In today's job market, individuals seeking employment are adopting a more strategic approach and emphasizing the reputation of potential employers when making important career choices. Consequently, organizations have grown increasingly attentive to the significance of their employer brand.
The increased use of social media in online recruitment and business has effectively unveiled the inner workings of companies as employers, shifting the focus from merely being consumer brands. However, it's essential to recognize that employer branding goes beyond sharing playful social media updates about activities like companywide yoga classes or office pets.
Numerous strategies exist to enhance your employer brand; one valuable tool in this endeavor is an ATS software.
What is Employer Branding?
Employer branding is the process of shaping and managing an organization's reputation and image as an employer. It involves the strategies and efforts undertaken by a company to attract, engage, and retain top talent by showcasing its unique culture, values, workplace environment, and overall employee experience. A robust corporate image as an employer can set a company apart in the highly competitive job market, draw in well-suited applicants, and enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty. Moreover, it significantly shapes how prospective job seekers and existing staff view and engage with the organization.
Why is Employer Branding Important?
Employer branding is essential for several reasons:
1. Attracts Top Talent
A strong employer brand helps organizations attract high-quality candidates aligned with the company's culture and values. This can lead to a more skilled and motivated workforce.
2. Reduces Recruitment Costs
When an organization has a positive employer brand, it becomes easier to recruit talent. Companies with a strong reputation may receive more organic job applications and spend less on advertising and recruiting agencies.
3. Enhances Employee Retention
Employees tend to have a stronger commitment to a company that has a positive image as an employer. This, in turn, leads to decreased turnover rates and reduced expenses related to recruiting and onboarding new employees.
4. Improves Employee Morale
A favorable employer reputation nurtures a feeling of pride and a sense of belonging among the workforce. When employees feel valued and proud of where they work, it can lead to higher job satisfaction and productivity.
5. Builds Trust and Credibility
A reputable employer brand builds trust with current and potential employees. It demonstrates that the company is committed to creating a positive work environment and treating its employees well.
Ways an ATS Can Be Beneficial
While it's common to associate employer branding solely with social media activity and online employee feedback, it's crucial to recognize that jobseekers also influence your employer brand. In essence, "candidate experience" and "employer brand" are interconnected and mutually reinforcing concepts.
Additionally, the survey segmented the experience into five distinct stages:
1. Assessment
During this phase, candidates evaluate the job market and the qualifications to comprehend the available opportunities.
2. Exploration
In this stage, a candidate delves more deeply into a particular company and its organizational culture.
3. Engagement
In the engagement stage, candidates actively apply for positions and continually research companies in preparation for interviews.
4. Interaction
This stage occurs when candidates and potential employers engage in interactions such as interviews, receiving hiring updates, and receiving job offers.
5. Onboarding
This stage encompasses employment screening, clarifying expectations with your new manager, and any communication between accepting an offer and the actual start date.
Among the surveyed candidates, more than half (58%) identified the action and engagement stages as the phases that had the most negative impact on their overall experience.
Prospective employees anticipate receiving the same respect and responsibility as those working in the organization. If you adhere to this principle, it's likely to enhance your employer brand significantly. However, given the many aspects to manage, how can you effectively stay on top? Employing an applicant tracking system can assist you in structuring and streamlining your employer branding endeavors.
Elevating Your Employer Brand with ATS
An applicant tracking system monitor, evaluate, and store information about potential candidates. Nevertheless, contemporary ATS encompasses numerous features that enhance candidates' experiences and uphold your employer brand.
Below, you'll find five features to delve into
A survey found that 89% of job seekers rely on an employer's career site for important information. Integrating a career page or applicant portal by incorporating your logo, color schemes, and unique fonts enables you to uphold brand uniformity throughout your website, applicant tracking system (ATS), and various social media platforms. A branded site or portal also presents an excellent opportunity to highlight the information that candidates find most valuable when making career decisions, including
The company's culture and core values
Any enticing perks or benefits offered
The organization's mission and long-term vision
2. Streamlined Social Integration
According to SHRM, 60% of applicants abandon an online application if it is simple enough. Creating an impression that candidates must navigate numerous hurdles to be considered often leads to negative perceptions of the organization. Furthermore, more qualified candidates may opt to take their skills elsewhere.
Incorporating social integration into your ATS offers candidates a simplified and more appealing application process through social media platforms. This enables job seekers to take immediate action rather than filling out extensive application forms. Additionally, it facilitates companies in cross-posting job descriptions and expanding their reach to a broader pool of top talent, thereby enhancing their brand visibility locally and globally.
3. Automated and Timely Notifications
Among job seekers, two of the most significant sources of frustration are the lack of communication from potential employers and unclear communication expectations. CareerBuilder research revealed that 81% of job seekers believe their experience would significantly improve if employers provided ongoing status updates.
With the help of an ATS, you can establish automated notifications for various stages within your hiring process, ensuring that candidates feel informed or left in the dark. Many ATSs also offer the capability to generate trigger notifications or schedule reminders, preventing your recruitment team from overlooking the importance of keeping candidates updated.
4. Effective Onboarding
CareerBuilder research revealed that 40% of job seekers have experienced limited or no communication from their new employers between accepting a job offer and their first day at work. This lack of communication can create uncertainty and confusion among new hires, potentially harming your reputation as an employer.
Whether sending a comprehensive list of essential resources to a new hire or identifying areas in your onboarding process that need improvement, ATSs frequently provide an array of checklists, templates, and reports to assist you in organizing, simplifying, and assessing your onboarding procedures.
5. The Positive Effect
The feedback from your employees doesn't solely influence the employer brand; it extends to how you engage with prospective job candidates. Leveraging an ATS to automate and streamline your hiring procedures enables you to enhance the candidate experience effortlessly, ultimately elevating your status as an employer and your capacity to draw in high-caliber talent.
Conclusion
In the current competitive job market, the employer's brand is of utmost importance in attracting and retaining top talent. It goes beyond just what your current employees say about your company; it encompasses how you treat potential job candidates throughout the hiring process. To excel in this aspect, an ATS proves invaluable, offering a range of advantages to enhance your employer brand.
By customizing your career site or applicant portal, integrating social media, automating notifications, and streamlining the onboarding process, an ATS helps you create a seamless and positive candidate experience. This boosts your reputation as an employer and positions you to attract the best talent in your industry.
Remember that employer branding is a continuous effort. As you employ these ATS advantages, you can steadily cultivate a strong employer brand that resonates with job seekers and current employees. Investing in your employer brand strengthens your organization and propels it to thrive in the ever-evolving job market.