Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction.
There's no business that's immune to the occasional bout of turbulence. Whether it be an unforeseen event that disrupts business operations worldwide, stock market volatility or simply lower-than-expected revenue for a few quarters -- every company is susceptible to temporary periods of uncertainty.
But companies have to keep a firm grip on the elements they can control during these moments, and their employer brand is one of the most vital.
Why It Matters
Maintaining a consistent employer branding strategy during any low point in the rhythm of the market helps shape the narrative, builds confidence with existing employees, and keeps your company top-of-mind with potential candidates.
If your branding efforts stop during periods of uncertainty, you could miss out on these opportunities and let competitors take your market share of talent and revenue. In fact, 27 percent of the 1,099 tech professionals surveyed in March 2022 said an employer's brand is the most important to them in their job search, more important than the company's tech stack or DEI efforts.
Section 1
Why storytelling matters.
No good narrative is complete without a bit of tension or a heroic rise through a difficult situation. As such, businesses shouldn't stop telling their brand story simply because they've hit an unexpected roadblock along their journey.
Because if you aren't telling your story, even through the difficult moments, who is?
Section 1
Don't let others tell your story.
Storytelling has been around since the dawn of civilization and our brains are actually hardwired to connect with stories. Stories are 22 times more memorable than facts. So while it may be a fact that your business could be in a moment of storminess, the stories you tell will be what candidates, employees and customers remember.
75%
of candidates evaluate an employer's brand before applying
54%
improvement in applicant pool quality with an engaging employer brand
43%
reduction in hiring costs with a strong employer brand
Telling a compelling employer brand story will help you continuously attract great talent. Not only do 75 percent of candidates evaluate an employer's brand before applying to an open role, but an engaging employer brand can improve the quality of your applicant pool by 54 percent.
While uncertain times can often mean hiring slows down or stops for affected employers, branding must remain to keep visibility with potential candidates high long-term, making it easier to attract talent when hiring resumes. Don't let the talent market forget about you.
28%
Turnover can be reduced by 28 percent with a solid employer branding infrastructure. In uncertain times when budgets are tight, every dollar counts.
Section 1
Radio silence is never recommended.
The important thing to remember is that storytelling happens naturally. If you're not working to intentionally manage your employer brand, job seekers as well as current and former employees could create their own narrative, and some of these parties might not have great things to say.
Radio silence, even in the most trying times, is not recommended, especially if your business invested in branding efforts before or has a reputation of being vocal. It can send the impression that the business is in worse shape than it is and motivate employees to jump ship or competitors to take advantage of your perceived weakness.
When your company is up against challenges, storytelling is the investment you need to highlight your employer brand in the best light. It's also a way to show the world that your business is resilient to outside market forces and your employees are adaptable to change and adversity.
Section 2
How to tell your employer brand story.
When seas start to get rough, your priorities as a business shift and so should your company's story. The messaging that attracted candidates prior to a critical situation may not hold up in uncertain times. You must find a new way to tell your story.
Section 2
Tell your story through your people.
Who better to tell your story than the ones who live it every day? Your team members are the best indicator of what life at your company is like and they're exactly who prospective employees want to hear from. Having employees tell your company story gives you the chance to build trust with candidates.
66%
of job seekers say interacting with employees is the best way to evaluate a potential employer
561%
more impressions when messaging is shared by employees vs. the company
24x
more shares when content is distributed by employees
Employees are not only your biggest asset on the front lines during unpredictable times but they are also pivotal in keeping your employer brand top of mind among active job seekers and passive candidates.
However, using employee voices to tell your brand story during a market lull does not mean asking staff members to talk about the temporary hardships the team is facing. You can use employee-driven branding efforts to tell stories that candidates care about but that aren't necessarily tied to any turbulence or success your business is seeing.
Section 2
Share stories candidates want to hear.
Company culture is a huge component of your employer brand -- so much so that it actually outranks the desire for remote work in a candidate's job search.
40%
of tech professionals prioritize company culture above all else in their job search
53%
of candidates prioritize opportunities for professional growth and development
Employee growth should be taking place regardless of market influences on the business, so employers have a great opportunity to tell a branding story driven by this very important topic.
Employers can also use their tech stack or technical best practices as the basis for branded content. Our survey found that 20 percent of engineers and data professionals value tech stack above all else in their job search. Employers can showcase the tools and processes their tech teams use to both build brand awareness during slower periods and passively appeal to technical experts.
Examples of branded content that works.
Example: Company Culture
Read article
Women leaders from seven LA tech companies discuss aspects of their career journeys that led them to the leadership space they're in today, then share their philosophies and best practices on how to successfully empower the women around them. Employers that offer this type of spotlight give candidates the sense that the business supports women in leadership.
How to recreate it
Identify women in leadership open to discussing their career paths. Encourage them to candidly share their stories, then show how they work to materialize their leadership methodologies through helpful action directed at women on their team. If your business offers initiatives that benefit women, encourage interviewees to organically mention those strategies.
Example: Professional Development
Read article
This story breaks down how companies facilitate professional development in a remote environment. Companies that produce a story with this level of specificity will ensure the many candidates who value remote work know that their growth will still be valued even though they don't regularly come to the office.
How to recreate it
Think about your existing professional development initiatives. Analyze them through the lens of your remote infrastructure. Ask a member of the people team how the company approaches remote skill advancement, or ask a team lead how they encourage their direct reports to grow.
Example: Tech Stack
Read article
The professionals in this piece dive into which framework their team uses and why, as well as the projects they're building with their chosen tool. A story like this can highlight a number of aspects that a candidate with specialized technical skills would find interesting about a potential team.
How to recreate it
Think about the technical team behind a recent or upcoming project that's big for the business. Ask members of that team to take readers on a journey through the ins and outs of the major technology they're using to build the project, pulling the curtain back to give candidates a holistic sense of the tech infrastructure.
Section 2
It's not about your services, but how you serve.
When uncertainty hits, it's important to remember that it's not always about the profits and losses. Tech professionals want to work at a company that's doing well, but they also place a very high value on companies that share their values and have missions worth supporting.
59%
of candidates are attracted to a company because of its mission
73%
of people feel companies can positively impact the community while also increasing revenue
85%
of employees say corporate citizenship is an important consideration when assessing employers
Doubling down on your mission can help existing employees see the long-term goals and continue to push through difficult moments. These stories also detail the ongoing need for the products and services the business offers, which can be an effective way to assure audiences that your company is capable of weathering a storm or two.
Leadership Perspective
"No company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it."
Jack Welch — Former CEO, General Electric
Even if your business isn't rooted in a market driven by altruism, there are still plenty of ways to show your commitment to corporate citizenship. Highlight the volunteer work or donations your teams facilitate. Showcase the dedication your team members show to impactful causes and detail how the business supports them in those efforts.
Section 2
Values speak volumes.
Core values -- the underlying principles that dictate a company's culture and attitudes -- play a huge role in hiring and retention today. Around 60 percent of U.S. employees weigh working at employers based on whether the business' values and beliefs match their own. And while many elements of a business can change during a period of uncertainty, its core values should not only remain whole but be reinforced.
Example: Core Values
Read article
Eight executive leaders across numerous industries detail the ins and outs of their company mission and their values -- what their missions are, how they were conjured, how they're lived out by the team, and how these elements support the team's quest for success.
How to recreate it
Do a deep dive into the significance of your company values and vision. If possible, ask a founder or a longtime team member to explain the history behind the company's values. Then encourage the interviewee to outline how the team embodies these values regularly and how the vision pushes the team to accomplish goals.
Example: Mission
Read article
By answering questions like "What aspect of your company culture most reflects the company mission?" and "What role do your team members play in building or celebrating your company mission?", employers can dive head-first into the core-value-driven narratives that tech pros enjoy reading.
How to recreate it
Ask a leader who's very familiar with the company's mission and core values to be an interviewee. Ask them how the culture and the company's output is influenced by those elements, and how those elements are influenced by the employees in return.
Example: Values-Driven Product
Read article
This piece dives into how one healthtech company's core values -- caring, ambitious, resourceful, excellent and speedy -- and mission influence how team members build the product. A story like this gives candidates a sense of how their work might be intertwined with values they support, and re-engages current employees around the value-driven work they're supporting.
How to recreate it
Seek employees across a few different departments who have been with the company for a few years. Encourage them to speak on how they interpret the mission and values and how those elements influence their work, with recent examples of how their work was impacted by these core elements.
Section 3
4 things to remember when promoting your employer brand.
By now you should be familiar with some of the proven ways to highlight your employer brand during a market fluctuation or uncertain time. To help you take action faster and yield better outcomes, here's a quick list of key directives to keep top of mind as you craft your story.
-
1
Be Transparent and Proactive
Let tech professionals -- both inside and outside the business -- know some of the more important elements they should be aware of. People want to know things like what your company's hiring plans are, what your diversity metrics and initiatives are, and how employees are being supported following major news events. Candidates and employees alike agree that being transparent, even if the information isn't ideal, is better than making excuses or staying silent.
-
2
Be Authentic But Stay In Your Lane
When responding to major events get proactive about your response and how you publicize your stance. But be sure that your responses come from a place of authenticity. Research found that an average of 32 percent of employees who identify as non-white, women, LGBTQIA+ and having a disability disagree that their employer is authentic when facilitating external communications around DEI efforts and socially-conscious topics. Don't inject your company's voice where it's not needed -- contribute only when you have value to add or support to offer.
-
3
Be Willing to Add Some Levity
In times marked by anxiety inside or outside your business, a little lightheartedness can go a long way. People often seek bright spots during these periods and many will appreciate the breath of fresh air that levity offers. When appropriate and applicable, don't be afraid to infuse a little humor or fun into your employer brand story. Doing so provides a glimpse of your company culture and offers a much-needed respite from the challenges at hand.
-
4
Leverage Your Leaders
When the ship is headed toward uncharted waters, people want to hear from the captain. Senior members of your board and C-suite leaders are concerned with the long-term health of your business, its relationship with the surrounding community and, most of all, your employees. Encourage them to speak up and show up when it matters most. A message from your CEO or a trusted, high-ranking member of leadership will help win over the hearts of not only your staff but job seekers outside the company.
Section 4
Give branding a shot with these worksheets.
Use the worksheets below to plan and execute employer branding content around these topics and any others you'd like applicants (and even current staff) to be aware of, no matter what the market conditions are.
Section 4
Employer branding 101.
There are a couple of very important basics to keep in mind when building branded content.
- Keep content streamlined.The deeper you can dive into one topic, the better. Get specific and don't be afraid to get in the weeds. Don't try to force too many ideas into one piece of content.
- Always keep a tech-first mentality.Lean into branding that will work to position your company as more of a tech-driven business whenever possible.
- Focus on one audience at a time.Always keep your target readership in mind and make sure every word resonates with them and only them.
Download the worksheets.
01
Plan Your Content
Define your goal, thesis, target audience, and which team to feature. Start here before anything else.
Download worksheet
02
Create Your Content
Lock in interview logistics, production needs, ownership, approvals, and build out your interview questions.
Download worksheet
03
Promote Your Content
Map internal and external distribution channels, platforms, design needs, and your promotion timeline.
Download worksheet
Conclusion
Conclusion.
Global challenges arise and dissipate. Markets ebb and flow. Every company experiences wins and unexpected setbacks from external forces of all kinds -- it's part of the natural cycle of business. What companies need to remember throughout this cycle is that maintaining a healthy employer brand is just as important during the high points as it is during the lows (and arguably more.)
No one will tell your brand story for you. So storytelling and transparency during rough points eliminates the possibility of outside forces dictating your brand for you. It helps remind employees that it's not time to jump ship and that even though seas may be a little rough, there are plenty of reasons to stay on board.
Branding in these moments also continues your investment in your reputation in the long run, which will make talent acquisition easier when things normalize. For businesses in today's hyper-competitive talent market, brand awareness is vital no matter what forces are dictating corporate scale or slowdowns. And the employers that have plans in place to navigate branding throughout every positive and negative change in the market will be poised to see the greatest success in the long-term.
