An organization’s employer brand manifests in multiple ways. While the more visible channels of brand dissemination that organizations rely on are popular media and social media channels, there are more implicit ways in which the employer value proposition gets defined and delivered to people the organization intends to hire.
One such channel is the hygiene of an organization’s Talent Acquisition Process. Although it is often ignored, it is a markedly loud channel that has an amplifying effect on an organization’s brand perception in the ecosystem.
To begin with, a closer scrutiny of the current dynamics of the employment market reveals that, contrary to popular perception, hiring is no longer unilaterally led solely by the employer. It has evolved into a bilateral process between two parties—the employer and the prospective employee.
As much as the company assesses the candidate, the candidate also draws subtle and tacit inferences from all the touchpoints. This implies that, to get the right talent, the onus is as much on the employer to attract the candidates by providing a positive experience throughout the recruitment journey. In essence, one could restart by saying there is an equitable distribution of power on both sides.
Here are the common derailers that can potentially dent an organization’s employer brand during the hiring process
1) Not sharing a Job Description – A Job Description (JD) is the most elementary requirement that managers and HR professionals must prepare before they can even begin to hire. The JD is the guiding code of what the organization is looking for – the essentials and good-to-have qualities, skills, and competencies in a prospective hire. The way a JD articulates the job purpose and key performance indicators of a job could either upsell or downsell the role to the candidates. So, weigh every word for what it’s worth on a JD.
2) Delaying the scheduled start time of the interview—Making a candidate wait inordinately long before starting the interview only speaks of unprofessionalism. Value time, both for candidates and hiring managers. It can drain candidates’ energy to stay, especially when they could be experiencing a bit of stress related to the interview they hope to ace. Professionalism is another crucial yardstick of a favourable employer brand.
3) Passing judgmental remarks – Interviewers sometimes assume a position of authority and quickly pass comments that reflect their judgment on the candidate. Listen intently to the interviewee’s perspective and go beyond the superficial before assessing the individual’s potential. It is most often the vital clue in evaluating the Person–Organization fit, which is a predictor of employee engagement, and is a barometer of the organization’s employer brand.
4) Probing personal questions – Many interviewers and recruiters take the liberty to ask individual questions related to the candidate’s family set-ups and subsequent location preferences, especially to female candidates. The prevalent psychology is that women will make career choices aligned with their family situations. This is again a stereotype that organizations must guard against, and if anything, this only gives an impression of “exclusion” and a workplace that isn’t conducive to the very real needs of a diverse workforce.
Suppose the organization aims to build an employer brand known for inclusion. In that case, it is worth the investment to train the interview panel to recognize and unlearn any conscious or unconscious biases they may be holding.
5) Projecting a withdrawn body language – Communication is as much about the body language as it is about what is spoken. Some barriers to effective communication include avoiding eye contact, lukewarm handshakes, forgetting to smile, not exchanging pleasantries, and missing introductions. For the candidates, all these can translate to ‘signals of disinterest’ from the interviewer. And this disinterest can be contagious – sooner or later, it will also reflect in the other person’s interactions. This could be a potential cause for the failure of the interview process. Developing a comfortable rapport is key to bringing out the best in people in the short time of an interview and subsequently making them inclined to join the organization.
6) Taking a limited view of the compensation offer – While making an offer to the candidate, do recruiters miss seeing the “real worth” of the individual? That is, the summation of their expertise, experience, attitude, fitment for the role and organization, and compensation range for an equivalent role internally and externally. Candidates seek fair compensation, and a fundamental disconnect in this sensitive area could lead to a failed negotiation. In the era of the knowledge economy, companies with a favourable employer brand pay for the “worth” and compensate the “value” that an individual brings.
7) Failure to sell the role and the organization – This is one crime that most interviewers and recruiters are guilty of, presumably on two grounds – one, they rely on the magnanimity of the brand of the organization, and two, they are uninspired themselves! If it is the latter, recruiters must be cognizant that an aspirational candidate is looking for an inspiring leader to work for. A well-pitched role and organization are the starting points for creating a differentiated employer brand. They need to talk about the company’s culture, leadership, probable career paths, benefits, business ecosystem, and the socio-economic value that the company has created, to create the desire for the interviewee to feel inspired enough to join the company.
8) Not sharing timely updates on the selection process – Organizations must be mindful that candidates in an active job search process operate with a sense of urgency. Their engagement level wanes with the lapse of time, and it is easy for them to assume that the company is not keen to take the selection process forward. Moreover, every candidate deserves closure. So, recruiters may have to invest that extra time in letting the interviewees know their decision. This emanates a sense of fairness for the organization’s employer brand.
A well-thought-out hiring process can help selected candidates join the organization on a positive level, thereby reducing infant mortality risk, a challenge many organizations grapple with. These simple tips for recruiters and hiring managers could enhance the quality of their connections with the prospective talent pool and turn many passive candidates into active ones, thus creating a lasting impression of the organization’s employer brand. A candidate who has experienced a favourable hiring process in an organization could become an advocate for the organization by referring others or sharing positive ratings on popular sites such as Glassdoor, Indeed, etc., thereby generating aspiration for others.
Hence, employer brand is disseminated through a multiplier effect, and the Talent Acquisition process might just as well be the missing link!
Want to optimize and strengthen your organization’s employer brand through a customized employer brand strategy? Write to us at talent@peopleskafe.com to know how we can help you achieve that.