The common misinterpretation of employer branding is that this is an external communication initiative approaching candidates in order to make the potential employer attractive.
It mustn’t be merely about painting the house outside. If newcomers face a different reality than in the advertisements, if we over-promise and under-deliver, they will be dissatisfied immediately and leave. The early attrition of new hires is a terrible loss: lost indirect and direct costs, useless work of people involved in hiring and onboarding and never-ending demotivating cycles.
To implement Employer Branding WE MUST TAKE TWO DIRECTIONS OF ACTION. The external communication and recruitment marketing on one side. The retention and employee engagement on the other.
You might have experienced that being an existing client of a service provider you see great offers for potential clients which are not available for you. Can you recall the sour taste of such occasions? This is the same what employees feel when meeting the “well-defined” value propositions targeting potential candidates which are not true internally. Such unbalanced campaigns can have a direct negative impact on the engagement of current staff; you must consider this aspect also before any penny spent on such campaigns.
Don’t ever overpromise in recruitment campaigns but treat your employees as you promise it to candidates.
