What does an average work week look like for you?
I recently made the leap from internal to external; from employee to entrepreneur. After six years with Comcast, I’ve stepped outside of the organization in order to further pursue employment branding and candidate experience in different ways and address new challenges with other companies. So right now I’m balancing two roles: 1) Storytelling Producer and 2) EB Consultant. I’ve been fortunate enough to join a video agency, Tweed Video, in order to continue producing realistic job preview videos and corporate stories, which we have done together for the last three years for Comcast.
In an average week, I’m spending my time side-by-side with video editors and animators, then going on site to plan and produce video content. A big part of my preparation involves spending time with our subjects, digging into what’s critical to know and express about their jobs and uncovering simply who they are — in my experience it has been vital to humanize the brand, and video is the best way to do that.
Why is your work important in the field of talent acquisition?
I do not come from a recruitment background. I am a designer, communicator and initially, a proud employee. I approach my efforts in consideration of the candidate and the employee experience. I believe in honesty and transparency — it’s vital to building teams of individuals who are aligned and ultimately happy with one another. Video can share culture, personality, grit and critical attributes; there’s really no better way to express all of this in a scalable way.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve seen in developing a strong EB?
Resources. I know more organizations are recognizing the importance of the employment brand, but not enough organizations build dedicated Talent Attraction/EB teams. Recruiters and HR professionals have a lot on their plates and it’s so difficult to shift between the different focuses. It takes time and research — what I believe is that an employment brand cannot be composed it must be exposed. Your employment brand is an anthropological effort – you need to study your people and share their stories. This requires time and resources – a big challenge for most!
What are your thoughts on the future of employment branding?
I have 2 simple philosophies: Top talent is happy talent. And what makes a company a great place to work, is loving who you work with. The relationship with your colleagues is a large part of your relationship with the employer, so I’m looking forward to more focus being spent on introducing colleagues to candidates within the EB and finding ways to spark chemistry within the interview process.
What is the best measure of an employer brand?
One could measure an employer brand in two ways. The first is how of-the-moment the EB is. If I visit a company’s careers site and I notice that stock imagery is being used (stop that!) or check out their careers social accounts and notice they have gone silent, I know that nobody is paying attention to the EB. Poor EB. Secondly, and the most important measure can be found in the quality of candidates and hires. How informed are they when they arrive for an interview or the first day of work? If the answer is, “not so much,” then your EB is failing. All of this being said I want to note that employment branding does not end within the attraction tactics of marketing and advertising — it must be consistent within the candidate experience as well. This is what leads to happy, well informed, brand-loving, hires.
Why did you decide to participate as a speaker at eBrandCon?
This conference is where EB professionals can come together in order to influence the direction of employment branding. I look forward to the types of discussion we will find ourselves in at my workshop, in the other speaker’s sessions, and outside of the conference!
How is Ebrandcon different than other TA events?
It’s really refreshing to have a conference that is dedicated specifically to EB. It’s a great way to connect with like-minded folks who are going down the same unique, and still new, path. We’re growing together – it’s exciting.
What major takeaway will attendees learn from your workshop?
This is going to be hands-on and involve discussion. The workshop is focused on 2 key areas: uncovering your company’s unique stories and how to build brand ambassadors to share them. I encourage attendees to arrive early and take advantage of a great opportunity to produce something you can head back to the office with! If attendees come prepared with the beginning of an employee story we can discuss their specific approach and execution.
Who should attend your workshop at #EBrandCon?
Individuals who want to better integrate storytelling and brand ambassadors into their EB strategy.For those who have not yet leveraged their proud and faithful employees to amplify their employment stories through street teams and social media, we’ll walk through all the clever ways you can internally educate and make it happen.
Any last words of wisdom?
If you’re leading the charge on your company’s employment brand, don’t miss this conference. This is a great opportunity to meet the folks who are working on the same challenges you’re facing, who are thinking differently, trying new things, and are sharing that expertise. You’ll walk away revived and with a whole new network. Hope to see you in Chicago!
By Kristin Dudley, Producer at Tweed Video & Founder, Candidate Chemistry