In today’s tough recruitment market, it is more important than ever for organizations in the building materials industry to be proactive and creative when it comes to attracting new talent. Employer brand building is becoming non-negotiable for LBM retail dealers and is an essential part finding high quality candidates to join them. Leveraging employer brand is a very effective way for companies to show potential employees why they should want to work for them, as well as increase employee retention and satisfaction.
Employer brand refers to an organization’s reputation as an employer as well as how potential employees view their organization. It conveys why they should want to work for that company and offers a clear message about the organization and who they are as a business. Employer brand is unique to each company based on what sets it apart as an employer and there are many aspects that make up an employer brand, such as company culture, values, work environment, salary, and training and development opportunities.
Once you know what your employer brand is, it is essential for a business to properly convey their employer brand on both a micro and macro level.
Store Level
Leveraging employer brand at the store level takes place primarily internally. This begins with the vision and leadership of the organization, and how the values and mission of the business are conveyed to its employees. Employer brand is also conveyed in the onboarding and training process of an organization by indicating elements such as mission and values, salary and benefits, and company culture to new employees. When employees are engaged in employer brand it helps convey who the company is on a wider level because happy employees will provide more engaged and high-quality service to customers (and potential employees), contributing to a more positive overall business reputation.
Community Level
Next, employer brand can be conveyed at the community level. This comes from getting your business involved in the community and building your organizations reputation on a wider scale. By taking advantage of networking events, charity events, and community events you can help make your business more well-known and build brand awareness with the positive word of mouth that it generates. Employer brand is also generated on this level with job ads. Job ads should reflect not only the duties of the position, but also should sell your organization to potential candidates, with a consistent message about the company’s vision, values and culture.
Global Level
Every business wants to grow and conveying your employer brand on a global level is a great opportunity to foster the development that you are looking for. Employer brand is leveraged on the global level through your online presence including your website, job boards, social media, and blog. Managing your social media presence on traditional social media platforms is important but remember not to neglect recruitment-based platforms like Glassdoor. Responding to reviews on Google and Glassdoor is just another way to show what your company is all about.
Action points
How do you get started with building and conveying your employer brand? Here are 4 action points that you can do right now to get started with the process.
- Have an employer brand strategy: think about what your employer brand is and ask yourself questions such as “why do people like to work for me”. Knowing what your employer brand is, is the first step to leveraging it.
- Communicate your employer brand internally: as discussed, employer brand starts internally. Beginning a conversation with your employees about who your organization is a first step to conveying it on a micro level.
- Run an audit of your online presence: look at your online presence, audit your online activity and see which areas you can improve on.
- Define touch points with your community and set targets to improve business reputation: Getting your business involved in the community is a great way to generate positive word of mouth and start increasing your brand awareness. This could look like taking part in a community networking event, sponsoring a sports team and so much more.
If you are a building materials business with recruitment needs, contact Stephen Borer at [email protected]
