Analysis: Am I a good employer - and in what areas?
At the latest when the start-up is growing faster than it can hire people, the topic of "employer branding" comes into focus. The company should be positioned as an "attractive employer" to receive as many qualified applicantions as possible. But is this the right approach? What is an attractive employer anyway? And how do I know how and where to position myself as a company?
The following points are covered in the article below:
Why data is important in employer branding
Concrete examples of relevant data & how to collect it
How data helps you to design employer branding measures
1) Why data is important in employer branding
In this article you will find an analytical approach to employer branding. Why?
Firstly, I love data as a starting point to define what to communicate and which channels to use. You usually have less time and money than you would like and have to prioritise accordingly. For this, data is a valuable basis for decision-making.
Secondly, I want to communicate the right things. I see employer branding as a particularly responsible task. If I don't just want to paint a "rosy" picture of the organisation, I have to deal honestly with my strengths and weaknesses as an employer - from the perspective of the employees. Of course, there is no such thing as an "egg-laying willow sow", and that is not necessary for successful employer branding. It is much more about conveying an authentic image.
2) What data is relevant and concrete examples of survey questions:
You should now look at the following aspects of employer branding:
Do my employees see me as an attractive employer?
How do my current and future employees even define an attractive employer?
What kind of information do potential applicants want?
Which channels are relevant at all?
An anonymous survey is a very good way to find out about these aspects. I would ask employees who have accepted a new position with the company within the last 6-12 months. Previously, I have used Alchemer as a survey tool and would like to test TeamEcho in the future.
Below you will find some suggestions for formulating employer branding surveys:
Question | Possible answers |
|---|---|
What channels did you generally use in your job search? | Search engine, career sites, headhunters, press, friends, employer rating platforms, other _____ |
Where did you get additional information about the company? | Website, search engine, LinkedIn press, friends, employer review platforms, nowhere, other ____ |
What information was particularly important to you in your research? | Press, Team, Products, Employee testimonials, Financial situation, Market, Family-friendliness, Home office option, Others |
What information were you missing? | Free text field for open answer |
What could we have done better from the applicants' point of view? | Free text field for open answer |
Why exactly did you choose a position with us? | Free text field for open answer |
What are the 5 most important criteria for an attractive employer for you? | Training opportunities, Interesting industry, Above-average salary, Work-life balance, Working atmosphere, Professional role, Secure job, Flat hierarchies, Office, ... |
Which of these aspects does our company fulfil & how well? | Repeat selection from above and have it rated e.g. by means of scale / stars |
How likely is it that you would recommend our company as an employer? (Employee Net Promotor Score) | Scale from 1-10 |
Why? | Free text field for open answer |
Why not? | Free text field for open answer |
Please note:
Of course, such a survey "only" gives you the input of your existing employees. For example, if you want to hire more developers from now on but don't have any in your team yet, you won't be able to find out which channels are relevant for Tech Talent. This means the opinions of your existing employees are a piece of the puzzle, but do not cover everything.
You may not have hired that many people in the last 6-12 months. Interpret the data with the necessary caution. One way to get more insights into what aspects your team values most is to ask the ENPS question to all employees, not just recent hires. Important: I would still only ask questions about the application process to people who have started their new position within the last year. Why? The longer the application phase was, the less accurately employees remember it.
3) How data helps you design employer branding measures
I love the following part: structuring the data, interpreting it and deriving measures. I like to do the interpretation and the development of measures with several people from the team, and also with the person responsible for human resources / recruiting.
Tip: With most survey tools you have the option of displaying the data as diagrams. Try to cluster the open answers into topics for more clarity.
Depending on the data obtained, we can derive different measures. There is no one solution here, but this step should help you to develop a concept that is tailored to you. When evaluating the answers, I would focus on the following:
Which channels were used particularly heavily in the job search? Am I represented on these channels and how is my presence there?
The channels tell me where I should communicate. It's not about being equally present on all channels, but identifying the most important ones.
What information was particularly important to people? Am I already providing enough of it? Is something missing?
Depending on what content the employees were missing, there are countless possible measures that vary in effort and cost. But here, too, there is no one right solution. Rather, the data should serve as a starting point to brainstorm several measures and then choose the one that is compatible with your resources.
Some things can be done relatively easily. For example, mentioning the existing company benefits more explicitly in the job advertisement as bullet points or asking your existing employees for more reviews on kununu. Videos that give an insight into the working atmosphere and your daily routine, on the other hand, are much more time-consuming.
What criteria make a good employer in the eyes of the employees - and which of them do we fulfil according to the team?
These answers are the core of "What do we communicate?" No matter where and in what type of media: it should be clear what content we can communicate authentically. The list of aspects that are important to people and that the company fulfils more than 75% according to the team is an essential starting point for me, as well as the open possible answers to "Why exactly did you choose a position with us?" and the question: "Why people would recommend the company as an employer.
4) How to deal with critical feedback?
This survey sometimes reveals aspects that staff members are not satisfied with.
Let me show you two ways of dealing with it:
Direct & individual conversation: In order to be able to react as quickly as possible, I recommend asking an additional question directly in the questionnaire if the person has chosen a low value in the ENPS.
Suggested wording: "We are sorry to hear that your satisfaction with your job is currently not high. Would you like to take up one of the following options: a conversation with your department head, a conversation with HR, nothing like that.
So that we can get back to you, please let us know your name:
Management discussion: If it becomes apparent that some structural aspects are causing great dissatisfaction, I think it is important to discuss these in an appropriate setting. Here, however, we leave the topic area of "employer branding".
Conclusion
Besides the aspect that this approach contributes to honest communication, I personally find it incredibly exciting: it helps me to take other people's perspectives, to get a more comprehensive picture of the organisation and it opens up the spectrum of possible employer branding measures.
Note
This is my personal approach. It does not necessarily represent the right approach for you.
I share my knowledge and past experiences as a possible guide and source of inspiration.
About me
I have been active in the Austrian startup industry since 2014 and have been responsible for the development and implementation of marketing strategies in successful scaleups.
In particular, I support b2b-oriented start-ups with a strong technological component to successfully position themselves on the market with their expertise and to generate reach in the relevant target group.