Employer Branding For Dummies
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An employer value proposition (EVP) defines the key qualities you want to be associated with as an employer. The EVP consists of a core positioning statement supported by three to five pillars, which provide a consistent focal point for all your brand-building activities:
  • Core positioning: The one key quality you most want to be associated with you as an employer
  • Pillars: The three to five qualities that further define the key components of your employment offer
Here are a few suggestions for developing an effective EVP, including the support you need to make it stick:
  • Establish your employer brand objectives. Decide what you're trying to achieve and your relative priorities (for example, external attraction versus internal engagement and retention).
  • Do your homework. Find out what current employees and potential candidates think about your company as an employer, to what degree this matches their needs and aspirations, and how you measure up against your leading talent competitors.
  • Gather the right people. Invite representatives from key stakeholder groups to participate in the development process, including representatives from HR, talent management and resourcing, marketing and communications, and where possible, line management.
  • Conduct an EVP workshop. Run a brainstorming session to explore research findings, gather further insights, and generate a potential list of ingredients for your core positioning statement and pillars.
  • Clarify the give and get of the employment deal. What does the company need from employees and what is it willing to offer employees in return? Think beyond financial compensation.
  • Balance strength and stretch. An effective EVP reflects current strengths but also incorporates realistic future aspirations.
  • Differentiate your company from its competition. Far too many companies take a "me too" approach to employer branding, ending up looking and sounding the same as many other employers. Be distinctive by offering your employees a unique experience and then marketing that experience in a creative way.

Delivering a reliably good employer brand is seldom sufficient to win the war for talent. To become an employer brand leader, you need to progress from being reliably good in most areas to distinctively great in those areas you choose to focus on to distinguish your brand from all others.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Richard Mosley, Universum's Global Head of Strategy, is widely recognized as a leading global authority on the subject of employer branding. He regularly chairs or delivers keynote presentations at many of the world's leading employer brand events.
Lars Schmidt, Founder of Amplify Talent and Cofounder of HR Open Source, is a leading strategy consultant, speaker, and writer in the fields of employer branding and recruiting.

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