A problem for many companies is the shift in recent years from the employer to the employee market. Whereas a few years ago, a large number of applicants wanted to fill a small number of vacancies, this relationship has been reversed, partly due to demographic change. In many places, sought-after skilled workers in particular can choose freely from the range of potential employers.

Many companies are currently focusing purely on recruitment. They often neglect to retain the specialists they have recruited, which is not sustainable in the long term. Effective employer branding has therefore become indispensable in order to prevail against the competition in the "war for talent". After all, long-term stability can only be achieved if skilled employees remain with the company for the long term.

What does effective employer branding look like?

Employer branding describes the design of a company's brand. This is not about products or services, but rather about the company as an employer. On the one hand, this refers to existing employees, but is of course also aimed at potential applicants and therefore future employees. Employer branding measures include advertisements, events and social media, whereby the target group is not the buyers but the (potential) employees.

But what is the core of effective employer branding? It is obvious, for example, that simply stating employee offers does not constitute employer branding. In order to not only convince skilled workers initially, but also to retain them in the long term, effective employer branding must build on the corporate culture that is practiced and arise from this. This is the only way to ensure that a company impresses the outside world with its consistent presentation and authenticity.

Why is consistent presentation so important?

Employer branding is not about conveying a perfect image of the company, but about authentically presenting the true values that are supported and endorsed by the employees. If this does not succeed, decisive disadvantages arise: Applicants who become employees feel misled if the reality in the company does not match the communicated expectations. This leads to a loss of credibility and there is a high risk that a valuable specialist will leave the company. In the long term, such a breach in the presentation can even lead to a loss of applicants, as inconsistencies in the presentation can no longer be concealed by evaluation platforms such as kununu or Glassdoor.

On the other hand, authentic communication of the culture can also help to attract the right applicants from the outset. Employees generally expect more than just a financial backer. As a 2018 study by the Infas Institute for Applied Social Sciences on behalf of Die Zeit shows, for example, the atmosphere in the workplace is at least as, if not more, important to employees as an appropriate salary. If the company does not suit the employee's personality, there is a high probability that the employee will soon leave. By presenting the company honestly, unnecessary departures and disappointments can be reduced from the outset, thus avoiding unnecessary effort for a new search and induction.

How do you create an attractive corporate culture?

As already stated, employer branding must build on the corporate culture, i.e. it must come from within. The culture of a company is made up of various aspects and will only develop positively if it is not determined by managers or the Board of Directors, but can emerge from the employees as a whole. However, in order to create a positive, appreciative and transparent culture, support and management are required. These tasks are performed either by the HR managers alone or in consultation with the management level.

Regular communication with each other across all levels is a key element here. On the one hand, employees must be given the opportunity to participate through feedback formats, for example, in order to create a feeling of appreciation and develop a culture. On the other hand, such feedback also provides HR managers with valuable insights into their own culture. Only those who know their culture can work on it, improve it and ultimately communicate it authentically to the outside world. In turn, communication is important as a means of transparency from the management side in order to involve employees in processes and build trust.

From the inside out

In addition to the specific measures that companies can take in the course of employer branding, the authentic and consistent presentation of the corporate culture from the inside out is particularly important. A positive corporate culture can be achieved in particular by involving employees. This offers a further advantage: if employees feel included and valued and have the opportunity to help shape their own culture, they become the best brand ambassadors for their own company. After all, nothing is as authentic and effective as enthusiastic employees who are proud to work for their company and who communicate this to the outside world. The following therefore applies: if employer branding is well anchored internally, it works almost by itself externally.

By Sarah-Kristin Bohlmeier, founder and managing director of Teambay.