How to Protect Your Employer Brand While Hiring

If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that having – and protecting – a strong employer brand is incredibly important. There was, for a while, a list of companies who had treated their employees poorly circulating on social media platforms. This included some really big name British “staples”.

And that type of publicity is not easily forgotten. I’ve heard many people comment that they will no longer use a certain brand (or their services) as a result of how they behaved towards their staff during the Covid lockdowns, for example, or their association with a particular celebrity.

It’s the kind of employer brand damage that is likely to have a lasting impact on these particular companies’ ability to hire – and, specifically, to hire talented, motivated candidates.

That’s why, when I am working with my clients on a particular recruitment assignment, I advocate that they work with me exclusively for the sake of controlling their narrative and having their employer brand represented positively and accurately.

Think about it like this: You are responsible for hiring a HR manager for your business. You think that giving the job to five agencies will give you more coverage, therefore increasing your chances of finding the right candidate. You speak with five different recruitment consultants, who all ask different questions (which, in turn, prompts different responses from you). Each of these consultants now have a slightly different version of your business; your culture; your brand.

You can see where I’m going with this …

Several different voices all telling different stories to potential candidates. It’s not necessarily going to do your employer brand any favours – at time when it needs positivity and protection more than ever.

More than that – are these five different agencies going to give your role (which is your priority) their all? Five different agencies working on a job have a 20% chance of filling that position … So you risk that the recruiter in question only gives your role 20% of their time and attention (potentially doing your employer brand an even further disservice).

When I work exclusively with clients, it gives me the chance to really get to know a business. I’ll learn what type of candidates thrive there; what the culture is like; what the workload is like; what the potential for career progression is. And, because I really know and understand my clients and what they are looking for, I’m able to give candidates the most accurate depiction possible of what their potential employer has in store for them.

This, in turn, can lead to greater longevity and an individual having a long and fruitful career with that employer – reducing the risk of having to spend more to re-hire down the line.

When I’m working a role exclusively or retained, it means that the client gets 100% of my attention for not a penny more than they would pay to offer the role out to several agencies.

And – as well as having a dedicated recruitment resource who is essentially an extension of your business – you can rest safe in the knowledge that your employer brand is being represented positively and transparently. There will be no miscommunication with one agency saying one thing and another agency saying another.

You will have control of your own narrative in an era when online presence, reviews and public perception has never been more important.

HRC Recruitment source talent across the Professional Services space, helping you attract talented candidates who will give your business the support you need. Click here to drop me an email to find out how I can help.