Does your company have a reputation as a good place to work?
It's a deceptively simple question. But in a hiring environment where more and more companies invest time, resources, and energy into crafting a positive employer brand, it's an important one to ask.
Companies today are turning their attention to employer brand for good reason - the latest research from Glassdoor indicates that 75% of active job seekers are likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages its employer brand.
But how can you tell when your efforts are working, or whether or not you have a healthy employer brand to begin with?
As it turns out, there are three categories of measurement that can give you great feedback as to whether or not your employer brand is in good shape: candidates, metrics, and employees.
Signs of a Good Employer Brand - From Employees
The first and most essential sign your employer brand is healthy comes from your employees. In fact, the employees' voice is three times more credible than the CEO's when it comes to talking about working conditions in that company. Here are three signs from your employees that your employer brand is thriving:
- Engagement is high. When employees are highly engaged, it shows they're connected to their workplace and are invested in the company's success.
- Employees refer their colleagues. When a significant number of candidates come from employee referrals or word-of-mouth, you can be sure your employees have good things to say about your organization.
- Low turnover rates. Organizations are still exploring the connection between turnover and employer brand, but it's worth noting that companies who actively invested in improving their employer brand can reduce turnover by as much as 28%.
Signs of a Good Employer Brand - From Candidates
Another indicator of a healthy employer brand can come from prospective candidates. Consider the following five signs from your candidate pipeline that your investments in employer brand are paying off:
- Strong social interaction. If candidates are following your company on social media, and the number of likes and comments on posts is on the rise, that's a sign candidates consider your organization to be worth engaging with.
- Candidate quality. If you are regularly attracting high-quality candidates for your open positions, you can be sure the information you're putting out in the world about your company is well aligned with the candidates you want to attract.
- Positive candidate experience ratings. You know you've got a healthy employer brand when you're getting positive feedback on your recruitment and hiring process - whether or not a candidate is hired to the role.
Signs of a Good Employer Brand - From Metrics
Another way to monitor whether or not you have a health employer brand is by taking the pulse of your recruiting metrics. Here are three that can give you an indication of whether or not your reputation is serving you well:
- Number of applicants. If you have plenty of applicants interested in your open positions, or an applicant-to-interview ratio higher than the average of 12%, it's a good sign that your employer brand is attracting the right candidates.
- Offer acceptance rate. Tracking the number of candidates who are turning down offers can be a helpful way to monitor how your interview process is reflecting on your brand, especially when coupled with requests for feedback.
- Cost per hire. A healthy employer brand can help decrease your company's cost-per-hire. If you see your cost-per-hire on the rise, it might be a sign your employer brand needs some extra support.
There are plenty of ways to measure the health of your employer brand. But the most important part of the process is taking the next step - improving it. No matter what your employees, candidates, or metrics say, there's always room for growing your employer brand into a powerful, attractive reason for candidates to apply to your open roles.
How your people feel about working at your company matters to the health of your business. To get involved in the conversation on Glassdoor and start managing and promoting your employer brand reputation, unlock your Free Employer Profile today.
