A strong employer brand not only makes hiring easier, it also keeps people around. But how do you turn employer branding into a real identity? This article explores exactly that.
The Basics: How Do Employees See the Company?
First, assess what employees think about the brand: what they like, and what they would change. It’s just as important to examine the outside view: how the company appears on career pages and social channels. When you compare the internal and external pictures, you’ll see where the identity needs work.
As shown in Harver, the best employer branding projects start with an internal audit, not with an external campaign.
EVP – The Employer Promise
The Employer Value Proposition (EVP) is the heart of employer branding: the value the brand offers as an employer, the reason it’s a good place to work. But it can’t just be a catchy line. Research from Universum Global shows that an EVP only works when a real employee experience stands behind it.
Build a Visual and Verbal Identity
A strong employer brand identity is built just as deliberately as a consumer brand. The EVP should be the foundation for both visuals and copy, and it must be authentic.
The LinkedIn Talent Blog also emphasizes that consistency is the strongest trust builder: from the career site to social posts, keep a unified identity and carry the same message in both words and visuals.
Show People, Not Positions
Candidates look for people, not logos. Create employee portraits, short interviews, and videos with real stories, and make colleagues your brand ambassadors. Use honest, natural visuals instead of contrived stock photos. Encourage employees to share content: according to data from Stack Overflow, applicants trust content shared by employees roughly three times more than official corporate messages. This authentic, human voice is what builds a real identity.
Career Site: The Hub of Employer Branding
As highlighted by Harver, the career site is the key touchpoint between the brand and candidates. It’s where they decide whether the company is attractive or not. If the site isn’t mobile‑friendly, clear, or human, the rest of the identity doesn’t matter. Keep navigation simple, include an intro video, present values, show team photos, and make applying painless.
The Internal Experience Shapes the External Image
Employer branding doesn’t end on day one. If new hires experience something different from what the identity promised, credibility breaks immediately. Onboarding, feedback culture, and leadership communication are all part of the identity. The LinkedIn Employer Brand Playbook underscores this: the strongest brands build their visual and communication style on the employee experience.
Measure, Refine, Improve
Employer branding isn’t a campaign, it’s a process. Regularly measure applicant quality, time to hire, turnover, employee satisfaction, and market awareness.
Data from Universum indicates that companies that consistently track the effects of employer branding fill roles faster and reduce churn.
Summary
A well‑designed employer brand isn’t just pretty and catchy – it works. It makes the company attractive, strengthens loyalty, and helps the right people stay for the long term. The keys are authenticity, consistency, and human focus – three principles we keep front and center in every brand‑building process.