Dive Brief:

• When evaluating job prospects, potential hires pay close attention to a company's culture, according to Hinge Research Institute's employer branding study released July 20. More than half (57%) of job seekers surveyed across all career levels said they consider culture as important as salary.  
• In addition to culture and compensation, job seekers also said they place substantial value on opportunities for career advancement, challenging work and strong leadership. Recruiter respondents said both cultural fit along with work history and experience are the top criteria for hiring candidates. Recruiters identified technical skills and soft skills as important criteria as well.
• When analyzing the data by job level, salary and professional growth opportunities were most important to entry-level job seekers. Meanwhile, for mid-level job seekers, the deciding factors are salary, followed by company culture and a clear vision for the future. Senior level or leadership job seekers "were the only career level to place 'the people/team they would be working with directly' as a top-five deciding factor," according to Hinge Research Institute. But the top deciding factors were salary and company culture. Senior-level job seekers also said they value the ability to work remotely, though it is not a deciding factor. Approximately 1,034 professionals across 10 industry groups around the world responded to the survey. 

Dive Insight:

Employer branding amid the COVID-19 pandemic can attract or deter job seekers, experts say. "In today's crisis environment, potential hires are taking a hard look at whether prospective employers' values are aligned with theirs, while recruiters are putting a premium on maintaining a healthy workplace culture," Lee Frederiksen, managing partner of Hinge Research Institute, said in a statement. 

How employers communicate with employees during times of crisis can have an impact on how a company is perceived by future workers, according to Randstad. An employer's brand strategy must include transparency, Jeanne Schad, talent solutions and strategy practice leader at Randstad RiseSmart, said during a webinar on employer branding. "When we need people to be productive right now, it's so important to build their trust," Schad said. And trust comes when employers show compassion or empathy, Francesca Campalani, Randstad Enterprise Group vice president of global talent marketing, said.

Hinge Research Institute recommended that companies that had an inadequate or slow COVID-19 response remedy the situation. "Most employees are looking for flexibility and empathy as they struggle to balance the responsibilities of work and home," the report said. The organization also said that when enhancing employer branding to attract talent, employers should find methods to set their organization's culture apart from competitors, and create a highly-visible narrative.