Solution: Employer Brand

The Future of Diversity Recruiting: Re-evaluating Traditional Methods & Questioning Accepted Wisdom

Posted on by nfuqua

Diversity recruiting is a hot topic right now. As your organisation continues on its journey toward becoming more diverse, equitable and inclusive, it’s important to ensure that you’re relying on the most up-to-date strategies and understanding of candidates’ needs and behaviours. And, while there are many assumptions and diversity recruiting strategies that have become part of accepted wisdom throughout the years, are they still true? Are they still the most effective methods for interacting with candidates? 

In my role as PeopleScout director of employer brand and communication strategy, I deliver actionable insights and consultancy to clients; in essence, I help employers understand, articulate, and measure what makes their organisations unique places to work and then help them better understand and engage audiences from underrepresented groups. As such, I’m very outcome-focused. I don’t want to generate insights for the sake of insights; I want to challenge employers and support them in their journeys. For me, that means constantly interrogating what we think we know, what we just accept to be true and how effective our strategies are and how to manage diversity better.

So, in this article, I’ll examine the traditional wisdom around diversity in recruiting. Specifically, we’ll look at how our understanding of candidates from underrepresented backgrounds has evolved, share updated recruitment methods, and reflect on how factors like intersectionality and social mobility can be part of an effective recruitment process. 

Rethinking Limited Media Targeting & Focusing on Employer Branding 

Traditionally, when employers have wanted to recruit candidates from underrepresented groups, they’ve relied on limited media targeting. For example, if an organisation was looking to attract more women, talent leaders would post open jobs on job boards targeting female candidates. And, while this is one strategy to bring in more diverse candidates, it does have its limits. For one, it doesn’t take into account what we know about candidate behaviour. 

Rather, by tracking engagement metrics and actually speaking with candidates, we know that just because a person consumes a certain type of media in their everyday life, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a person will use that specialised media in their job search. Take me, for example: I’m Black and I’m female and I’m absolutely proud to be both of those things. But, neither of those has ever formed the basis of my job search. Instead, if I were looking for a new role as a communications consultant, I’d look at platforms offering roles related to my profession. Then, I’d research potential employers to ensure that they were welcoming and inclusive.  

So, instead of focusing on targeting niche, identity-related media and job boards, employers should focus on targeting the right professional or work-related channels with the right messaging. This means going beyond just talking about the responsibilities of the role in the job posting to also focusing on diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&I) within the organisation as a whole. When candidates from underrepresented groups are searching for jobs, the right job title might be enough to get them to click on a posting—but whether they actually apply is influenced by what they read and hear about how an organisation treats its people. Likewise, whether they continue in a recruitment process depends on how they’re treated throughout the candidate journey.  

Diversity Recruiting Strategies for an Inclusive Recruitment Process 

diversity recruiting

But, what does this look like in practice? Well, if talent leaders at an organisation have analysed the data and decided that they want to focus on certain demographics, the right campaign can be pretty effective if they make interventions at the right point in the hiring process. Below, I’ll outline some examples using the common goal of attracting more women. 

Language in Job Postings 

To ensure an inclusive process, employers should pay close attention to the language used in job postings. For instance, accepted wisdom suggests that women can sometimes be put off by words like “excellent,” “strong,” “driven” or “competitive.” So, to generate optimum engagement, one obvious intervention would be to find alternatives to use in job postings.  

However, it’s not that simple. In my work, I’ve spoken with many senior female professionals who say they expect to see words like that in job advertisements aimed at their level. Therefore, for employers, this means that language does matter—but your solution cannot be a one-size-fits-all. Instead, the language you choose for a job posting should feel inclusive, but should also reflect the job type and career level of candidates.  

Job Criteria 

Many talent leaders are familiar with the research that shows how women are less likely to apply for roles where they don’t meet 100% of the criteria, whereas men will apply if they meet just some of the requirements. Interestingly, anecdotal feedback from women shows that this isn’t because women don’t feel as though they can’t do the job; rather, they just don’t want to waste their time or energy on an application that they believe would be automatically rejected.   

So, to build a more inclusive job posting, employers should list only the essential criteria. Additionally, talent leaders should recognise that, as the list of criteria on a job posting gets longer, the applicant pool for that job will likely become less diverse.  

Representation 

You’ve heard the phrase “representation matters.” In popular media today—whether it’s movies, television or literature—you can see it in action. Similarly, employers must employ the same principles in their recruitment process, as well.  

If we stick with the example of attracting more women, that means employers should ensure that any recruitment communications include voices and stories from women at all levels of the organisation. Likewise, employers should also be transparent about their diversity recruitment data and any plans in place to shift the dial around female representation. Then, when female candidates encounter more female voices throughout the process, they’ll realise that not only are they welcome at the organisation, but they’ll also have the opportunity to thrive and progress. The same principle can be applied to any demographic group. 

What is Intersectionality?  

Thus far in this article, we’ve discussed diversity in simple, binary terms. But, if you’ve been paying attention to the DE&I space, you’ve likely heard the word “intersectionality.” Intersectionality is about recognising the connections between social categories—including factors like race and ethnicity; gender identity; neurodiversity; and social class—and how an individual can be a combination of those things and potentially suffer compounded discrimination and disadvantage because of it.  

As a talent leader, you must approach DE&I from an intersectional perspective. Unfortunately, there can be multiple potential failure points in a candidate’s journey due to the intersectional nature of the people applying for roles. So far, I’ve used women as an example. But, the perceptions and experiences of Black women will be different from white women, Latina women or Asian women. Going even further, consider whether your female candidate is also from a socially disadvantaged background. Or, is she neurodiverse? All of these will influence how she interacts with your organisation and whether she sees a potential career with you. And from your side as the employer, these combined factors also increase the risk of her falling victim to multiple adverse impacts in your recruitment process. So on the basis that no person is just one demographic, it’s critical that your organisation considers intersectionality and ensures your processes are audited to eliminated as many chances as possible for bias to creep in.

For me, employer brands and diversity recruitment marketing campaigns that factor in intersectionality are far more likely to be inclusive. They’ll be the ones showcasing employees across a range of demographics so that candidates can see a variety of different types of people flourishing at an organisation. They’re also putting in the work to make any necessary adjustments in the candidate journey, so that everybody has an equal opportunity to do well. That includes training for recruiters, hiring managers and other decision-makers, too.  

The Role of Social Mobility in Diversity Recruiting

Another factor that often gets lost in discussions of diversity, equality and inclusion is the role of social mobility. Social mobility is the link between a person’s occupation or income and the occupation or income of their parents. The stronger the link between a child and a parent, the lower the level of social mobility; the weaker the link, the higher the level of social mobility. For example, if an individual works on a production line at a factory and that’s also what their parents did, then that’s a low level of social mobility. If, on the other hand, the same individual secured a white-collar, managerial role, then their social mobility is high because of their earning potential.  

In diversity recruiting initiatives, social mobility can play into DE&I programs in a number of ways, but, most importantly, it plays a critical role in helping individuals achieve better outcomes. Plus, it also contributes to organisational success because it adds an additional layer of diversity within critical teams.  

There are several ways that employers can engage with social mobility; one is through schools and outreach activities, where you can introduce students in disadvantaged areas to careers that they may not have otherwise heard about. You can also use apprenticeships as a strategy to get early-career talent into roles that might not otherwise be accessible to them, while also allowing them to continue their education. Additionally, those employers that are able to make any of their roles fully remote can engage workers from disadvantaged areas and who may not have access to strong career opportunities within easy commuting distance. 

Making the Change 

For many employers, the strategies I’ve outlined will present a marked change from their standard way of doing business—and that’s okay. It’s important to recognise that change won’t happen overnight. When it comes to engaging with potential candidates from underrepresented groups, it’s about building an inclusive employer brand that appeals to multiple demographics and fosters a sense of potential belonging in an organisation. Diversity recruiting also very much about building a brand that focuses equally on messaging, human stories and the candidate journey—and making sure that the different parts of the process truly support bringing in individuals from all walks of life who are the best people to fill your roles.   

Employee Engagement at King’s College Hospital: Saying a Big “Thank You” to Nurses

Posted on by akessler
Employee Engagement at King’s College Hospital: Saying a Big "Thank You" to Nurses

Employee Engagement at King’s College Hospital: Saying a Big “Thank You” to Nurses

As one of the busiest NHS trusts in the UK, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust turned to PeopleScout for help with attracting nurses and other clinical professionals. Learn how we helped the Trust say a big “thank you” to their staff with a larger-than-life employee engagement campaign.

300 Pieces of Artwork
18 Installations Across 3 Sites
50% % Increase in Peer Recognition Amongst Staff
13,159 Thank-yous Sent to Staff

King’s College National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust is one of the busiest trusts in the UK, providing healthcare services for a population of over 1 million people. It supports numerous clinics and hospitals, including King’s College Hospital, a leading teaching hospital and trauma centre serving several boroughs in southeast London. Their vision is to hire brilliant, diverse staff who provide outstanding care for their patients and continue to educate and innovate for the future of medicine.

The Challenge

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust came to PeopleScout with a challenge. They were, like many other healthcare organisations, struggling to recruit for clinical roles such as nursing.

To address this, our initial objective was to develop a “Why King’s” message for an employer brand campaign. But after conducting focus groups with employees, it became clear that, to fix the attraction issue, we needed to start with employee engagement.

Retention of staff wasn’t an issue—King’s was overarchingly seen as a place where, with the right motivation, employees could grow in their career. The problem was an overall feeling amongst staff that there was a lack of recognition and appreciation from senior leadership. Whilst there was a great deal of pride and loyalty within teams, there was no strong sense of unity across the five sites within the Trust.

Before we could go out with an authentic employer brand message, we needed to show employees that they are valued, encourage staff recognition and galvanize the organisation.

And we needed to do this on a big, Trust-wide scale.

The Strategy           

We designed an employee engagement campaign that would not only recognise employees, but would also be a big, bold, morale-boosting showcase of Kings’ values:

  • Always aiming higher
  • Working together
  • Inspiring confidence in our care

Little did we know just how important this message would become as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world. As the UK began clapping for the NHS in March 2020, we were designing a campaign that would greet the King’s staff on the frontlines and serve as a constant reminder of their incredible work, both before and throughout the pandemic.

This was so much more than an attraction campaign. It was our ‘Big Thank You’ to those who had sacrificed so much to keep us all safe.

Bringing It to Life

Six Days. 166 Participants.

As soon as lockdown restrictions lifted, we safely photographed and filmed people from across a range of clinical and non-clinical roles from all of King’s sites. Staff gave up valuable break time to take part in something that honoured their colleagues as well as recognised their own contributions.

350 Thank-Yous

Using comments made about participating staff members by their colleagues, we created 350 thank-yous—for both individual participants and general messages to all staff.

300 Pieces of Artwork. 18 Installations Across Three Main Sites.

We used the secondary colour palette from the NHS brand to create something that would stand out from the usual NHS blue to celebrate our King’s stars. With 300 pieces of eye-catching collateral in tow, we plastered our larger-than-life installations across three main sites, including a huge projection onto the outside of the hospital at their central location. Images went up on walls; inside and outside of buildings; on fence railings, stairs and windows.

Imagine the feeling: Arriving for another exhausting shift on the COVID frontlines to see a 100-square-meter personalised message of gratitude to you, from your employer, projected on the outside of your workplace for all your colleagues and the local community to see.

That’s recognition on a big scale.

Not only did the installations delight staff, they also expressed the appreciation of King’s leadership and echoed the community’s warmth and gratitude for the Trust and the wider NHS.

Results

In times of unprecedented turmoil, unimaginable pressure and unbelievable sadness, this uplifting campaign created a feeling of belonging, camaraderie and engagement amongst staff. As COVID-19 raged, what had started as an idea to recognise and celebrate those who brought the King’s values to life, evolved to become a wider message for all, “Thank you to all of you, for everything—and whatever comes next, we’re all in this together.”

The campaign has been instrumental in building a sense of pride not just in individual teams, but in the Trust as a whole. We’ve helped create positive advocates who are proud to be Team King’s and who contribute to a culture of recognition and gratitude. As a result of this campaign:

  • There was a 50% increase in the number of recognitions made by staff to their colleagues following the campaign.
  • 13,159 thank-you letters and badges were sent out to all staff.

Their Chief Nurse is beyond thrilled with the results. Not only with the execution (which has also, on a practical level, brightened up some of the older hospital buildings), but with the impact she directly attributes to this campaign—renewed feelings of inclusion, recognition and engagement across the King’s staff.

“You’ve captured the people and heart of King’s and brought our values to life. The staff response to these images has been extraordinary and has created a real buy-in and the internal buzz that we were after.”

Nicola Ranger, Chief Nurse & Executive Director of Midwifery, King’s College Hospital

In addition to the employee engagement benefits, the Trust is leveraging the content in their on-going talent attraction and recruitment efforts via a bespoke careers portal and targeted recruitment marketing campaigns. We created a video for each person we interviewed to showcase King’s employer value proposition (EVP) and communicate the opportunities they offer.  

This feel-good, reputation-healing employee engagement project will have an impact on the King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust workforce for years to come.

AT A GLANCE

  • COMPANY
    King’s College NHS Foundation Trust
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Talent Advisory
  • ABOUT
    King’s College NHS Foundation Trust provides healthcare services through numerous clinics and hospitals, including King’s College Hospital, a leading teaching hospital and trauma centre serving several boroughs in southeast London.
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HR’s 2021 Response Defines Employer Brand in EMEA

Posted on by akessler

HR’s 2021 Response Defines Employer Brand in EMEA

PeopleScout is proud to sponsor this latest installment of HRO Today Flash Reports.

Recruiting in EMEA in 2021 looks radically different than it did at the start of 2020. Download this report, HR’s 2021 Response Defines Employer Brand in EMEA, to learn how candidate experience measurement and employer brand practices have been impacted by COVID-19.

In this report, you’ll learn:

  • Where EMEA employers are dropping the ball on measuring the candidate experience
  • Why investment in employer branding is way up
  • How the role of DE&I in employer branding has changed over the last 12 months

Recruitment Marketing: How to Stand Apart in the Battle for Great Talent

Posted on by nfuqua

Talent attraction means grabbing a candidate’s attention and in this day and age that is not an easy task. Every day, we’re bombarded with between 4,000 and 10,000 ads. Naturally, we don’t give every one of them our full attention; our brains screen out the majority that they consider irrelevant, so we don’t get overwhelmed. Recruitment messages—designed to grow awareness and excitement around job opportunities—are just one subset of ads fighting for our attention in this intense daily contest.

In such a ruthless environment, talent attraction techniques have evolved and adapted. Modern recruitment marketing now draws heavily on consumer marketing practices and technology to ensure that recruiting organisations create clear space between themselves and their competitors. This optimises the likelihood that their messages will receive the attention of the right candidates and fuel growth in healthy pipelines for future vacancies.

This article will walk you through four strategic pillars to succeed in this hugely competitive space for top talent.

Talent Attraction Pillar One: Establishing Your Brand Narrative as a North Star

To attract top talent, you need to tell a vivid story about your unique employer value proposition, or EVP. This proposition should clearly communicate the compelling elements of your employment offer, as well as the behaviors and values you expect of candidates in return.

This narrative allows candidates to make an informed decision about whether your organisation is somewhere they aspire to work and somewhere they can have an influence. But, it also ensures that the people who do go on to apply are in tune with your company values; are motivated to be a part of your team’s mission; and are ready to take on the particular challenges associated with their role.

Recruitment marketing is the task of telling that story—why talent should want to work for you. Specifically, it’s about telling it:

  • To the right people, at the right time
  • Consistently, with targeted content and experiences that develop a candidate’s understanding of—and trust in—your company
  • In exciting and unexpected ways to stand out from the competition

Changing jobs is a significant life event fueled by a complex and highly emotional decision-making process. More than ever, candidates are searching for an employer that exhibits a shared set of values and work that they find meaningful. This is even more apparent in the Millennial and Gen Z members of the workforce. As such, a well-articulated employee value proposition can provoke an emotive response from candidates; give them a first glimpse into your company culture; and differentiate you from your competitors for talent. Without a clearly defined employer brand story, the guiding North Star of your strategy is missing.

Talent Attraction Pillar Two: Build Authenticity & Trust with Your Employees’ Voice

When considering whether to apply for a role, candidates will evaluate the authenticity of your brand claims and develop perceptions of what it’s really like to work for you. Therefore, when it comes to the credibility of your messages, the sources that deliver them are all important. Appetite for glossy corporate advertising is low; candidates are looking for trusted spokespeople to reveal the real story.

  • According to Edelman’s brand trust report, nearly seven in 10 people globally use one or more advertising avoidance strategy.
  • Personal experience, earned media, and peer-to-peer conversations are far more influential than owned media and paid advertising in the battle for brand trust.
  • Industry experts and regular employees are seen as significantly more credible spokespeople for a brand than the company’s CEO.

Similarly, candidates are savvy to corporate clichés and empty promises. Alternatively, they will use resources like Glassdoor and Indeed to seek out the opinions of existing employees who have previously road-tested an employee experience.

Of course, you can’t control everything that’s written about your brand online, but you can empower your most engaged employees to be the voice of your brand by sharing their own experiences. Plus, personal stories will provide you with credible evidence to support your employer value proposition and build credibility amongst your external brand audiences. It can be easy to overcomplicate advocacy; the key is to make it a fun and celebratory process. For instance:  

  • Make sharing simple. There are many content amplification tools that will allow employees to access your employer brand content and repost it to their own social channels in seconds.
  • Introduce a little competition. Award points to employees for sharing their own stories and reposting those of their colleagues.
  • Make advocacy rewarding. What do your advocates get in return for being active brand ambassadors? Social media training? Networking opportunities?

But, don’t just expect employees to go off and create great content; you’ll need to offer support. So, consider setting content creation challenges with detailed guidelines to keep them energised and engaged.

Talent Attraction Pillar Three: Connect to Talent with Data-Driven Insights

Top talent doesn’t need to actively look for new opportunities because, like in the consumer world, offers have already started coming to them. Nowadays, passive and active candidate status is no longer clear cut. Whilst some people are actively looking for jobs, it would be incorrect to label everyone else passive and disinterested in new opportunities.

In fact, candidates expect to be approached with new opportunities. A whopping 70% of candidates are passive—open to new opportunities but not actively seeking them out. In such a competitive market, you need to engage your future workforce before the demand to hire them exists.

So, instead of playing the numbers game and hoping that the right person is out there somewhere, wouldn’t it be better to have an existing relationship with the people we think would be perfect for the job? And, better still, to know exactly their level of interest in new opportunities so that, when we do approach them, we know it’s a welcome advance? Fortunately, this is all made possible if we build high-quality, data-driven talent pipelines that provide recruiters with live insights into candidate interest levels and improve their efficiency. Below are three steps you can take to start building talent pipelines.

talent attraction

Pillar Four: Differentiate Your Brand Through Human Experiences

Let’s reimagine the marketing funnel as the journey of a single candidate. Armed with your compelling employer value proposition, the task throughout this journey is to bring the promises of that proposition to life for candidates and reinforce your brand messages so that they build a preference for your organisation.

In other words, rather than just telling candidates why you should be their preferred choice of employer, show them at every touchpoint.

talent attraction strategy

Remember when we referred to your employer brand as your North Star? This is exactly what we meant by that: Use your employer brand and value proposition as a guiding force when crafting all of your recruitment communications and experiences. The more consistently and distinctively your value proposition is expressed throughout the candidate journey (and beyond into the employee lifecycle), the more your brand reputation will align to the identity that you want to portray.

As an example, if you claim to be an employer that cares about employee wellbeing, show candidates from the start by supporting them through the recruitment process with deep empathy. Likewise, if you claim to be an employer that fosters innovation, ensure that your communications are fresh and different.

The way that candidates experience your organisation throughout the candidate journey will show them everything they need to know about how your company treats customers and colleagues. That perception, once created, is hard to shift. If you treat candidates with dignity and show them how their time is valued, most will walk away from the recruitment process feeling positive about the brand you represent—whether they were successful or not. This means that you’re more likely to be the beneficiary of positive word-of-mouth advertising from that individual, as well as ensure that they’re more likely to reengage with you in the future should another, more appropriate, opportunity arise. That could be next week, next month or next year. The long game matters. A human-centric approach is different and will certainly stand out amongst the numerous companies that still facilitate an impersonal hiring process.

Making The Right Match

When these four strategic pillars work cohesively together, they allow you to seek out top talent and start conversations with potential employees wherever they prefer to consume content. Then, you can convert candidates to the next stage of the recruitment process by delivering content that responds to behavioural triggers and underlying candidate motivations. Finally, you can differentiate your organisation from your competitors with human experiences that bring your employer brand to life in unexpected and exciting ways.

How to Leverage Your Employer Brand to Stand Out in a Sea of Job Openings

Posted on by jpatel

It’s no secret that the pandemic greatly impacted the labour market. Now, employers face a new challenge: Too many job openings and too few workers.

Amid the dual challenges of COVID-19 and Brexit, job openings are at an all-time high—the result of millions of prime-age workers leaving the UK labour market or transitioning to part-time employment. Employers in industries like leisure and hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing and more are struggling to fill open positions with qualified talent. 

So, with all these vacancies, how can employers stand out above the competition to attract the next generation of top talent? It starts with focusing on key candidate touch points—from your employer value proposition (EVP) and employer brand to your recruitment marketing strategy, careers site and application process.  

In this article, we’ll take you along the candidate journey and touch on each aspect you should address to make your open roles stand out in a sea of job openings.

Create an EVP and Employer Brand that Speaks to Your Ideal Candidate  

The ideal candidate journey begins long before the candidate even applies to your job, when they first engage with your employer value proposition and your employer brand. At PeopleScout, we define your EVP, as capturing the essence of your uniqueness as an employer and the give and get between you and your employees. In many ways, your EVP is the foundation of your employer brand—the perception and lived experiences of what it’s like to work for your organisation. 

Your EVP and employer brand carry a lot of weight for the next generation of top talent, because they serve as differentiators between your brand and competitors and allow you to align your organisation’s purpose with your candidates’ passions. It is important to do your research and be aware of what candidates hold in high regard, such as the opportunity for growth personally and professionally or the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. Learn what drives your ideal candidate, identify what drives your organisation’s mission and values, and establish an EVP and employer brand that speaks to both.  

Building an Employer Brand for the Lawyer of the Future 

The Situation:
Linklaters approached us with a talent problem for the ages. They needed an entirely new type of lawyer. The profile Linklaters recruited for in the past would no longer bring them the ideal candidates necessary to secure and expand on their position as a heavyweight global law firm. 

The Research: 
We conducted one-on-one interviews and focus groups with hundreds of professionals in 20 Linklaters offices across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The output of these interviews gave us everything we needed to create the EVP and the framework of the brand on which to build our global advertising campaign. 

The Solution: 
We created an employer value proposition that was a combination of big picture philosophical and a Linklaters-specific selling point. 

GREAT CHANGE IS HERE 

Message: Change is healthy and exciting, as well as unavoidable. Join this modern, international, hugely diverse cohort and you’ll have a truly influential voice that redefines the legal sector and sets you up for an ever-evolving career. 

The Results: 
Glassdoor scores for Linklaters have risen by 8% in the last two years and, importantly, applications from female lawyers—which was a key objective—have increased since the EVP launch. 

How to Communicate Your Employer Brand through Recruitment Marketing  

After evaluating your organisation’s EVP and employer brand, it’s time to showcase both in your recruitment marketing strategies. Digital recruitment marketing is a way for employers to source and attract potential candidates. It can include social media, email marketing, display advertising and more. Consider these three stages when building your recruitment marketing strategy: 

Stage One: Increase Awareness 

When it comes to increasing awareness with recruitment marketing, you want to reach ideal candidates and promote your organisation. To ensure you are marketing yourself properly, it can help to create content that drives a potential candidate to come back to your site, even if they aren’t actively looking for a job. 

For example, acknowledging company accolades and awards can spark interest in your organisation for both active and passive candidates, like this Instagram post from HubSpot. However, content at this stage does not need to be directly correlated to your organisation to be effective. Content regarding professional development and motivation can also lead ideal candidates to inquire further on your website, such as these resume tips from Nestle.   

Stage Two: Generate Interest 

Now that you have increased awareness, the next step is to generate interest. You have succeeded in showcasing your organisation’s knowledge and place in the industry, now it’s time to show what it is like to work at your company. This is where you stress your employer brand—especially via social media—to give potential candidates an inside look as to what it’s like to work for your company.  

A great way of promoting your company culture is giving firsthand experiences from current employees, via quotes about their experience working at your company. 

Social media is a powerful tool that not only generates interest but can also increase applicants for vital roles. For example, PeopleScout helped a manufacturing client increase the number of female applicants and hires in a male-dominated industry through the use of employee spotlights, videos and stories on their social media channels. These posts showcased how women are integrated into the company culture and integral to the organisation’s success, and the client was able to increase female hiring by 3% annually from 2018 to 2021. 

Stage Three: Nurture the Decision 

After increasing awareness and generating interest in your company, it is now time to promote open positions and the benefits, perks and compensation that will come with these roles. The promotion of open roles within your organisation will lead the candidate to your careers site, which plays a pivotal role in the candidate’s journey toward employment with your organisation. Here, it is important to do research on your competitors to see what they are offering for similar open roles. If a competitor is offering better pay, benefits or perks, that can be a deciding factor for an ideal candidate to choose them over your organisation, despite your strong recruitment marketing strategy.  

Build a Careers Site that Stands Out 

At this point in the candidate journey, the potential applicant has made their way to your organisation’s careers site. It’s important to remember that this is not only an area for job postings, but it is also home to many opportunities to stand out above competitors. For example, your careers site is a great place to reiterate the employer value proposition to ensure that the message is carried through every step of the candidate journey. Your careers site should include everything a potential candidate would like to know about working for your organisation. Consider these key areas of opportunity when refreshing your careers site:  

Ensure Accessibility 

In the digital age, it is important to make sure your careers site is user-friendly for those on a computer or a smart phone. This is especially important because 89% of candidates think mobile devices play a critical role in the job hunting process. Unfortunately, if a candidate struggles to navigate your careers site, chances are they won’t be staying on that site for long.

It is also important to make sure your careers site is accessible for those with disabilities. Here are some suggestions from SHRM on how to make your careers site accessible for all:  

  • Screen reader compatibility  
  • Alternative text for images  
  • Color contrast 
  • Keyboard accessibility 
  • Controls for moving content  
  • Captions  
  • Controls for timed content  
  • Labeled forms  
  • Accessible downloadable files  
  • Plain language  

Search Engine Optimisation 

It is important to utilise search engine optimisation on your careers site. This can play a pivotal role in the likelihood of your careers site showing up first over a competitor on major search engines. The usage of keywords and traditional, highly-searched titles will play an important part in helping your roles stand out above your competition. Plus, researching popular keywords can boost your place amongst major search engines, leading potential candidates to your careers site first. Google Analytics and UTM tracking codes are important tools to utilise in your SEO journey to track and report where your clicks are coming from.  

Provide a Personal Touch 

On your career site, adding a personal touch, such as a welcome video, can go a long way. It can help the candidate see the human side of your business; offer an inside look of the facility; and showcase where applicants may fit in within the structure of the organisation.  

This is a great chance to sell the applicant on working for your company and really showcase your company culture. Offer insights, quotes or firsthand experiences from senior leaders to newly brought on employees. Highlight opportunities for growth—both personally and professionally—and provide examples of success stories from your existing employees.  

Let Applicants Know What to Expect 

If the process to apply and interview is not well explained or discussed at all, many applicants may believe their application will get lost amongst others. Be upfront and transparent about what the application and interview process is like and then offer timelines for the applicants. 

Streamline the Application and Interview Process  

Although the candidate has made it this far, you’re not done yet. After all, 80% of the time, candidates don’t finish filling out job applications, according to Glassdoor. To ensure candidates complete your application and interview process, focus on these key aspects to help you stand out:  

  • Mobile-friendly application 
  • Quick response time  
  • Virtual interviews  
  • Automated chat and scheduling 

Consider how technology can help streamline your process in each of the categories listed above. A mobile-friendly application, easy interview scheduling and quick response times can all be enhanced by AI and automation and provide a superior candidate experience. 

Standing Out Beyond the Application 

Despite having a well-built EVP and employer brand, recruitment marketing strategy, careers site and application, the deciding factor for an ideal candidate to choose your organisation will often come down to a strong employment offer. It’s important to keep in mind that if your compensation, perks and benefits (like flexible work options) don’t match up to competitors, ideal candidates in today’s market have the ability to choose to work elsewhere. 

That said, by creating ways to stand out and showcase your EVP and employer brand at each stage of the candidate journey as outlined above, you will be one step closer to securing the top talent your organisation needs.  

The Great Resignation: Turning Turnover Around

Posted on by edyson

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers across all industries faced difficult personnel decisions as organisations were forced to reduce their workforces. Now, as a sense of normalcy and stability returns, employers find themselves facing a new challenge: The Great Resignation.

According to the State of Employee Engagement Q2 2021 global survey conducted by TinyPluse, human resources and C-suite leaders around the world expect that only 8% of their employees will choose to quit once COVID-19 restrictions are fully lifted, whilst one-quarter believes no one will quit. However, executive optimism stands in stark contrast to what employees are doing and saying. In the UK alone, job vacancies hit an all-time high in July, surpassing one million openings. Microsoft research found that 41% of the global workforce was debating leaving their current employer in 2021.

So, how can employers mitigate talent turnover and start building their workforces for the economic recovery? In this article, we’ll explain the Great Resignation, take an in-depth look at what candidates want from employers and provide retention strategies for navigating the current talent landscape.

What is the Great Resignation?

In the wake of the pandemic, workers expect more from their employers. In particular, they want employers to alleviate—or at least acknowledge—their concerns, needs and special circumstances. Notably, organisations that failed to do so have suffered.

Whilst every sector is experiencing an increase in resignations, the healthcare, retail, hospitality and restaurant industries have been hit the hardest. For some workers in these industries, it’s because these jobs have extensive interaction with the public and employees are worried about the risk to their health. Meanwhile, others—especially those in lower-wage jobs—are pivoting to new careers that promise better pay, benefits or rewards.

The Great Resignation is a term coined by researcher Anthony Klotz of Texas A&M University. It refers to the massive, economy-wide increase in job turnover that is expected to accompany the end of COVID-era regulations, business closures and work-from-home mandates. According to Klotz, there is no single factor responsible for the Great Resignation. Rather, numerous motivators are inspiring employees to consider changing jobs.

For instance:

  • Many employees who would have otherwise already quit their jobs stuck with their positions for the duration of the pandemic. And, now that job security is less important, people in this group are preparing to finally make the change they’ve been postponing.
  • The stress of the pandemic contributed to higher levels of employee burnout, which is associated with higher turnover rates.
  • Time away from the workplace has led some people to consider rebalancing their priorities to focus more on their families or hobbies. Others are reevaluating how their careers align with their values and interests.
  • Millions of employees experienced the flexibility and convenience of remote work for the first time during the pandemic. As a result, many do not want to return to the office.

Research from McKinsey, based on surveys of both employers and employees in Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States, shows that employers don’t understand what’s motivating employees to leave. Whilst employers cited compensation, work-life balance and health issues, employees revealed their reasons for leaving were to do with their relationship with the business. In fact, the top three factors for employees who quit were that they didn’t feel valued by the organisation (54%) or their manager (52%) or that they didn’t feel a sense of belonging at work (51%).  

Whilst workers have always cared about their work environments, now there’s an increased willingness to leave a role if dissatisfied.

external recruiting

Retaining Talent During the Great Resignation

With so much riding on successfully retaining talent, it’s particularly important for employers to get it right. As such, employers need to better understand what drives and sustains career satisfaction amongst their employees. Below, we outline strategies for gaining insights into your workforce that can help you better retain talent amid the Great Resignation.

Professional Development & Advancement Opportunities

Well-thought-out professional development and internal mobility programs can provide your employees with opportunities and clear direction on how to increase their skills and advance their careers within your organisation.

“Career management continues to be a top driver of attraction, talent retention and sustainable engagement for most employees,” wrote Laurie Bienstock of Willis Towers Watson in an article published by HR Dive. “Effective career management at many organisations remains elusive. That’s one of the main reasons so many of today’s employees feel they need to leave to advance their careers.”

Fortunately, investing in expanding your employees’ skill sets will not only help them feel more empowered, but they’ll also have more tools to help your organisation—a win-win scenario.

When starting a professional development programme, leverage the expertise you have within your organisation. For instance, senior employees can serve as mentors and help mentees sharpen both their soft skills and technical skills; gain practical knowledge, institutional insights and hands-on guidance; and become more valuable and versatile employees.

Reinforce Your Workplace Culture

As employers transition toward a hybrid work model to address the challenges presented by the pandemic, fostering a workplace culture that is consistent both online and in-person has become more challenging. So, consider what matters most to the employees in your organisation.

If diversity and inclusion is a priority, remote work can provide the opportunity to bring in hires from around the world who otherwise would not be available. Similarly, if professional development and mentorship are most important, think about how online tools can be used to foster these types of relationships.

Employee Benefits & Well-Being

The right employee benefits can be influential when workers are considering resignation. According to research by insurer Drewberry, 51% of workers said they’d like their company to introduce benefits that help them manage their health and well-being.

In the past, benefits have include insurance, equipment allowances or childcare, but now they increasingly cover things like gym memberships or weekly coffee allowances. Benefits focused on employee well-being—such as providing access to counselling, employee assistance programmes or additional annual leave or family leave—can go a long way to engender greater loyalty in your workforce

Conduct Stay Interviews

In some ways, “stay” interviews are similar to exit interviews; they’re both used to identify reasons employees like or dislike their job. They can also uncover concerns or issues that an employer may be unaware of.

However, stay interviews can actually be more valuable than exit interviews because they provide insights that employers can leverage to motivate and retain employees before they decide to leave. Questions to ask during a stay interview include:

  • What keeps you working here?
  • What do you enjoy about your job?
  • What would cause you to leave the company?
  • What would you like to change about your job, team or department?
  • If you could change one thing about the company, what would it be?
  • Have you ever thought about leaving the organisation?
  • What motivates you at work?
  • Do you feel appreciated in your role?
  • Where do you see yourself in five years?

Employers can use the information gleaned from stay interviews to guide company policy; make improvements in corporate culture; and keep talent engaged and wanting to stay. COVID-19 has profoundly changed what employees expect from employers, and attributing record-high resignations simply to salary concerns misses the bigger trends in growing the workplace.

The pandemic has changed the way employees work and how they view their employer. Now, many workers are reflecting on what a quality workplace feels like—and many are willing to quit to find a better one. As a result, reversing the tide of resignations in your organisation requires leaders who care; who engage their teams honestly; and who give workers a sense of purpose, inspiration and motivation to
perform.

Whether that is achieved through flexible work policies, improving benefits, sharing common values or unique career opportunities, it’s essential that you listen to your employees’ needs, keep checking in on them, and work together to create a workplace that is not only able to serve you both, but one that can also make you both happy, as well.

Building an Employer Value Proposition That Speaks to Purpose, Passion & a Growth Mindset

Posted on by nfuqua

Many employers have begun to think about employer value propositions (EVPs) as a transaction, as if an EVP is a contract between an employee and an employer or a “deal” expressing what an employer expects from candidates and what candidates receive in return. But, although it’s an easy way to think about the concept, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

At PeopleScout, we define employer value proposition and employer brand as the following:

  • Employer brand: Your employer brand is the perception and lived experiences of what it’s like to work for your organisation.
  • Employer value proposition: Your employer value proposition, or EVP, captures the essence of your uniqueness as an employer and the give and get between you and your employees.

However, when you look at an EVP simply as a “deal,” you leave out the uniqueness – the human side of equation. That’s because candidates are unique individuals who assess prospective employers based on what’s important to them at that moment. For instance, for one candidate, that could mean finding a workplace that’s like a family to make them feel safe and secure. Alternatively, another candidate at another point in their life could thrive in a fast-paced environment where they’re always staring down a new challenge.

Furthermore, candidates now have unrivaled access to information online and are more mobile. Plus, they’re also accustomed to consumer brand interactions that are personalised, anticipate their needs, and demonstrate cultural values that benefit individuals, communities and the environment. At the same time, candidate expectations are changing in line with our expectations of consumer brands: We want a job to pay the bills, but also one that provides us with a fulfilling experience. As a result, an EVP must address the complex emotional needs of candidates in order to strike a chord – and, notably, the need to align meaning and purpose is becoming the most crucial differentiator. 

So, at PeopleScout, we’ve developed what we call the “Purpose, Passion and Mindset” model. This approach enables employers to draw in the candidates who will succeed and provides flexibility for individuals as their needs and desires change throughout the course of their employment. In this article, we’ll explain how this model works in relation to both candidates and employers, as well as how you can use it to find and hire the best talent for your organisation.  

Purpose 

Purpose is a candidate’s alignment with and willingness to contribute to the vision and values of an organisation. In fact, one study reported by McKinsey found that, out of 100 variables, employees reported that seeing purpose and value in their work was their most motivating factor – even more so than compensation.

Therefore, from an employer perspective, the idea of purpose should be simple to understand and to define: Why does your business exist? Why did it start? What is the vision for the future? Who are the people you need to deliver on that purpose? These are foundational for an employer, but they should also be effectively communicated in employer branding materials; on career sites; and through the employer’s website, social media and other channels.

Conversely, from a candidate or employee perspective, purpose is more fluid. If you ask a candidate where they derive purpose, you may hear answers about five-year goals or work/life balance. And, depending on the circumstances of a candidate’s life, they may be living to work or working to live. Perhaps they’re focused on career growth and looking for a challenge. Or, they may be balancing personal and family obligations with work. In any case, the way a candidate answers that question will provide insight into the type of employer and culture that the candidate is looking for. Therefore, as an employer, you need to understand how your purpose aligns with what candidates want and need – and you need to effectively communicate that to candidates. What are the values that drive your approach to business and your culture?

Sometimes, an employer’s view of purpose and a candidate’s view of purpose can overlap in clear and obvious ways. For example, a healthcare organisation dedicated to providing the best patient care would be an obvious fit for a nurse who derives purpose from providing the best care for their patients. However, it isn’t always so simple. Talent acquisition leaders need to understand the gaps that exist between employer purpose and candidate purpose. And, it can be far too easy to fall into the trap of only focusing on an employer’s purpose and not recognising the needs of candidates. Rather, employers should focus on how a job can help a candidate achieve their goals and find purpose in their lives.

Passion 

Passion is easy to understand on a human level: What gets you out of bed every day? Do you like solving problems? Connecting with people? Helping others achieve goals? Are you passionate about being creative? Telling stories? Creating a perfect product? Helping a team run seamlessly?

Passion is a candidate’s enthusiasm, enjoyment and commitment to mastering the requirements of a role. When an employee is passionate about a role, they are engaged. According to Gallup, 85% of workers are not engaged in their current roles. And, Dale Carnegie Training reports that organisations with engaged workers outperform their peers by 202%. Even so, most employers don’t have a method to effectively understand what a candidate is passionate about.

However, for an employer, passion comes down to the non-negotiables – the pillars of an organisation or the three to five things that help a business fulfill its purpose. When thinking about these pillars, many employers talk about “a sense of restless innovation” or “continuous personal development.” But, instead, talent leaders should think of passion as something that allows an employer to connect with candidates and employees around what the candidate or employee is personally passionate about – whether that’s coming to work for the social interaction with customers; creating a culture of belonging; or working with people who treat each other with respect. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, developing new skills and having an influence.

Bringing these two elements together and aligning the employer and candidate passion tells a candidate that what they can bring to the table will be valued here. So, don’t be tempted to talk about your EVP in terms that are filled with business jargon or seem to be on an epic scale. Instead, speak in human terms about the things that are important to you as a business and help candidates connect your value set with their own.

Mindset 

There are two types of mindset: fixed mindset and growth mindset:

  • Fixed mindset is the belief that one’s talents are innate gifts and not malleable.
  • Growth mindset is the belief that one’s talents can be developed through education and effort.

When we talk about mindset from a candidate’s perspective, it’s about a candidate’s belief about themselves and their basic qualities. These beliefs are rarely measured by employers. 

Meanwhile, as an employer, you can create an environment that fosters one or the other. An employer that fosters a growth mindset is one that invests in its employees, providing development opportunities and stretch assignments. The employer doesn’t just allow people to learn and grow and move within the organisation; rather, it’s a culture where employee growth and development is a defined goal. 

Granted, it can be tempting to think of mindset as a factor that comes to life in the execution of an EVP – as something that is put into place after an EVP has been defined and employer branding materials have been created. But, you can’t foster a growth mindset if it’s the last thing on a checklist.

Instead, employers should approach the concept of mindset as the core of their culture; it should be a thread woven through your EVP. By going back to the concept of EVP as a “deal,” employers that create an environment that fosters a growth mindset will attract candidates who want to learn, grow and contribute more to the organisation during their time there.

And, by focusing on purpose, passion and a growth mindset, employers can build an employer value proposition and employer brand for the future. Because when employers take their EVP beyond the transaction and “deal” to focus on the core of the unique human relationship between employee and employer, they’ll be able to attract the right workers to achieve the mission and purpose of the employer – all while providing a sense of purpose for employees. 

Linklaters: Attracting the Lawyer of the Future with a New Global Employer Brand

Posted on by jpatel
Linklaters: Attracting the Lawyer of the Future with a New Global Employer Brand

Linklaters: Attracting the Lawyer of the Future with a New Global Employer Brand

PeopleScout helped the firm create a global employer brand to attract and retain the best and more diverse legal talent across 30 global offices.

8% % Boost in Glassdoor Scores
27 Jumped 27 Places in Best Global Employer Brand Awards
Increase in Applications from Female Lawyers
Increase in Applications from Female Lawyers

Situation

The world Linklaters was facing was one of rapid, multifaceted and unprecedented transformation. New technologies, sectors and innovations were disrupting the world and dismantling old assumptions about business success and the role of the law.

The profile they had recruited in the past would no longer bring them the candidates necessary to secure and expand on their position as a heavyweight global law firm. Linklaters needed a whole new type of lawyer—a nimble business advisor using their legal expertise and global mindedness to help clients navigate a time of huge complexity.

The problem was that every law firm in the world was chasing this new breed of lawyer.

Linklaters approached PeopleScout to help them define, promote and manage a compelling new global employer brand, allowing the business to cut through the noise as an employer of choice in a ferociously competitive market.

Solution

Knowing, Not Guessing

We met with hundreds of professionals in 20 Linklaters offices across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific including recruitment, HR, hiring managers, associates, graduates and interns to gather insights.

After 17 focus groups in 13 international offices, we had a sense of the key themes which gave us a foundation from which to build the employer value proposition (EVP) and the framework of the employer brand which would inspire our global advertising campaign.

  • Linklaters is global firm with almost unmatched strength across practices and geographies.
  • Linklaters lawyers don’t just embrace the change, they direct it.
  • They are at the epicentre of work that will shape law, commerce, industry, the environment and society for decades to come.
  • The quality of training on offer and the calibre of colleagues to learn from means those who join will never stop learning.

A New EVP – Great Change is Here

We created an employer value proposition (EVP) that was a combination of a big picture philosophy and a Linklaters-specific selling point: GREAT CHANGE IS HERE.

In a time of unprecedented change, this EVP makes progress healthy and exciting. It serves as a foundation for an employer brand that reflects Linklaters as a modern, international, hugely diverse cohort offering employees the opportunity to have an influential voice that redefines the legal sector and sets them up for an ever-evolving career.

Global Relevance

As an international brand with diverse target audiences, we built flexibility into the brand so it would resonate widely across geographies and cultures.

We created four underlying message pillars that we could dial up or down as required to create the right combination of messages with the right geographies.

  1. Human Experts – Collaborate with smart, down-to-earth people on complex issues.
  2. One Team – Multi-jurisdictional work calls for a truly aligned and collaborative environment.
  3. Innovation – Whether you’re solving client problems or setting legal precedent, Linklaters celebrates creative thinking and innovative approaches.
  4. Career Platform – Through prominent projects, high-profile clients, training, support, early exposure, external secondments, Linklaters is investing in their employees’ careers.

Linklaters received a full employer brand toolkit explaining the EVP, the messaging behind the brand, visual design and advertising principles and the tone of voice to be used internationally. We rolled this out to recruiters across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific so that local activity could be fully supported.

Results

The project was a significant success and was shortlisted for Best Global Employer Brand in 2018. Following the launch, the firm’s reputation as a graduate employer improved significantly over several years, rising 27 places from their 2016 position to 19th place in 2021. Glassdoor scores for Linklaters have risen by 8% in the last two years and, importantly, applications from female lawyers—which was a key objective—have increased since the EVP launch.

AT A GLANCE

  • COMPANY
    Linklaters
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Talent Advisory
  • LOCATIONS
    30+ offices across 21 countries in Europe, North America and Asia
  • ABOUT LINKLATERS
    Linklaters in a global law firm specialising in corporate practice areas including mergers and acquisitions, finance, litigation, antitrust and tax.
Contact Us

Diageo: Bringing Iconic Characters to Life with a New Global Employer Brand

Posted on by jpatel
Diageo: Bringing Iconic Characters to Life with a New Global Employer Brand

Diageo: Bringing Iconic Characters to Life with a New Global Employer Brand

You might have heard of Captain Morgan, but have you heard of the parent brand Diageo? PeopleScout helped Diageo, one of the world’s largest alcoholic beverage manufacturers, with a new global employer brand that helped them both celebrate and transcend their iconic brands to attract world class talent across cultures, companies and languages.

26 One Employer Brand Nuanced to Resonate Across 26 Countries
5 Five In-Market Brand Launch Events Plus One Global Webinar
300,000+ + Over 300k Impression on Social Media During Week of Brand Launch

Situation

Diageo has a portfolio of some of the world’s most renowned drinks brands including Guinness, Baileys and Captain Morgan. Even though its drink brands are long established, the Diageo brand itself is less recognisable, particularly in the employment space.

Our challenge was to develop an employer brand that cut through this lack of awareness and inspired people in a wide variety of commercial disciplines all across the world to see themselves at Diageo. The new brand needed to reflect their employer value proposition (EVP) to drive Diageo’s reputation as an employer of choice for world class talent globally and complement the existing corporate brand positioning.

Solution

Our mission was to create and launch a new and compelling employer brand for an employer that was being outshined by its own iconic products.

Delving into the Challenges

We dove into insights gathered from a variety of internal stakeholders—from experienced Diageo colleague to recent hires—across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, India and other parts of APAC. These employees were from several departments like e-commerce, supply chain, marketing, finance, HR, IT and customer management.

We realised that the wide variety of geographies that Diageo covers creates complex challenges for the business, from the differing strengths in consumer brands between markets to talent attraction techniques and cultural nuances relating to alcohol. So, we knew that the new employer brand had to be flexible enough to resonate in different countries and feature local employees as champions to bring it to life.

From an external perspective, a survey revealed that 58% of our target audience had not heard of Diageo. Yet, 78% said they would be interested in working there after we connected the Diageo name to their famous brands. So, we needed to find a way to link the Diageo name to their recognisable products.

A Unique EVP – Character is Everything

We anchored the new employer brand in the history of the organisation: character. People of extraordinary character—like Arthur Guinness, Johnnie Walker and Charles Tanqueray—had built the business from the ground up centuries before. And their spirit lives on, driving every aspect of Diageo in the 21st Century.

The EVP we introduced—Character is Everything—was grounded in the history of their individual products as well as influenced by the characters we met at Diageo. We wanted the brand to be a celebration of their personalities, joy and enthusiasm for Diageo’s famous brands.

An example of the creative PeopleScout talent advisory team created to support Diageo employer brand.

We took Diageo through a comprehensive journey, developing pillars, narratives and collateral that fit into their overall corporate brand.

Tailoring the Employer Brand for Global Talent

We created six brand pillars, ensuring the message was compelling and authentic for audiences divided by geography or job area and then tested the proposition globally to gain buy-in business-wide.

In our narratives and designs, we made Diageo employees the brand heroes, telling local and global stories, and showcasing their characters to bring the Diageo story to life on every channel. The brand imagery was genuine and full of depth—from the smiling faces of real employees to the bold headlines.

We fine-tuned and then launched different iterations of the brand for different geographies. For example, in various African countries, recruiters told us that candidates responded well to messages around supporting the community. We also translated our communications into a range of languages.

The brand was designed to provide enough content and materials for immature markets to roll out independently, while still leaving enough scope and space for innovation in advanced markets.

Setting Diageo Up for Success

Our Talent Advisory team supported the brand launch across the globe, promoting and publicising the new brand. We helped the Talent Engagement Teams to understand the proposition, what tools are available to them and how to use the brand effectively to hire great talent. We also supported internal launch events in which we engaged employees in activities to explain what it means to work for Diageo and the kinds of traits and behaviours they should look for in new hires.

Results

The new EVP and employer brand creative was well received across Diageo.

Launch Events

We hosted five in-market events plus a webinar which had over 500 webinar registrants, over 200 live participants and 30 on-demand views of the recording. These events inspired huge amounts of user-generated content on LinkedIn from employees.

Social Media

Diageo executed a series of posts across their social media channels under a unique branded hashtag, #characteriseverything, generating a huge amount of activity and traffic during the first week.

  • 329,472 overall impressions
  • 6,257 clicks plus 2,936 click-throughs to the Diageo career site
  • 2,986 likes
  • 179 shares
  • 72 comments
  • 3.19% overall engagement rate (well above industry average)

Global Reach

Activations of the brand have now reached 26 markets. So far, we’ve worked on:

  • A film to support recruitment in Budapest
  • Brand activation project for hiring in Korea
  • Communications for Diageo’s global ATS platform
  • A revamped toolkit for employee reward
  • Recruitment event collateral for Venezuela
  • A recruitment marketing campaign for early careers within the supply chain division
  • An internal communication project for the Diageo’s migration to Workday

We’ve gained evidence across a number of campaigns that the new employer brand is altering perceptions and boosting awareness of Diageo. There has been a great response internally too. Not only were we over-subscribed for brand champion volunteers, focus group feedback is showing an upswing in pride around the Character is Everything message.

AT A GLANCE

  • COMPANY
    Diageo
  • INDUSTRY
    Food & Beverage
  • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS
    Talent Advisory
  • LOCATIONS
    The refreshed Diageo employer brand was flexed to resonate in 26 different countries including Budapest, Korea and Venezuela.
  • ABOUT DIAGEO
    Diageo is one of the world’s largest producers of spirits and beers including iconic brands like Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker. With over 27,00 employees, their 200+ brands are sold in 180 countries.
Contact Us

Feedback Loop: The Key to a Strong Employer Brand (That You’re Probably Missing)

Posted on by nfuqua

A good candidate experience is based on a strong employer brand. But, many employers are missing basic steps that can have a drastic influence on how candidates perceive those organisations. In particular, they’re lacking processes to provide feedback to candidates and gather feedback from candidates.

In the recruitment process, feedback should go both ways. Employers should gather feedback from candidates about the experience, but they should also provide feedback – especially to candidates who make it deep into the selection process.

The Candidate Experience Gap

When employers around the globe rate the candidate experience they provide, they often give themselves good scores. However, when candidates are asked to rate their experience, they often have a very different opinion.

For example, in recent surveys by HRO Today and PeopleScout, 65% of companies in North America; 59% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and 84% in Asia-Pacific (APAC) rated their candidate experience as “good” or “excellent.” At the same time, only 5% of candidates in both regions rated their experience as excellent.

That is a massive gap and, at the end of the day, it’s the candidate’s opinion that matters. That’s because the effect of a bad experience can be severe. In fact, research by Deloitte shows that 80% of disappointed candidates will share their experience – and that has serious consequences for an organisation’s employer brand.

Additionally, candidates are consumers. In research we completed with one of our telecom clients, we found that disappointed candidates actually canceled the service of that employer – and the potential impact of this was was worth millions of dollars to the bottom line based on the number of applications received in a typical year.

Finally, a bad candidate experience can also mean that employers miss out on the best talent. If another company offers a strong candidate a better experience, that candidate will likely choose that employer. This gap also illustrates that, while employers need to provide a good candidate experience, they also need the right metrics to determine just how good their experience is. And, where should that data be coming from? Candidate feedback.

Gathering Candidate Feedback

In the same HRO Today and PeopleScout surveys, employers reported significant challenges in capturing candidate feedback. In EMEA, 39% of employers said that one of their top candidate experience challenges was that they had “no formal way to capture candidate feedback.” On the flip side, only 26% of respondents in EMEA always ask for candidate feedback, whereas 44% never ask for it.

In North America, the numbers are only slightly better. In that survey, 31% of respondents rated “no way to capture candidate feedback” as a top challenge. And, while 32% reported that they never asked for feedback, only 21% claimed that they always did.

Similarly, in APAC, 23% of respondents cited “no way to capture candidate feedback” as a top challenge. However, far more employers in the region said they already collected feedback. Specifically, 46% said that they always did, while just 10% reported that they never did.

no formal way to capture canddiate feedback grahp
frequency of measuring candidate experience graph

Why is this so important? At PeopleScout, we work with clients to develop and test authentic employer value propositions and employer branding materials based on research, and a critical component of that research is understanding how candidates perceive an organisation. A strong employer brand evolves over time as talent acquisition teams constantly test small adjustments; without candidate feedback, employers won’t know if those adjustments resonate with candidates.

We all know the process for providing feedback in the consumer space. After we get food delivered, we get a pop-up on our phone asking if we liked the food and how the driver did. Likewise, if we purchase a new pair of jeans or a television, we receive an email asking us to write a review of the product. Companies can then use that information to improve their products and services.

In the same way, the practice of asking for feedback should be integrated throughout the candidate experience. This can mean a screen at the end of an application asking the candidate to rate the application. Or, it can be a short text sent to a candidate asking them to rate their virtual interviewing experience after they complete an on-demand interview. It could also be a short questionnaire sent after a candidate completes a final interview – asking if the interviewer was on time and prepared, or if the candidate felt as though they were able to showcase their strengths.

Providing Feedback

As important as it is to gather candidate feedback, the feedback flow can’t just move in one direction. Employers should also provide feedback – especially to candidates who make it to the final round of interviewing. Unfortunately, the likelihood of that is greatly dependent on location.

The HRO Today and PeopleScout survey found that, in EMEA, more than half of respondents made it standard practice to provide feedback after a face-to-face interview, while only 13% of employers never provided it. However, the situation is vastly different in North America, where only 21% of employers reported that they always provided feedback, while 39% never did. In APAC, the numbers landed in the middle, with 38% of employers stating that they always provided feedback and 12% saying that they never did.

feedback to candidates after face to face interviews

This is a significant missed opportunity for employers. By the time a candidate reaches the final interview stage, not only have they invested a considerable amount of time and effort into an organisation, but the employer has also poured a considerable amount of time, effort and money into recruiting this candidate. As such, a candidate who has invested so much time and effort into an employer can only feel an even deeper sting from a rejection, as compared to a candidate who failed to advance earlier in the process. Plus, in Europe, one survey found that candidates ranked providing feedback and providing a reason for rejection as two of the top three most important components in delivering a positive candidate experience. The only other factor in the top three was providing a short, easy application.

Additionally, by the time a candidate reaches the final interview, the recruiter and hiring manager have clearly seen potential for that candidate to be a great employee. And, while a candidate who finishes in second or third place in the recruitment process may not be the best fit for that role at that time, the candidate still has the potential to be a great employee at some point in the future. This makes it even more critical to provide meaningful feedback.

More precisely, providing feedback at this point in the process accomplishes two major things for candidates: First, it provides candidates with something in exchange for the time and effort they’ve put into your organisation. While the candidate may or may not have received a job offer, feedback that they can use as they move forward in their career is the next-best outcome; often, candidates may receive a generic email or – even worse – no communication at all. Additionally, the feedback provides candidates with actionable steps that they can take going forward if they want to apply to your company again in the future. If the candidate was a close match, the feedback you provide after this interview could help them become the ideal candidate the next time they apply.

Feedback Loop

These surveys reveal critical information about the importance of feedback – both gathering it from candidates and providing it to candidates – at a critical time for employers. With high unemployment across the globe due to COVID-19 and the upcoming “Great Rehire” as world economies recover, employers are already seeing large application volumes and will soon see increased competition for talent.

That combination makes a good candidate experience especially important: When a large number of candidates have a bad experience, it can do significant damage to an organisation’s employer brand. Furthermore, the best candidates won’t stay on the job market for long. A poor experience can mean losing out on the best talent at a time when the right people can aid in a strong recovery. Therefore, now is the best time for employers to develop their processes for giving and receiving feedback.