When your candidates are also your customers

On 3^rd June Connectr Talent Technology hosted the event ‘ When your candidates are your customers’. This event focused on branding and it’s significant benefits, including: attracting high-quality candidates, shaping perceptions among potential hires and reducing hiring costs, especially for early career roles.

Thank you to our incredible guest speakers from both British Airways and Marks & Spencer for your time and insights into this crucial topic! For those that could not make it, a summary of key themes are below:

Employee Advocates

• British Airways and M&S both shared data from their Connectr platforms for early careers, highlighting the importance of having digital mentors available to answer questions to support candidates.
• Employee testimonials and personal stories play a vital role in portraying the company culture and opportunities for growth. These advocates help in creating an authentic and relatable image of the company, making it more attractive to potential hires.
• M&S & British Airways shared screenshots of two employees LinkedIn posts displaying their Connectr mentoring badge. Highlighting their own career development, but also promoting the company in good light to future candidates.

What can you do?

• Recognize that Gen-Z has diverse expectations, especially post-COVID, with a strong need for job security and confidence in their roles.
• Challenge misconceptions by addressing and correcting misinformation about the company and its industry in an authentic way.
• Highlight work-life balance. Using platforms like TikTok to showcase time outside of work and challenge the expectation vs. reality gap.
• Actively use language that acknowledges the challenges but also highlights the rewards of working with the company.
• Data should be used to assess the impact of branding changes, such as shifts in candidate demographics or application volumes. Leading with candidate data is vital for making informed changes to the employer brand.
• Ensure all seasonal campaigns accurately reflect the brand to maintain consistency and authenticity.

Employer Branding Limitations:

• Some companies are struggling to compete against ‘bigger’ more ‘well known’ brands and missing out on being a person’s 1st choice.
• Understanding the needs/wants of Gen-Z (Join us for our next event ‘Inside the mind of Gen-Z if you want to get stuck into this topic!)
• Brands that have  ‘heritage’ or ‘legacy’ reputations are becoming harder to shift with newer generations.
• Limitations and red tape on what early careers can put out there alone without being signed off by marketing. How can we get global marketing on board?
• Lack of resources to create ‘Early Career’ specific content such as TikTok style videos.

Insights from our attendees:

Our attendees opened up about their solutions and challenges, sharing valuable insights:

• Some are utilising employee advocates by asking them to share personal career journeys to dispel the myth that employees are confined to one role forever.
• Emphasis on openness and transparency in communication channels, highlighting lesser-known aspects of the company – ‘hidden’ roles particular for retail brands get left behind.
• Brand awareness events can be effective to separate from the corporate image and create a unique identity. Such events provide opportunity to address misconceptions and the lack of awareness about the company’s offerings and opportunities. You can also demonstrate the evolution of a company’s brand over time by comparing past and present approaches.
• Some companies described how they were clashing with themselves because business units were not talking to one another. Nor were early career teams allowed space on corporate social media channels for outreach.

Conclusion

Employer branding is a critical factor in attracting and retaining early career talent. By using data-driven insights, focusing on transparency and development opportunities, and leveraging the voices of employee advocates, companies can build a strong employer brand that resonates with the younger workforce and addresses their unique needs and expectations.

Thank you so much to our panel and attendees for a fantastic afternoon of sharing and learning.