To Gain More Qualified Applications, Manage Your Employer Brand

Recently, there’s been a noticeable shift in how top employer brands are recruiting prospective candidates. Top brands are starting to connect their company’s career opportunities to story-driven marketing campaigns, instead of solely relying on traditional job postings. Why? These stories attract candidates by painting a positive picture of what life would be like working at the company; by submerging readers into the company culture, highlighting the position’s impact on the world, and positioning these aspects as actual company benefits.

One example of this can be found on Thermo Fisher’s career site. The site highlights real employees and their affect on the world: from making milk safe for babies to pioneering life-saving technologies. Each employee’s story is told via a brief article or video, while the call-to-action asks visitors to join their talent network. This strategy is truly excellent: readers of this content are much more likely to be qualified and interested in working for Thermo Fisher, and can decrease the time recruiters spend on eliminating unqualified applicants.

Think about the last restaurant you went to. Did it fit into one of the categories below?

• An established restaurant you’ve been wanting to try because of its great reputation
• A restaurant recommended to you by a friend
• A restaurant you picked after careful research on Yelp or other sources

If you picked any of the above choices then you already understand how important brand management is. A restaurant can certainly maintain a few random walk-ins, but more customers are bound to dine at a restaurant with an active brand. If someone is willing to invest time into understanding a restaurant’s brand for their next meal, imagine how much time they’re willing to invest in for their next career opportunity.

However, this doesn’t mean you can eliminate the traditional HR route of posting positions. Let’s imagine you’ve already posted your job and have started receiving applications: why should you then take extra steps to craft a narrative around your employer brand? First, storytelling isn’t meant to replace job postings, it’s meant to expand your talent community with passive candidates who were previously unaware of your brand and/or career opportunities. These passive candidates inevitably transition to active job seekers and become quality applicants for future job postings.

LinkedIn, CareerArc, and Glassdoor released the below figures on how a strong talent brand can improve talent acquisition.

• Employers with a strong talent brand drive 2x the amount of applicants per job compared to other companies
• 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before even applying for a job
• 69% of job seekers are likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages its employer brand

Based on the above data, we know that potential candidates are reviewing your brand – whether or not you are managing it. By taking ownership of your talent brand, you’re not only guiding the conversation, you’re starting a conversation with job seekers who may not have had heard of your career opportunities.

Take some inspiration from the likes of GE, Verizon’s #WeNeedMore campaign, or Microsoft’s #MakeWhatsNext campaign.

These companies are recruiting top talent with more than a job posting, and the chemical industry should be no different. Top chemistry candidates are attracted via compelling industry stories found via trusted resources. Your brand can be that story.

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Interested in learning more or need help getting started? The American Chemical Society just launched a new service, called C&EN BrandLab, which extends our award-winning editorial ethos to tell your authentic employer brand story. Click here for more information.