Dive Brief:
- A candidate's experience during the hiring process is part of an overall brand experience, meaning employers must take care to craft each step, according to a March 4 report from Modern Hire.
- Employers should ensure their brand comes through in a strong, seamless hiring experience, Modern Hire recommended. And candidate engagement in that process is crucial, it said, not only to communicate information about the job and the business, but also to treat candidates with dignity.
- Such efforts can ensure an employer remains competitive this year and beyond, the organization said.
Dive Insight:
Branding in the hiring process isn't necessarily a new idea, but the prioritization of candidate dignity through that effort has gained attention in recent years.
In late 2019, a survey revealed that CHROs were increasingly involved in corporate branding, in part to accommodate candidates' interest in employers that take stands on social issues. And last year, as the world grappled with a pandemic, those efforts included themes of empathy, community and support, according to an April 2020 report from LinkedIn.
But such efforts must be authentic, experts say, to avoid backfiring and driving turnover. In a white paper from Alexander Mann Solutions, the organization's global head of employer brand and experience said employee value propositions must serve as the starting point. "The truth is [EVPs] already live and breathe within an organisation and just need to be defined and brought to life through authentic storytelling," Sondra Dryer, global head of employer brand & candidate attraction at Alexander Mann, said.
