Lhe employer brand communication has becomee strategic. Ps companies struggle to recruit young graduates as well as experienced executives, but also because they want to show their positioning and highlight their culture own
According to the APEC Barometer for the last quarter of 2023, nearly 75% of companies are expecting difficulties in recruiting executives, which means that just as many managers are questioning their reputation and attractiveness to candidates. In other words, the quality of their "employer brand".
Gone are the days when companies were content to publish job offers that included a few fringe benefits. Now, to attract the "talents of tomorrow" - those employees who will help develop the company over the next 5 to 10 years - they must also communicate their corporate culture, their values - their identity...
Of course, as a recent study by the Sopra Steria group reminds us, remuneration is still the main factor in choosing an employer for 49% of young European Tech graduates. But all HR departments in the same sector are obliged to offer more or less the same packages. It's easier to differentiate on career development opportunities or work/life balance, which are the2nd and3rd criteria of choice for young graduates. But here too, offers are becoming increasingly similar, and increasingly include telecommuting, regular training, etc. Successful employer communication is therefore all about highlighting your values, which are more differentiating than the benefits offered by the job to be filled.
The besthe employer brand are employees
Employer branding communications must highlight the company's culture, so that candidates make an informed choice. It also needs to be translated into coherent, concrete actions: for example, a company with parity as one of its core values could implement operations to raise awareness of tech careers among high-school girls. Another, focused on innovation and keen to attract young engineers, might sponsor eSport competitions or innovation contests. An organization committed to the transmission of knowledge could create and maintain a network of alumni, and so on.
Of course, it's ideal for employer branding initiatives to be covered by the media, but it's often on social networks that they're most widely presented. In this context, employees are naturally the best ambassadors for employer branding, as their words are considered authentic and credible. Hence the breakthrough of the GlassDoor site, whose ratings are sometimes watched with concern by managers, as well as Welcome To the Jungle, which is more "coporate" and allows everyone to get an idea of the atmosphere in the companies featured. Employers, on your marks!
Bryce Lebecqconsultant, and Isabelle Mas, associate.
