What is Recruitment Branding? Is it the same as Employer Branding?

Employer Branding is a term most businesses use, well aware that their real “branding” goes beyond the use of logos, colours and above-the-line advertising, and to the heart of what the organisation stands for in the eyes of all of your key stakeholders, from your customers to your competitors to your own staff.

Recruitment Branding is a more specific offshoot of this concept that relates to the image of your organisation in the eyes of current employees, active applicants and future potential staff. Focusing on the image of your business from the perspective of the people who choose to work for you lets you identify areas that are working, and those that can be improved.

Is it really important?

The Randstad World of Work report found that in upcoming years, employer reputation and branding will be “the single most important driver for those seeking employment”. With many industries continuing to face skills shortages, recruitment branding will be an important aspect in employee retention for all businesses into the foreseeable future.

The good news is that establishing or developing your Recruitment Brand isn’t necessarily a costly process. Since the branding proposition relates to the impression you leave applicants and employees with, it’s a level playing field – there’s nothing to stop small community-based organisations from having a stronger Recruitment Brand than even the largest multinational corporations if handled correctly.

How do I even know what my Recruitment Brand is?

While small organisations often can’t compete with larger companies in areas like remuneration, it doesn’t cost much to identify a Point Of Difference that will attract and retain the right people.

The major question you need to answer is “Why would people want to work for us instead of the competition?” Identifying the one thing that makes you stand out as an Employer Of Choice can be difficult as an ‘insider’, but small businesses often have unique benefits such as flexibility, training and career development, job variety or a desirable team culture that they may not even realise are exciting to jobseekers.

Depending on your individual needs, it can be useful to determine and develop your Recruitment Brand using research tools such as focus groups, interviews, employee surveys and external surveys. You can talk to Employment Office’s Branding Specialists to create a Recruitment Brand that effectively reflects the ideas and beliefs of your entire organisation.