Everything you put out to promote your employer brand is telling the world this is who we are, this is the type of talent we want to recruit and this is where we’re heading. When you have a strong strategy to follow and deliver against, there’s no stopping you. But just because your strategy has been delivering so far, you should still question any big move before committing time, money and effort to it.
It’s not about second-guessing decisions; it’s about never becoming complacent. The attitudes of candidates are continually evolving based on each generation and the societal circumstances we all find ourselves in. Likewise, what worked yesterday may have seemed successful, but who is to say it couldn’t have been even more so? The attitudes of candidates are constantly evolving, so it’s important to keep your team on their toes.
We’ve put together a short checklist that will help you weed out flawed strategies and concepts, and guarantee you stay aligned with your employer brand strategy.
Ask yourself…
1. What do we want this creative content to convey about us? Does the idea do the job effectively? Are we telling a story?
A very simple notion, and one you will likely know instinctively. But it’s always worth referring back to the basic messaging strands to ensure everything is kept aligned. This is particularly useful to ensure that new recruits are kept on brand.
5 second checklist
- Appropriate tone of voice
- Relevant to candidate
- Tells a story
2. Does this message align with our values?
When trying to attract the right candidate, it can be tempting to do something very clever and off-the-wall when a bright idea or topical event arises. But if this is very far removed from your original values, take a moment to consider whether the short-term exposure could cause long-term confusion.
5 second checklist
- Re-visit values
- Ensure it’s not controversial
- True to purpose
3. Have the candidate’s priorities changed post-COVID?
If you’re adapting an old campaign or continuing with an ongoing strategy, it’s worth taking a step back to consider how much has changed since this was initially developed. For the most part, candidate priorities had been pretty consistent over the last few years, but in the wake of COVID, brand purpose and values have catapulted from a marginal priority, to a more critical decision-clincher.
How big brands have treated their employees and communicated with their audience during the crisis has helped to cement the great qualities portrayed by some, and highlighted previously hidden flaws in others.
5 second checklist
- Candidate priorities identified
- Candidate priorities addressed
- Accurate reflection of career offering
4. How is this campaign going to translate into other markets? Are there any cultural nuances that need to be identified?
When a head office benefits from a generous budget, often the core campaign creatives stem from this team or the associated agency. Sometimes this means that by the time the creative reaches teams in other countries, the creative feels misaligned, misunderstood or not entirely relevant for the market.
As part of any campaign brief, how the creative will be adapted for other key markets is crucial, particularly when it comes to employer branding or more general awareness pieces. More than this, being able to deliver the strategy effectively for each location without compromising on quality or too much budget is integral.
The BAM by Papirfly™ creation platform gives teams access to relevant content, imagery, logos, translations and more, allowing them to change up campaign creatives and make them totally tailored to their markets. All on-brand and with cultural nuances considered.
5 second checklist
- Understands cultural nuance
- Obtained visually relevant resources
- Plan of action for delivery
5. Is there anything on this creative that will encourage candidates to deselect themselves if they’re not right for the role?
While an influx of applications is often a good sign as the role is deemed attractive, getting too many unsuitable applications for the role could mean your communications or messaging is misdirected in some way. This is why it’s important that the campaign and all supporting career materials convey the tone of voice, EVP and brand purpose in a way that fitting candidates can relate to.
To give a tangible example, if you work for a cutting-edge tech brand and your brief is to recruit new developers, focusing on outdated channels or including old-fashioned imagery could send the completely wrong message about the role.
Likewise, if your employer brand has an emphasis on in-office culture and team spirit, and you receive mainly remote working or freelance applications, this messaging was likely not strong enough for the candidates to realise they were unsuitable.
5 second checklist
- True to tone of voice
- Strong persona established
- Creative tailored to persona
6. Is the call-to-action clear and does the candidate have more than one way to apply?
Whether you are exhibiting at a physical career fair or recruiting candidates digitally, the stages they go through to apply will be make-or-break for their application. Too many barriers or hoops to jump through may cause them to disengage, but too little and you may attract a lower quality candidate. Giving people multiple ways to submit their CV, covering letters and/or portfolio will ensure you give a fair chance to as many potential recruits as possible.
Once the submission is made, what happens next? Do they get confirmation, and will they be contacted regardless of whether they are successful or not? If your candidate management portal is automated, ensure you craft emails to sound human-like, not cold and robotic.
5 second checklist
- Call-to-action is clear
- Multiple ways to apply
- Communication is consistent
Ready to go to market?
Now you are certain you’re on the right track, ensure you can deliver all the assets you need to support your global teams. BAM by Papirfly™ is used by employer branding teams across the globe, with licenses held by the likes of Coca-Cola, IBM, Vodafone and many more. Over 500,000 users worldwide are empowered to create their own digital and print marketing materials, on-brand, on-time and with no additional budget needed.
Learn more about the power of BAM here or speak to one of our team and book a demo.
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