How Brand Authenticity Attracts Top Talent
April 28, 2022 – In executive recruitment, brand authenticity is becoming an increasingly important moral obligation and tool to attract top talent from your industry. With COVID-19 restrictions loosening up across the nation, more candidates are looking to get back in the office with a company they can trust. The core elements of brand authenticity lie in integrity, transparency, and credibility, says a recent report from Govig & Associates.
“Maintaining a moral backbone draws the right candidates to your doorstep,” said the Scottsdale, AZ-based search firm. “But what does business morality mean? In simple terms, morality is the act of enabling people to perform honestly. In business, it starts by leading with ethics and treating your employees and customers right. Operating your company with integrity will have lasting positive effects on your organization’s reputation and employer brand.”
Have you ever gotten a job and been disappointed within your first few days at the company? “This means there was a disconnect between how you perceived the company during the hiring process vs. the realities of your role and organization,” said Govig & Associates. “Avoid this pitfall by having clear-cut messaging that addresses your company’s operations, purpose, values, and culture. Being transparent about what your candidates can expect when working for you will strengthen their trust as well as prevent employee turnover and increase employee retention.”
Encourage Brand Advocacy
It is critical to make sure the people you employ have good things to say about the business you’re running. Check-in every so often and ensure your work family is satisfied with the jobs they perform and the work they do. “Oftentimes, when new talent considers a position, they reach out via platforms such as LinkedIn or Glassdoor to gain insider perspectives on what it’s like working for your company,” said the search firm. “If your team is empowered by their work, they will gladly advocate for your organization to prospective candidates.”
Related: Tempting Talent Reveals Wide Gender Pay Gap Across U.S. Executive Search Sector
Spreading awareness of your brand via social media is crucial to attracting the right candidates. Govig & Associates said it is important to focus your efforts on building up the platforms that make the most sense for your target audiences such as LinkedIn, Instagram, or YouTube. Use these channels to reinforce your company’s purpose and share your value proposition in the market. Make the content effective, appealing, and easily digestible in a way that seamlessly matches your brand’s voice.
Focus on Branding
Good branding provides your recruiters with a higher caliber of candidates instead of a higher volume. “In the long run, you and your team will be thankful for the strides you made early on to establish your brand in its most authentic light,” said Govig & Associates. “People these days are less willing to compromise on their values and happiness in a position, so being straightforward early on weeds out who doesn’t align with the brand’s vision.”
Referrals, Reputation & Your Recruitment Brand
Design an identity around your recruitment website, not the other way around, says Jack Saxton of Tempting Talent. Building a brand revolves around telling a story about your business. Start on the candidate journey, he suggests, and maybe even storyboard it. This narrative will ultimately help boost referrals. In the end, incentives might even be unnecessary.
“As industries across the nation advance the ways in which they recruit top talent, we will continue to see authenticity take precedent,” said the search firm. “By weaving these elements into the core of your business standards, top industry talent will gravitate to your doorstep and the hiring process will yield more promise than ever before.”
Founded in 1978, Govig & Associates has a track record of successfully completing large hiring initiatives as well as individual searches for professionals in its industries. The firm has five divisions that operate across North America within the following industries: biotech and pharmaceutical, building products, construction, healthcare, and the Arizona market. Govig & Associates is home to over 80 executive search professionals with an average tenure across the entire staff of more than eight years. In recent years, the firm has been listed as one of Phoenix Business Journal’s Best Places to Work and Office of the Decade within the MRINetwork.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
