The truth about great employer brands (that everyone seems to miss)
Vincent O’Donoghue, CRO and co-founder of SocialTalent
Your employer brand should give an indication of what it’s really like inside the four walls of the office. Most companies make some effort to define this, but doing it well is a little more tricky.
Cash, conmen and coffee: The changing face of employer brands
Employer brands have been on a bit of a journey.
Back in the day, all that really mattered was compensation. Salary. Health benefits. Holiday. And hey - we all know that stuff is still pretty important! But that’s where it ended for the employer brand (and still does for a lot of businesses).
Then came the era of the cover-up. Corporate conmen hiding an aggressive, unwelcoming culture behind shiny websites with images of fake offices and fake employees. Sound familiar?
And finally the era of ‘fun’, driven by fast-moving tech companies. This new wave of employer brands sold the dream of informal, open-plan offices with speciality coffee and free beer on tap. Why work for a boring corporate when you could join us and play ping-pong with our office dog?
The truth is, none of this really matters. The best talent wants something much bigger. They want fulfilment.
Selling the struggle: How to get the attention of the best talent
Bryan Adams, CEO and founder of Ph.Creative, recently gave a brilliant talk at Talent Acquisition Week 2020. He argued that to sell fulfilment, you need to sell the struggle that gets you there. Struggle sells because it makes reaching the end destination worthwhile.
Look at the classic three act Hollywood movie structure. Act one: you discover the hero and their goals - and the obstacles in their way. Act two: conflicts escalate, more challenges emerge and the hero struggles through. Act three: the hero overcomes the obstacles and reaches their goal.
There’s a reason why this structure has persisted from the theatre of ancient Greece. People are drawn to the story of overcoming struggle because they know it leads to excellence. You can see this in the 10,000 hours theory - the amount of practice it takes to become an expert in any field.
The lesson for brands wanting to attract great talent is simple. The best people don’t just like hearing stories of struggle. They want to be part of one.
Great candidates don’t want to know how comfortable they’ll be working with you. They want to know how hard it will be, and ultimately be part of a team working to overcome them.
Where next for your employer brand?
How can you put this all into practice? At SocialTalent, we have helped some of the best brands in the world build their own distinct employer brands. Building on this idea of selling the struggle, we believe a great employer brand is about communicating four things - what we call ‘the four Ps’.
The four Ps of great employer brands
Perspiration
Sell your struggle. The best talent wants to earn success - and be part of the team achieving it.
Purpose
Why do you do what you do? What are you struggling for? Think about why your work matters.
Progress
What’s your end destination? What are you changing? Top candidates want to move a business, or even a whole industry forward.
Personal growth
Finally, what does this mean for the individual? When a candidate looks at your company, what will being part of your struggle help them to achieve? How will they grow personally and professionally?
Fundamentally, this is about understanding what people want, and showing them how you can give it to them.
Prioritise the best talent. Uncover your struggle. And see where it can take your employer brand.
SocialTalent is the training platform for hiring teams. Learn more at www.socialtalent.com.