brand strategy based on what is working. Looking at social media to reflect on what has earned the most views, likes, shares and comments. Do not forget to learn from what communication has not done so well. Is it the language that is being used, or method of communication, or even doubts about the authenticity?

It is unlikely that an organisation will launch an inauthentic brand if it has followed a systematic approach to brand development, including testing out attributes with a broad range of staff and ideally external audiences. The quality and longevity of the brand will however be enhanced if there is a willingness to tweak its content and challenge how its communicated. Both with ensure that investment has been worth-while and the brand is sustainable.

6.3 When to Act

3.1 If the KPIs are indicating outcomes that are at odds with the intended targets; investigate the causes and take appropriate action. There are, however, other occasions when it is important to reconsider the brand, distinct from the KPIs. In a very few cases this may require a refresh but, more frequently, demand recognition that things have changed and an explanation how this impacts on the brand attributes.

3.2 Some examples when action is required include:

When an organisation merges with another; this may be in any sector; including where there is a new acquisition.

Where the type of services or product that is being delivered changes leading to alterations in the workforce make-up.

Significant changes in the senior management team; where it is recognised that the new cadre bring different priorities which impact on the culture of the organisation.

There are external events that may damage brand attributes or put delivery at risk. For example, a downturn in the economy may undermine an organisation’s commitment to offer a ‘job for life’. Tracking external analytics is important to ensure the weight of external changes.

Another organisation emerges as a competitor for precious staff resources. On such occasions it may be necessary to challenge the attractiveness of the brand or how it is communicated.

3.3 Putting aside any events described above, it is good practice to review the authenticity and reach of the brand on a regular and structured basis. For a few organisations, brand attributes will become to viewed as part of its DNA, but for most there is a need to review, tweak and refresh. In these ways, the employer brand will remain a powerful tool that enhances organisational effectiveness over the longer term.

6.4 Time to Reflect

4.1 You cannot manage what you do not measure is an old management adage that remains accurate. Unless you measure something, you don’t know if it is getting better or worse. Whilst there are challenges in measuring the success of the brand we have suggested KPIs that could be used and occasions when there is a need to actively review the brand. Thinking about your own organisation:

Identify three KPIs that could be used to measure your brand.

How frequently would the KPIs be considered?

Who would you consider the KPIs and what authority would they have to act?

4.2 This complete our journey on the development, communication and monitoring of an employer brand. We hope that you have enjoyed reading this short book and feel able to confidently tackle its introduction or review; whatever the size of your organisation. Have fun!

4.1 Recruiting staff is costly and resource demanding. It is disappointing when a promising new recruit, or a valued member of staff, decides to leave. People resign for multiple personal reasons, e.g. a house move. It is, however, important that the organisation takes control of areas it can influence, including ensuring that management activities live up to brand attributes.

4.2 In a similar vein to recruitment, it is impossible for this book to say how an organisation should manage its staff to achieve its brand attributes. An organisation that ‘pays for the best’, will rightly manage differently than one that ‘nurtures new talent’. There are some key areas that all organisations can consider.

4.3 It is important to not only look at the content of procedures, considered earlier in this chapter, but to step back and consider whether the overall offer made to employees is coherent and aligned with the brand attributes. The employee package offered to employees may, for example, place emphasis on being ‘family friendly’. If all the organisation offers is statutory entitlements this attribute will not ring true. Instead challenge what management practices would demonstrate this commitment and what measures the organisations could offer. For example, flexible start times, working from home, child related benefits and paid carers leave. Involve brand ambassadors and other informed staff to test out what is happening on the ground.

4.4 Work with senior managers on how they may cascade the brand to their managers. Hopefully, senior managers will have invested time in the identification and agreement of brand attributes and they will be keen to realise the investment. They are best placed to ensure that adoption across the organisation has impetus. Look at how management techniques can be used to create brand related performance targets in work plans, appraisal and even links to financial rewards. A manager who supports the team to ‘fulfil potential’, for example, may score highly on periodic salary reviews.

4.4 Consider HR statistics to highlight any obvious areas that are at odds with the brand attributes. These may be different from key performance indicators (KPIs) that are used to monitor the effectiveness of the brand itself and which are looked at in more detail in chapter 6. For example, if an area of the organisation has high levels of staff grievances this may indicate a problem at odds with an attribute of staff engagement. High levels of dismissals may be questioned where the organisation places importance on developing staff. It may be necessary to fix the problem and put in place a management style that suits the organisation’s character. There may not be a quick resolution but one that needs sustained efforts; used well, the brand attributes will provide clarity on desired goals.

5.5 Exiting the Organisation

5.1 ‘It was a pleasure to have you as a boss, because you sent all my worries for a toss. As I leave my heart is laid bare, managers like you are sadly rare. Goodbye and thanks’ (Anon).

Would that all employee feedback on leaving on organisation was so positive. It is important to recognize that those leaving the organisation play an important role in communicating the brand and are a source of information on how well it is working.

5.2 The circumstances in which people leave will vary widely. Sometimes the exit is initiated by the organisation. Whatever the circumstances, how an employee is managed during the exit period will speak volumes about the organisation’s character and its values; and will be of interest to colleagues who remain. If, for example, the organisation prides itself on ‘thanking staff’, it would be damaging if a long-standing employee leaves with no recognition of service given.

5.3 People leaving the organisation may be more willing, than current staff, to express views on how well the organisation lives up to the brand. Use exit questionnaires and exit interviews to gather information on how well things are going on the ground, (explored further in the next chapter). Increasingly former employees also have a powerful voice through social media. Ideally, an ex-employee who posts on Glassdoor, Facebook, Indeed, etc., will speak positively of the organisation. If they don’t, as explored in chapter 4; decide whether an organisational response is necessary and if so, recognize that there may be things to learn. And, frame a response with a cool head. Even the most unperceptive comments from an ex-employee may contain useful information.

5.6 Time to Reflect

6.1 This chapter recognises brand attributes must be an integral part of the day to day management of staff. If they are not, the brand will not be considered authentic and it is likely to fall into disrepute.

6.2 Considering your own organisation:

Who would act as brand ambassadors? What support may they need to undertake this role?

6.3 Considering your current or proposed employer brand and a key attribute, for example ‘we value diversity’:

What policies and procedures support this attribute?

Are there any negative indicators in how the organisation, or managers, behave that may undermine its authenticity?
Numbers and Quality of Applicants
At its simplest, measure the volume of applicants who apply before and after a branding exercise. There should be a notable increase. Cost per hire is another useful measure and one, ideally, that is captured at two stages; total cost/numbers appointed, and total cost/number of related staff still employed six months from start date. If your employer brand is working, you should see a decrease in the cost per hire. Quality will be also measurable by numbers appointed, those remaining with the organisation after a given period or via feedback from recruiting managers. If there is a sharp fall in the numbers remaining with an organisation, it may reasonably suggest that recruitment attraction promises are not being experienced in practice.

Retention/Wastage Rates and Performance Management
Track how many employees stay/leave every year and what is their average length of service. Examine areas where there is a high proportion of high performing employees. Determine if there are any identifiable trends or common characteristics and test out brand attributes in those areas. With a well-executed brand, high performance and retention should be increasing.

None of the example KPIs should be overly burdensome, but as explained in the sections that follow, will take time and may require some bold interventions if things are going wrong.

3.1 Chapter 4 looked at communicating the brand and how to use different media to attract candidates. The candidate journey is, however, more than the initial contact. It is the experience of the processes and how representatives of the organisation behave. Every touchpoint is a further demonstration of the brand; its attributes, messages and character. This captures everything from making an application, to how candidates are invited to interview, the selection methods used and style of the post-interview follow-up.

3.2 Organisations’ brand attributes will be different. In this respect there is no right or wrong way to shape processes or for people to behave. To help you consider what typical touchpoints may say about your brand we have noted five stages. Using example brand attributes, we have shown some possible negative indicators and some positive reinforcements of the brand.

Making an application.

Example brand attribute, innovation.

Positive reinforcement of the brand. A quick process that can be completed on the move; the ‘application’ is a video: short, recorded and submitted via a phone.

Negative indicators of the brand. People have to fill in a paper based, lengthy application form and where the purpose of form’s categories are unclear.

You’ve been shortlisted!

Example brand attribute, fun to work here.

Positive reinforcement of the brand. Next stage in the process is a breakfast brunch meeting with colleagues so the applicant can make decisions whether the environment suits them and to enable potential colleagues to meet applicants.

Negative indicator of the brand. A compulsory maths test, even if the potential role does not require numerical abilities.

Attending interview

Example brand attribute, we value diversity.

Positive reinforcement of the brand may include: checking whether applicants have any special needs and offering support to help people do their best. Involving organisational colleagues from different profiles in the selection process.

Negative indicators may include: locations that are inaccessible for people with mobility restrictions, asking questions about family plans or commitments.

Post interview feedback.

Example brand attribute, building careers.

Positive reinforcement of the brand; pointing internal candidates to suitable training options, (successful and unsuccessful candidates), putting forward candidates for roles that better suit their potential.

Negative indicators of the brand; we don’t give feedback beyond hire or reject!

Onboarding

Example brand attributes, we listen to staff.

Positive reinforcement of the brand; surveying new staff about their applicant experience, involving colleagues in stakeholder meetings of candidates.

Negative indicators of the brand; setting a global, immovable commencement date, not being in contact with applicants between offer and start date – regardless of timescale.

3.3 It is essential to factor the brand into the induction process. The process may start from contact with the appointed candidate before their commencement date, how they are welcomed on their first day, as well as the support given to them in the first weeks to months. In large organisations, it is likely that induction arrangements will differ according to location, service and job. Methods of inductions will also vary and may include; senior management attendance at induction sessions, video, mandatory training and scripts for managers. It is essential, however, that some key messages are consistent, and that the organisation explains to newcomers ‘the way we do things around here’. This will include, the organisation’s aims and commitments as well as the defined set of on-brand employee behaviours. The brand is at the centre of the ‘psychological contract’ between employer and employee. The induction programme is a great way to give employees an idea of what their side of the bargain involves. If the organisation doesn’t take control of this, the gap will be filled by the new recruit through copying others’ behaviour, (good or bad), or finding their own way through. Such options present risks, with the learnt behaviours being at odds with what the organisation aims for and which may take considerable effort to change. As part of induction, consider assigning a buddy from the peer group, this can be a powerful message of support but also empowers existing staff. Investment in informed induction may pay dividends.

Introduction

You wouldn’t go on a diet without measuring the effect. Whether this a reduction in weight, looser clothes or an increased feeling of fitness. Similarly, to be able to say that employer branding is a success, and potentially justify investment, you need to measure the effectiveness of what has been achieved. Many employer brand managers think that measuring any kind of return on investment is just too hard. But it does not need to be, and in this chapter, we present areas to consider and what the information may tell you.

6.1 Picking the KPIs

1.1 Deciding on the key performance indicators, (KPIs), could be viewed as very simple. Return to the targets and measures that we looked at in chapter 1. Consider the baseline and compare before and after. However, as well as the achievement of the top line target there may reasonably be various KPIs that show areas of success on a journey towards achievement of these targets; and where work still needs to be done. One of the potential targets that we gave as an example was:

Reduction in Direct Costs

For example, a target may be; through promotion of our brand we aim to recruit to Engineer vacancies three times a year instead of four, with a 90% fill rate at each campaign instead of the current 60% fill rate.

In this example the organisation would certainly want to measure the fill rate but may also want to look at how this was achieved. Areas are considered below but may include; click rates from advertisement to applications, completed applications, drop-out rates, etc.

1.2 Whatever KPIs are selected there are some basic guidelines that may seem obvious but are worth reflecting on. Do the KPIs:

Provide evidence of progress towards achieving the target.

Measure what is intended.

Be able to provide a comparison that can inform the level of effectiveness over time.

Have the potential to be influenced by other factors that impact upon the target. This may be unavoidable; there may be multiple reasons why the quality of candidates increases, such as changes in the recruiting market. Be aware of these factors and as far as practical separate or recognise the impact on the brand and the need for measurement over a longer timescale.

Require so much input to compile that it is questionable to pursue. KPIs are an aid to decision making and should not be an end in themselves. Be realistic.

1.3 The KPIs chosen must fit your organisation. However, we have listed areas to think about and what they may tell you.

Brand Awareness

At its most basic, consider asking people to name the organisation’s brand attributes. Questions should be pointed at different groups; a cross section of staff of different levels of seniority and/or location, new recruits and possibly candidates, through on-line, short surveys. Internal staff members’ ability to name brand attributes should improve over time. Failure to do so would point to problems with communication or real experience. Similarly, new recruits or potential candidates should be able to identify the attributes through the recruitment materials. The goal is to determine if your target groups assign the same brand characteristics as you are striving to communicate.

Brand Experience

Find out ‘what’s it really like to work here’. Using a point scale, measure how far people agree or not with the brand attributes. Include in annual staff surveys, but also conduct some, sample in depth telephone survey or focus groups, to not only produce the scale results but understand the underlying reasons for the scores. Do not forget to capture information through exit questionnaires. Getting feedback will confirm whether the selected brand attributes were correct, have longevity or if there needs to be further work to embed.

Third Party Feedback

As an organisation you may use external firms to handle your recruitment, aspects of the process, (e.g. executive search) or to fill agency opportunities. They are a great source of information. Conduct interviews with external recruiters and search firms to determine their probability of promoting your company as an employer of choice and how they would describe your organisation to a potential candidate. What they say may be different than what is intended.

Digital Presence

There should be multiple ways that your brand’s effectiveness is evident:

Clicks on your recruiting pages, increased traffic to your employee video stories. The numbers of people that continue through to making an application.

The number of employees with an optimized social presence goes up.

Your company ratings on employer review sites (e.g., Glassdoor etc.) are more positive and ideally are capturing the brand attributes that the organisation stands for, such as good teamwork. Also, where applicable, consider Best Places to Work lists to see how you rank against your competitors and in your industry.

Conversations on social media emphasise the good things about working for your organisation rather than the problems.

Introduction

Throughout this book we have stressed the need for the brand attributes to be authentic. If not, like the tale of the emperor’s new clothes, the true situation will be revealed; much to the discredit of the organisation. In a new organisation the employer brand may readily drive behaviours. For some, brand attributes will be a total reflection of the organisation’s character. For most, however, making the brand real will be a mixture of promoting what is already in place through effective communications and amending behaviours where the organisation, or where particular areas, fall short. This chapter looks at ways to make the brand real for existing staff and for potential candidates; by describing areas of high visibility so that organisations can take the necessary action at key touchpoints.

5.1 Brand Audit

1.1 The previous chapter explored communication channels and how brand attributes can be promoted. It is essential that HR policies and procedures are considered too. There must be consistency between what the organisation says it will do and the employer experience.

‘The strongest brands are those that achieve a high degree of consistency in whatever context they appear, and at every kind of experience the individual has of the brand’14. (Employer branding; Your online companion for the journey. CIPD 2008).

Looking at the staff handbook, or its equivalent, critique whether:

Underlying policy principles uphold the brand attributes. For example, if an organisation ‘values its staff ’, it may be questionable to cover recruitment gaps with workers from the gig economy.

The process steps reflect the brand. An innovative organisation will not be requiring employees to submit paper forms in triplicate!

The style, language and media used to communicate policy and procedure.

Unless the brand is a revolution for the organisation, and the merit for such a significant change is questionable, the alterations required should be manageable. Often, they will be essential. Clear brand attributes also provide useful guidance when setting out new policy and procedure, by providing a set of principles to structure HR processes. As such, new policies should be welcomed.

1.2 As well as looking at the content of in-house training programs, a brand audit should also consider what training is on offer to enable managers and employees to live and communicate the brand. This may be around building skills, for example, on writing for the web or more delegation to empower employees. But it may also be about refreshing messages. Being an equalities employer is a familiar brand attribute, but what does it mean to a multi-cultural 21st century workforce? It may be time to refresh the debate, e.g. on sexual harassment in the workplace or to introduce concepts such as unconscious bias, etc.

1.3 It is necessary to scrutinise facilities to see whether they match the brand. Loft style offices in an edgy part of town may not convey ‘traditional values’ – if they are important to your organisation. It may be unrealistic for the employer brand to dictate accommodation requirements but where a review is being undertaken, audit the options against the brand. Even if an organisation must make do with current arrangements it may be possible to reorganise an office layout to support the brand. For example, how desks are placed can impact on team working. A small breakout area can facilitate better engagement. Consider what’s there, see how the physical surroundings can detract or enhance, and make changes to support.

1.4 HR may take the lead in the brand audit. Involving other people will however add different perspectives, spread the brand message, add richness to solutions and ideally identify a wide range of brand ambassadors.

5.2 Brand Ambassadors

2.1 In an ideal world, an organisation’s employees will live and breathe the brand. Getting close to this situation does however need to be managed and can be a lot of hard work. Chapter 3 considered how it is necessary to launch the brand internally first, being clear why it is being introduced or revised; and how this may impact on behaviours. Where necessary, supplement the launch with training in new skills, or ways of managing, or ways of acting as an employee. For example, not every employee will have the skills or confidence to work ‘collaboratively’. Reinforcing the desired character of the organisation may mean supporting people at every level.

2.2 Identifying and promoting brand ambassadors will help embed the desired organisational behaviours:

Start with the organisation’s leaders.

Employees are more likely to embrace the brand if the organisation’s leadership demonstrate its attributes in how they act. Conversely, if they don’t, acceptance across the broader management team will be tricky. Communication professionals can assist by encouraging senior managers to constantly communicate the brand and to share examples of how they can bring the brand to life.

Capture hearts and minds in the workforce

Product brand ambassadors are not unusual. There is value in considering pulling together a group of committed employees, at different levels of seniority, to also act as employee brand ambassadors. Work with these employees, ideally throughout the brand’s development, but certainly through roll-out to:

Understand what the brand means for their role, their level of seniority or their part of the organisation. If people can express the brand attributes in their own words and apply to their own situation they are more likely to be willing and able to spread the message.

Listen to what they say, these staff may be well placed to really understand how the brand is being received. Do not discount their feedback, even if some of their messages are painful. Recognising problems will not only be valuable in the long run but acknowledging their input and keeping them on side will offer a range of long term benefits.

Get them involved in social media promotions of the brand. This may include, responding to online comments or participating in marketing events on employment opportunities with the organisation.

2.3 To empower brand ambassadors across the organisation, it is important to have a social media policy that is positive. Do not just focus on what could go wrong. Think about the benefits to be gained when employees are encouraged to share online. Provide social media training when needed and ensure that employees have content to share. Create specific hashtags for employees to use and encourage them to use it across all platforms.

2.4 Ultimately, recognise that every contact that an applicant makes, and every employee experience supports or detracts from stated brand attributes. Being aware will help you critique HR processes. Key events are looked at below.

7.1 Reviews on public forums, (social media and some job sites), can support or damage your employer brand. How you respond to them can be equally significant. Most people know that sites will often contain the odd bad review and will often accept this if its content isn’t wholly damaging and if the organisation has dealt with the points raised – however questionable these may be. Every review will tell you something. Even if it’s that your communications need to be sharper. Six tips on dealing with reviews are:

Actively decide whether to reply. A glowing review may stand on its own merits, but you may want to increase coverage by for example tweeting with thanks. Or add to your own website. Generally, it’s good practice to respond to negative reviews. There are dangers if you don’t; not least sometimes things gain traction and “me too” responses need to be addressed quickly.

Reinforce the brand in your message content. As previously, get the tone right and use the opportunity to push your message. But, speak like a person – avoid organisational jargon and ‘brand speak’ – get the balance right.

Don’t take it personally and never get into an argument. This has the potential to be far more interesting to the casual reader. The reviewer may also be ‘known’ to the organisation and potentially could have left under a cloud. But a public form isn’t the place to re-live. Be professional.

Don’t make excuses, the reviewer does not really care, for example, that you didn’t have the resources to respond to their application for two months. Apologise for your mistake, take accountability for the specific issue and show how things will be different in the future.

If there are details to be sorted with the review, encourage them to contact separately to work out in a private conversation.

Look for patterns. If, for example, people are posting complaints about your recruitment service, this may give you information far quicker than internal performance reports.

7.2 Do not be frightened of reviews. If your organisational brand gives importance to the employees’ voice you may want to positively encourage people to express what they like about the organisation. At the recruitment stage and as a way for people to act as brand ambassadors during employment, as previously touched upon. Like them or not reviews are here to stay, and they are actively sought by job seekers and employees, therefore take the opportunity and manage them positively.

4.8 Other Media

8.1 In an environment where we are immersed in web-based messages it is easy to overlook the impact that traditional media has on an employer brand. Tone of voice, considered earlier in this chapter, and content that is appropriate to the brand should be expressed in e-mails, letters, signage, policy handbooks and organisational brochures.

8.2 It is natural to spend money and give attention to outward facing resources that showcase the organisation to new recruits. But what a disappointment for the applicant when waiting for an interview to glance through old materials at odds with the dynamic brand that has been promoted! Materials used within the organisation must; express content that is consistent with an employee’s experiences, be in line with brand values, be regularly updated and refreshed. As previously explored, it is easy to post information on line; it can be a lengthy process to design and produce printed stock. It is important therefore to get this right and ensure that what is produced is not too time bound.

8.3 It is difficult to influence how people communicate within an organisation. Communication and branding guidelines assist; including font type, use of logos and consistent colours. All create a reaction in the reader. People also pick up the tone used within an organisation and begin to replicate its style. It is important therefore that organisational messages, whether from senior managers or HR departments, are crafted to adhere to the brand. Ultimately, however, it is what people say and do that will have the greatest impact. How HR services and manager can live the message is explored in the chapter that follows.

4.9 Time to reflect

9.1 Thinking about resources; who is going to lead communication of the brand in your organisation? Consider whether they have a dedicated budget and if have they got spare capacity to pay ongoing attention to the demands of social media. What training might they need to communicate the messages that you want to promote?

9.2 What tone of voice would best describe your organisation; serious, light hearted? If, for example, your organisation places great value on listening to staff and potential applications write down how might this influence your choice of media, its content and how you express key messages. Also consider how this tone may influence your response to poor reviews – they are going to happen.

9.3 As we have explored there is wealth of social media options available, as well as the organisation’s website. Create a grid of; what benefits the site and social media options offer (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc.), what audiences are being reached and how often you are likely to have to give attention to. Your choices on what to use may become clear.

5.1 Different platforms have different audiences and are geared to different types of interaction. The first step is therefore to research which channel fits your target audience(s); put simply – who are you are trying to reach, where do they visit and how do they engage with. Start small and build a presence. At a minimum build a company page. With the rise of job sites which encourage feedback and engagement, (for example, Glassdoor), it becomes more important to have a positive presence and the facility to respond to any criticism. Millennials especially, are most likely to research potential employers through social media.

5.2 Different social media is considered below. They are powerful tools and it is worth emphasising:

Don’t try to use all the popular tools that are available. It is just not necessary, and it is better to focus on those that best fit your organisation.

Don’t start to use social media if you cannot give it on-going attention. It’s great to capture people’s interest but they will notice if the communications stop and will form judgments.

Don’t publish in haste, everything has the potential to be scrutinised, shared or held against you. If in doubt hold back.

Key sites

Facebook 

Facebook has the largest reach of all social media platforms. It has a broad demographic, although its primary use is for social interaction. You may have a company site, but this needs to be expanded to include employer branding specifically. Your ‘wall’ should be full of content, (news features, stories), and you must regularly post images and updates. If possible, video adds richness. An option is set up Facebook live sessions and closed groups which allow you to reach key audiences and to interact directly with them.

LinkedIn 

LinkedIn is aimed at professionals and is geared to work related interaction. Create a company page to showcase your brand; the organisation, its values and culture. Add news, blogs etc to your page to create richness. There is freedom to customise the company page and there are plenty of tools to assist in developing high quality content and to develop a careers section. Adverts can be produced and targeted to key audiences. Encourage your employees to have their own pages that tie in with brand messages and assist them to ensure consistency and high-quality content.

Twitter 

Twitter is a conversation tool and its use for recruitment needs to be considered in this context. Because it is an open platform, the potential audience reach is uncapped and largely unmanageable. It is most powerful if you research how best to hit the target audience and use hashtags effectively; there are tools which help with this. Create links to other social media and your own website. Then write content which is engaging and relevant; including, organisation culture, information and news items. It is not advisable to simply advertise vacancies. To work effectively you need to be set up to respond to tweets and to regularly post content – it is a conversation after all. Do not under-estimate the demands that this may create. Old tweets just do not work and may say something about the organisation that you would not choose. Twitter also provide some analytics which can help you track how successful you are.

YouTube 

The popularity of home-made video seems relentless and tends to appear high up in search engine results. To make best use of, will need some investment of time if not money; creating a company channel on YouTube and investing in solid video content. A spotlight on working for an organisation is a good way of providing realistic expectations, highlighting organisational culture and values. Big budget productions are not the essence of the channel so there is no need to invest heavily; home-made can appear more authentic.

Google+

Is emerging as a route for recruitment and engagement but as yet for niche markets due to user uptake. It will work well for the passive market. An advantage for its use is that it will improve your search results in Google.

Others; Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest

Some large companies are using these other platforms to promote their organisational culture. Some have been used innovatively, for example using Snapchat to get candidates to produce a short video to accompany a CV. They offer opportunities to be creative and fit well where innovation is a strong characteristic within an organisation but, as yet, do generally not form part of a core employer branding roll-out. New and interesting developments are emerging all the time. For example, PathMotion, offers a platform that enables candidates to learn about employers by talking directly to their staff in a private forum. It is a great way for applicants to self-select whether the organisation is right for them. Not every development will fit every organisation, but it is important to be open to new opportunities.

5.3 Employee storytelling is more authentic and engaging for many social media users. Consider your employees as “brand ambassadors” who can generate content on social media. Consider developing internal programs that encourage employees to share their knowledge and expertise in online communities where you recruit. By increasing their visibility in certain professional circles and establishing themselves as experts in those communities, your employees can expand their own professional networks while helping you identify and attract talented prospects.

4.6 Job Sites

6.1 There are thousands of job sites. These can be:

Job boards, that restrict searchable opportunities to that board.

Others, that enable the reader to search many job board, career sites etc. Some, such as Indeed and Glassdoor allow members to see company-specific ratings and reviews.

Those attached to an organisation or professional body that allows recruiters to target a niche audience. These may be useful when trying to reach a passive audience who may look through current opportunities whilst using the site for another purpose.

6.2 The choice of a job site needs to deal with practical issues; cost, applicant reach and reliability of the functionality. You should also consider; what the choice says about your organisation and the ability to shape the content to reinforce your brand values. For example, career pages attached to professional associations may offer a great opportunity to showcase your organisation, reach hard to fill applicants and post employee video. Have a conversation with website owners and explore what is possible.