Google, Apple, Facebook. What comes to your mind when you hear these names? Do you realize the enormity of their size? What about their remarkable performance year-after-year? Can you estimate the level of ingenuity in their work? And finally when the dust settles, do you silently wish you could work with them?

The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’; to all of these questions and more. Google, Apple, Facebook et. al. have got it right; at least for the Gen Y and for most of the last generation too. These companies have captured the imagination of the masses with the kind of products they make, their employer-friendly image and their benefits-packages to name a few. Accelerated career programs, exciting international opportunities, free cafeterias, bean bags for chairs; organizations are going all guns blazing into the ‘war for talent’. Beyond the prestige and notoriety of the high salaries, these companies have built their employer-brand by word of mouth. In the past few years, Human Resources departments have discovered new technologies and online channels to attract and recruit talent, one crucial element of which is a strong “Employer brand”.

A truly successful employer brand makes the candidates WANT to join you. And join you really, really bad. “

Every business has an employer brand, whether deliberately established, meticulously nurtured or the product of gentle neglect. This employer brand serves as a billboard for the organization to attract, retain and develop talent for the business so as to stay ahead in the ‘war for talent’. Employer branding as a concept has attracted many erstwhile marketers into its midst, wherein the product is a far more intangible one than what they would have marketed otherwise; the company itself. Gone are the days when a few organizations ruled the roost and had no concerns while attracting candidates to work with them on strength of them making a certain product or providing a certain service. Organizations have long started to put their best foot forward when it comes to showcasing their work environment and continually prod you with the question Why don’t you work with us?” or an invitation “Come, join us. ”

The institution and communication of a robust, reliable and effective employer brand can create several advantages for a business.

Some constructive results of employer branding are discussed below.

Time to Fill

This is a metric that is a pain point for most recruiters. Conventional recruiting required the organization to source candidates through job portals, recruitment agencies etc. Imagine a different scenario where you open up a new position and have interested candidates to call YOU without going straight to sourcing, a phenomenon known as ‘inbound interest.’ A reduced TTF always looks good on the year-end report.

Quality of Hire

According to a careerXRoads survey of 2013, close to 24.5% of hires come via a referral program. Essentially, your employees call out to external job seekers who they believe can fit in the company culture and can perform like the organization expects them. Having the right employer brand can significantly improve the quality of hire as only those who know what is expected of them apply to the organization. The important thing to remember here is to hire RIGHT the first time around.

Access to a larger pool of talented and interested candidates

A successful employer brand is capable of attracting a much larger pool of interested and talented candidates whose values and ethics align with those of the business. Some attributes of the overall employer brand like flexi timings, mentorship programs etc.- appeal to a certain set of candidates whilst others – like growth curve, lines of business, cross functional roles etc.- appeal to another set. This results in a complimentary workforce that is in sync with the overall business strategy.

Retention, Engagement & Employee Productivity

While a strong Employer brand results in a shorter time to fill, another peripheral advantage is for the employees already working for the organization. A well communicated internal brand goes a long way in boosting employee motivation, morale and productivity. Retention is automatically stronger when a candidate joins an organization because of personal alignment with the employer brand.

External Image Boost

One of the ways for the organization to gather public interest is to let the world have a peek into their lives. Once a candidate has had an insight into the functioning of the organization, it becomes all the more reason for them to comprehend themselves as an employee. Case in point, The Marriott chain of hotels just doesn’t just know how to take great care of their hotel guests, but their employees as well. And they have made every attempt possible to show this to the world. They recently received the Work-Life Seal of Distinction from World@Work. They share stories of good deeds done by employees, inspiring work quotes, and pictures depicting the Marriott employee experience on their Facebook page. The Marriott is dedicated to providing their employees with opportunities for growth, a fact proven by the variety of academic classes they offer within the hotel business. Again, something they put up on their Facebook page.

While the Employer brand may seem to be nothing but beneficial to the organization, it does have its shortcomings. Some of them are enumerated below:

Over Branding

Branding can be very easy to lose control of. Companies can be very quick to bombard their customers with unnecessary messaging, advertising, and constant in-your-face strategies. Many times, these companies stop listening to their customers and start losing them. Consumers nowadays are over-served and over-branded with products, a by-product of which is a general irritation with the brand

High Expectations

Employer brands tend to project an image of the organization that may or may not be true in each and every business function in the organization. A candidate joining the organization comes in with his/ her own perceived understanding of the culture and the values of the organization. Any deviation from this perception can cause dissonance amon employees and their thoughts on their future with the company.

Author Information:

Sarthak Mittal is a second year student pursuing his Master’s degree in Human Resources Management and Labour Relations from TISS, Mumbai