Category: Employer Insights

  • The Role of Employee Advocacy in Employer Branding: How to Harness the Power of Your Team

    The Role of Employee Advocacy in Employer Branding: How to Harness the Power of Your Team

    Imagine you started a new venture that becomes popular within a few months of launch. Everyone begins showing interest in your products, and you even start receiving orders. Over time, you receive a number of orders that you cannot handle alone. Therefore, you seek resources to help fulfill orders and further your business. 

    At this point, your market is getting bigger, and you must ensure customer delight. So what, according to you, is the factor you cannot afford to ignore now? Is it your customers or the employees? 

    Undoubtedly, having a large customer base allows you to learn from experiences, even if you lose a customer or two due to unfortunate reasons. However, what would it be like to have unhappy employees? It will tarnish your brand reputation if things go unchecked. Moreover, your revenue-generating capacity would suffer. 

    Your employees are more important than your customers, and you cannot thrive without them. 

    A recent IDC survey says 85% of business owners agreed that a positive employee experience and increased employee engagement build better customer experiences and generate more revenue. 

    Keeping the statistics in mind, let us move ahead to learn the role of employee advocacy in employee branding. 

    Employee Advocacy: Why Does it Matter to Build Employer Brand? 

    1. Increases brand awareness

    Social media content shared by an organisation’s employees attracts more engagement than the content shared by the company. Admittedly, employee advocacy brings high-quality results for organisations by powering their market presence and bettering brand reputation among people. 

    1. Influences customer relationships

    Every employee of your organisation enjoys influence over some or all customer relationships. An unhappy employee can spread negativity and impact the team’s ability to serve customers well. Even worse, an unhappy workforce can throw you out of the market before you realise it. 

    1. Generates high-quality leads

    Market trends reveal leads that result from employee advocacy convert more frequently than other leads. In fact, today’s customers prefer seeing the faces behind an organisation before making a buying decision. This is because modern buyers believe in what they hear from people and what they see in advertisements. 

    1. Builds powerful talent pools

    The talent recruitment concept has changed in the last decade and is no more restricted to finding candidates through advertisements. Visibly, employer branding has taken over the recruitment sector. Moreover, job seekers prefer joining organisations having happy employees. When employees share their stories and experiences, potential employees tend to get attracted toward positive content and decide their course of action. 

    1. Reduces cost per hire

    Employers believe employee advocacy is the most cost-efficient way to make new hires. This is because an organisation that believes in and follows the concept witnesses reduced hiring costs. The reason is they can reach a broader base of potential candidates and make the right candidate choice among the ones who believe in the organisation’s culture, mission & vision. 

    How To Make Employees Your Brand Advocates?

    In cognizance of the impact of building an employer brand, organisations have been managing their brands for a long time. Establishing a reputation is an overwhelming task, but employee advocacy can accelerate its success. Read on to learn what steps you can take to harness the power of your team and turn each member into a brand advocate. 

    1. Set clear goals

    Before you publicise your employee advocacy program, make sure to have set the objectives you want to achieve. The step will give you clarity to the employees on what needs to be achieved. 

    Be specific while setting goals and remove any ambiguity surrounding them. Simply put, there must be clarity of goals among your team. 

    1. Have a clear and consistent brand message 

    Your brand’s message must be consistent, and you can achieve it by creating a guide for employees to follow. The guide must entail instructions your employees must observe while they post, promote, and interact on social media. 

    1. Improve internal communication

    If you want to reach the pinnacle of success, check for internal communications and the loopholes. In plain words, communication within the organisation must be clear, manage information overload and motivate & drive employee engagement.

    MUST READ: The Connection Between Employee Recognition and Retention

    1. Be flexible

    Identify your employees’ unique personalities and allow reasonable flexibility. To begin with, your guide must talk about flexibility so that your employees can create content reflecting their personalities. This will also boost the human touch and better connect the audience and the brand.  

    1. Establish metrics

    Choose the metrics wisely against which you will measure the success of employee advocacy. You can also measure the performance of employees who contribute to the program. 

    Summing Up

    Every good thing that you hope to accomplish in your company will be possible with employee advocacy. On the other hand, if your employees aren’t happy with the company culture or job roles, it will crimp your ability to survive in the market. So, focus on your people first to map your success journey. 

    You must hire the right to have a great workforce that deserves to be made your organisation’s integral part. We are here for you to help you find top talent. 

  • Employer Branding and Recruitment: How Your Brand Impacts Your Ability to Hire Top Talent

    Employer Branding and Recruitment: How Your Brand Impacts Your Ability to Hire Top Talent

    In today’s fiercely competitive job market, attracting and retaining top talent has become a strategic imperative for organizations worldwide. Gone are the days when job seekers solely evaluated potential employers based on salary and job responsibilities. In the contemporary landscape, the perception of an organization as an employer, known as its “employer brand,” plays a pivotal role in attracting, engaging, and retaining the best talent.

    Organisations are leveling up their games in the competitive landscape to fuel talent acquisition. As per LinkedIn, 59% of recruiting leaders worldwide are investing more in employer brand. The reason is the realisation of the fact that a strong brand impacts whether qualified candidates will accept your job offer or join a competitor’s team. If companies cannot stand out as great employers, it will become impossible for them to achieve business objectives.

    It all starts internally. If employees enjoy where they work, they will likely send a positive message to the world. This article will delve into the intricate relationship between employer branding and recruitment, shedding light on how a strong employer brand can give you a competitive edge in the war for top talent. 

    Employer Branding: How Does It Impact Your Hiring Potential?

    Employer branding is critical to your bottom line and impacts an organisation’s ability to hire top talent. Creating a memorable and strong employer brand keeps candidates informed and excited about what your organisation stands for. By understanding the importance of building an employer brand, leaders can pave the way for better talent management by drawing the attention of competent candidates. Read on if you wish to continue learning about the role of employer branding in hiring talent. 

    1. Improves the quality and quantity of job applications

    A strong employer brand draws job applicants toward it and gives them sufficient reasons to apply for jobs. As a positive outcome, it simplifies your hiring process and reduces the amount of effort you would otherwise put in. And the benefits do not end here and extend to bringing quality applications that come from engaged and suitable professionals.

    1. Boosts key recruiting metrics

    A strong employer brand can contribute to improving key recruitment metrics. Understand it this way: When candidates feel confident about joining an organisation due to its strong brand presence as an employer, the offer acceptance rate goes up. Moreover, the time to close positions also reduces to a great extent. The bonus point here is the turnover rate reduction because employees stay satisfied and get what they see before joining.

    MUST READ: Using Employee Engagement Surveys to Drive Recruiting

    1. Provides control over the narrative

    Organisations can tell their story the way they want to. For instance, if a company doesn’t promote itself as a brand or tell its story, other parties sometimes do it. And the worst that can happen is the floatation of negative reviews, which can be spread by current employees. Fortunately, employer branding allows companies to exercise control over narrative and save employer reputation. 

    1. Enhances interaction with candidates

    A solid employer brand engages job seekers strategically, which leads them to apply to the organisation. On top of it, the candidates know beforehand what the company is about and its mission & vision. As a result, they connect to the brand strongly, boosting the quality of interaction with the employers. If the candidate does not get hired for some reason, there is a high probability that the candidate will improve and apply again. This is due to the brand’s reputation in the market. 

    1. Maintains credibility among customers

    With companies trying every possible way to stay in the competition, they often forget the importance of employer branding. Simply put, it predominantly affects customer perception of you. What you are determines customers’ decision to buy your goods or seek your services or not. In addition, customers don’t support organisations that mistreat their employees. And with a decreasing number of customers, you will start losing business and, thus, employees. 

    Concluding Comments

    With the ongoing war for talent, companies that work on employer branding will be in a better position to get the best out of recruitment efforts. Bringing a reduction in cost-per-hire, employer branding also betters candidate experiences, simplifies the application processes, and fosters a community of competent candidates. 

    Remember, it is a long but fruitful process that will help you attract and hire top talent for a long. Once put in place diligently, there will be no looking back for you. 

    Edward E. Lawler rightly quotes: “Every organization is known for certain things when it comes to how it treats its employees. This “employer brand” is a key part of what attracts talent to a company.” 

    Are you looking for a recruitment partner? Then, explore our services and choose Cornerstone Global Partner (CGP) Singapore to fulfill your hiring needs.

  • Employer Branding in the Age of Remote Work: Adapting to a Changing Landscape

    Employer Branding in the Age of Remote Work: Adapting to a Changing Landscape

    Are your employees happy and able to maintain work-life balance when remote? Is your company cultivating a healthy company culture?

    Employers should reflect on their company’s current state to figure out whether they are going in the right direction. But how can we make it possible in an era where employees are working remotely and want to stay remote? Moreover, choosing when to work remotely and when to work from the office greatly affects employer branding.

    While hiring was booming before, the remote work concept stepped on the scene, and the idea of an employer brand has now taken on new meaning. Universally, the expectations and priorities of companies, employees, and candidates have different outlooks. Yet, despite the challenges posed by the changing landscape, businesses have soldiered on to adapt to the changing times.

    In this blog post, get familiar with some of the challenges of employer branding in a remote work environment and how to adapt your strategy to the new reality. We will also provide tips on creating a strong remote work culture and using technology to enhance your employer branding efforts.

    Following these tips ensures that your employer brand remains strong even in a remote work environment.

    Must Read: Top 9 Employee Perks and Benefits for Remote Workers

    What is Remote Employer Branding?

    Remote employer brand is about the position of your remote employees in the company culture and what you offer to them. It’s an opportunity to explain why you are better than other employers and describe your EVP.

    As a responsible employer, you must know how to create and communicate a compelling remote employer brand to attract top talent.

    Steps to Help You Achieve Remote Employer Branding Goals

    1. Define your remote culture

    The first and most crucial step involves defining the set of values, behaviours, and expectations to outline how your remote employees work. Your definition of remote culture must align with the overall organisational culture and mention the challenges & opportunities of working remotely.

    It must talk about how you intend to incorporate collaboration, trust, and communication into your remote culture.

    1. Develop remote EVP

    Craft your remote employee value proposition (EVP) that entails what you have to offer to the employees. Basically, you can provide EVP to the employees in exchange for their experience & contribution. Make sure to highlight its USPs, such as company culture, work-life balance, learning & development opportunities, and rewards & recognition.

    Make your EVP stand out by mitigating the challenges of remote work and addressing them with your offerings.

    1. Become storytellers

    Nowadays, the audience is more interested in knowing the backstage stories. Therefore, have your remote employees, managers, and leaders shed light on their experiences, achievements, and growth. Showcasing employee stories is an effective way to connect with people.

    To bring your employees forward, you can explore various mediums, such as blogs, podcasts, social media, or testimonials.

    1. Manage your remote career site

    Every organisation has a platform where it showcases its culture and employer branding to the potential candidates. The stage involves optimising your remote career site— making it user-friendly, SEO-friendly, and highly responsive. Your career site must also reflect your culture, EVP, remote roles & responsibilities, work-life balance, and the hiring process.

    You can have dedicated resources to work on the career site to bring suitable candidates by placing call-to-action buttons or contact details.

    Must Read: The Evolving Role of HR: Creating the Best WFH & Hybrid Work Environment

    1. Nurture your remote talent pool

    The next step is to engage your remote talent pool, which consists of qualified and competent candidates who potentially fit your roles. There are various sources to reach them, including social media, referrals, virtual events, email campaigns, and podcasts.

    Involve your existing employees and turn them into your brand ambassadors to earn employee referrals.

    1. Use technology to your advantage

    Technology can be a great way to enhance your employer branding efforts in a remote work environment. There are many technology tools that can help you connect with employees, create a sense of community, and share company news and events. For example, you can use video conferencing, instant messaging, and social media to stay in touch with employees.

    1. Track results

    Last but not least, measure and improve your employer branding and EVP. If you cannot measure what you manage, there is no point in undertaking those activities. To check the effectiveness of your efforts, you need to collect and analyse data. For further assistance, there are various tools like candidate surveys, employee surveys, social media analytics, hiring metrics, and more.

    Measuring the success of your employer branding efforts in a remote work environment.

    It is important to measure the success of your employer branding efforts in a remote work environment. This will help you see what is working and what is not. There are a few ways to measure the success of your employer branding efforts, such as:

    •  Surveying employees – You can survey employees to get their feedback on your company culture, benefits, and opportunities for professional development.
    • Tracking your website traffic – You can track the number of visitors to your website and the pages they visit. This will give you an idea of how people are finding out about your company.
    • Analyzing social media engagement – You can analyze the engagement on your social media pages. This will give you an idea of how people are interacting with your company.

    Do not forget! Analysing your current workforce’s feedback can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your remote employer branding strategy and, thus, adapt accordingly to reach your goals.

    Closing Comments

    The ‘new normal’ still makes organisations suffer, owing to the lack of the right resources and strategies to manage remote work. But nurturing remote employer brands is the need of the hour, and organisations also need to develop extra human bonds with remote teams. They can— by inviting teams over virtual coffee breaks or having them chat whenever they feel like it. Still, this isn’t enough for you to create a strong employer brand in the era of remote work, and you must go outward in your approach to succeed.

    If you haven’t begun to assess your remote employer brand, now is the right time to start. Your current and future workforce will thank you for it.

  • Measuring the Success of Your Employer Brand: Metrics and KPIs to Track

    Measuring the Success of Your Employer Brand: Metrics and KPIs to Track

    “You can’t improve what you don’t measure.” Often attributed to Peter Drucker, this quote has elicited plenty of admiration and plenty of ire.

    Thus, the same applies to every effort put into building an employer brand. Missing to measure the employer brand’s success means directing your brand toward a road that takes you out of the competitive landscape.

    A strong employer brand can help you attract and retain top talent, improve employee engagement, and boost your bottom line. But how do you know if your employer brand is successful?

    Just as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is your employer brand, indicating the time required to produce a favourable output. And by tracking the right metrics and KPIs, you can get a clear picture of how your employer brand is performing and make necessary adjustments to improve it. To ensure the success of employer branding, understand what are the key metrics you should be tracking down to measure the effectiveness of your employer brand.

    The Must-track Employer Branding Metrics

    1. Employee referral rate

    Current employees usually recommend you to their circle only when they are happy working at your organisation. When employees refer people within their network, they trust your brand and add resources to the pool of qualified candidates.

    Analyse the employee referral data and check whether your existing workforce is willing to advocate for you.

    High employee referral rate = High employer branding success rate

    1. Cost-per-hire

    The cost to make a new hire consists of recruitment fees, pre-employment assessments, advertisements & promotions, and more. Organisations enjoying strong employer brands incur low cost-per-hire, and even the cost comes down to almost half in some cases. This is the power of the brand.

    A company that has earned a reputation over time will attract more candidates, who turn out to be better fitted. If your organisation has more quality candidates applying for jobs, you can spend less time and money sourcing ideal candidates.

    The lower the cost-per-hire, the more the chances for the employer brand to grow.

    1. Quality of candidates

    The metric is considered the most powerful yet difficult to measure, encompassing several other metrics. Undoubtedly, a strong employer brand attracts high-quality candidates because present-day job seekers also prefer working with established brands.

    Simply put, determine the quality of candidate profiles and check how experienced and competent they are to match the vacant positions.

    Is the quality of applications below average? Well! It means you need to work on employer branding.

    1. Employee engagement rate

    Employee engagement rate is another robust metric to measure how well your employer brand is performing. To name a few, learning and professional development opportunities are the ones that boost the employee engagement level.

    To measure the level of engagement, you can conduct employee surveys and ensure the questions cover all aspects like leadership, learning, peer relationships, and more.

    Scan the employees’ responses and conclude whether your efforts are reaping benefits.

    Learn about the Importance of Continuous Learning and Professional Development

    1. Social media engagement

    Tracking social media engagement requires you first to set social media goals. For example, if you want brand recognition, track the number of followers, impressions, and reach. If you want to boost interaction with potential candidates, check likes, comments, and shares on the posts.

    Results do not reflect overnight. Therefore, look at the performance over a period of time and observe the trend. If employee engagement on your social media handles is also high, there are chances of generating more tremendous employer branding success.

    The more people engage with your employer brand, the more they can relate to it.

    1. Employer brand index

    Employer brand index involves checking what employees say about your company online. The platforms to check their online reviews are employer review sites, social media platforms, and online forums.

    Based on the opinions shared by employees online, EBI focuses on specific parts of the employer value proposition having the most positive and negative impact.

    The metric also indicates the overall health and performance of your employer brand.

    How to interpret your results and make improvements?

    Once you have collected data on the metrics and KPIs you are tracking, you need to interpret your results and make improvements. Here are a few tips for interpreting your results:

    • Compare your results to previous periods: This will help you see how your employer brand is performing over time.
    • Compare your results to other companies: This will help you see how your employer brand is performing relative to the competition.
    • Set benchmarks: Set targets for each metric and KPI. This will help you track your progress and make improvements.
    • Analyze your results: Look for trends and patterns in your results. This will help you identify areas where your employer brand is weak and make improvements.
    • Make changes: Based on your analysis, make changes to your employer branding initiatives.

    By measuring the success of your employer brand, you can ensure that your efforts are effective in attracting and retaining top talent.

    Summary

    The trickiest part about measuring employer branding success is that there is no industry standard to follow. Moreover, each organisation is creating and using different metrics without the intent to create a benchmark. Nevertheless, it is important to identify and use the most useful, easy-to-read KPIs to facilitate quicker identification of optimisation for making improvements.

    Consistently measuring your employer brand over time will help you see how your efforts are working, and you can identify areas where your employer brand is weak and make improvements.

    The world is already battling against a talent shortage, and it’s high time for organisations to level up their employer value proposition. Thus, by measuring the success of your employer brand, you can ensure that your efforts are effective in attracting and retaining top talent.

    Read more about The Talent Shortage Crisis

    Why choose CGP Singapore to attract top talent?

    Sourcing suitable candidates is arduous and becomes even more challenging when your business is niche-specific. Cornerstone Global Partners can help you find candidates for hard-to-fill roles in these situations. We are one of Asia’s most prominent recruitment solutions providers, with 19 offices worldwide and over 500 team members delivering exceptional

    • Executive Search
    • Contracting, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
    • Human Resources Outsourcing services 

    Reach out to us with your recruitment needs.

  • Building a Diverse and Inclusive Employer Brand: Best Practices for Attracting Top Talent

    Building a Diverse and Inclusive Employer Brand: Best Practices for Attracting Top Talent

    “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”– Jeff Bezos.

    Managing your employer brand is undoubtedly one of the most crucial business functions in today’s highly competitive market. The truth is you cannot underestimate the value of building an employer brand. But what is the reason behind it? Well! Present-day job seekers are go-getters and would gladly accept job offers from a company with an excellent reputation, even without a salary increase. So, to summarise, employer branding does it all.

    Promoting company culture and employee experiences through videos across your social media platforms isn’t equivalent to employer branding. It is way beyond and includes adopting the best practices to attract top talent. And the only way to do that is by incorporating diversity and inclusion in employer branding.

    Benefits of Building a Diverse & Inclusive Employer Brand

    A diverse and inclusive employer brand is one that is welcoming and supportive of people from all backgrounds. It is a brand that is committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.

    There are many benefits to building a diverse and inclusive employer brand.

    1. First, it can help you attract top talent. Studies have shown that diverse and inclusive workplaces are more attractive to job seekers. 
    2. Second, it can help you improve employee engagement and productivity. When employees feel valued and respected, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and productive. 
    3. Third, it can help you build a stronger brand reputation.

    A diverse and inclusive employer brand is seen as more progressive and forward-thinking, which can attract customers and partners.

    Building a diverse and inclusive employer brand can feel overwhelming, and you may not know where to begin. Start with our list of best practices to reach suitable candidates and capitalise on the potential of diversity recruiting. 

    RELATED POST: 5 Ways to Cultivate Inclusion in Your Organization

    Best Practices to Build a Diverse Brand

    1. Assess your position

    Your brand is how people perceive it— including your employees. So, fundamentally, it must matter to you whether or not your employees view the organisation as diverse and inclusive. 

    Build a two-way communication channel, seek your people’s opinions, and determine how they see the company. This will ensure your success in weeding out biases and improving the employee experience with a diverse and inclusive culture. 

    1. Rethink employer branding

    Employers view employer branding as a short-term activity that will reap benefits for years. However, a never-ending process must find its place in every business function. 

    The creation of a diverse and inclusive employer brand is about prioritising diversity, equity, and inclusion principles across the organisation. You can start with clearly communicating with the candidates, hiring & salary decisions, and growth opportunities.

    1. Start with your values and set clear goals

    What do you value as an organization? Once you know your values, you can start to create an employer brand that reflects those values.

    What do you want to achieve with your diversity and inclusion efforts? Do you want to increase the representation of women and minorities in your workforce? Do you want to create a more inclusive workplace culture? Once you know your goals, you can start to develop strategies to achieve them.

    1. Be authentic

    Developing a DE&I employer brand and maintaining the stance are different aspects. Unfortunately, multiple organisations worldwide failed to deliver DE&I commitment. Consequently, their market reputation begins to wear out and sends a negative impression on the audience’s minds. 

    As a responsible organisation, you must develop a plan to back up your words and take necessary actions to improve the employee value proposition.

    1. Showcase your commitment to diversity

    The world needs to see your efforts to make your organisation diverse and inclusive. Therefore, you must plan to make it visible in an unambiguous manner.

    Put your unique programs, benefits, and policies to display. Additionally, you can ask your employees to leave reviews on different job boards to promote diversity recruiting. 

    1. Involve your employees

    The most fruitful practice to build a diverse employer brand is involving your employees & stakeholders and listening to their experiences and opinions. The next step is to encourage them to become your brand ambassadors by sharing their stories and recommendations with the world.

    Ultimately, you can garner their trust by instilling in them a sense of belongingness.

    1. Promote collaboration between HR and marketing

    The corporate landscape always has an internal debate regarding the ownership of an employer brand. Generally, HR and marketing clash to claim ownership. However, organisations like yours must do away with unnecessary differences.

    To promote the DE&I employer brand, HR must work on policies to support the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Parallely, the marketing team must communicate effectively with the audience.

    1. Use inclusive language  

    Be mindful of your language in all communications for healthy company culture and diverse employer branding. Keep the following key points in mind:

    • Use inclusive language that resonates with all readers.
    • Include gender-neutral language.
    • Avoid terms that are racially and culturally insensitive. 
    • Create an inclusive language guide for employees to use in their communications.
    1. Continuously update DE&I meaning for your organisation

    DE&I meant utterly different 20 years ago and would hold a different meaning 20 years from now. So on that account, the need is to continuously learn, prepare to make policies, and update your DE&I standards with the changing times. It is important to track your progress towards your diversity and inclusion goals. This will help you see what is working and what is not.

    Closing Comments

    Top candidates have choices in their career journey, and won’t work with an organisation with a bad reputation. The more you reflect DE&I in your employer brand, the stronger your organisation will become in attracting top talent. Diversity and inclusion are the breathing and living elements of your organisation and can shape employee value proposition appropriately. However, creating a diverse and inclusive employer brand is more than checking a box. Building a diverse and inclusive employer brand is an ongoing process. It takes time, effort, and commitment. But it is worth it. By creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and respected, you can attract and retain top talent, improve employee engagement and productivity, and build a stronger brand reputation.

    Weave DE&I into your company’s mission and create an employer brand that resonates with top talent and exhibits your commitment to diversity and inclusion.

    Contact Cornerstone Global Partners (CGP) Singapore for your recruitment needs. After all, choosing the right recruitment partner can help you source the most competent candidates.

  • The Impact of Social Media on Employer Branding: How to Leverage Your Online Presence

    The Impact of Social Media on Employer Branding: How to Leverage Your Online Presence

    It is 2002, and Jack is looking for a job. He comes across a job vacancy at an organisation and wishes to learn the company culture and how employees are treated. Two ways for him to find out are by tracking down someone who worked there or surfing through the company website to find authentic information.

    However, times have changed. In today’s competitive job market, businesses need to do everything they can to attract and retain top talent. One of the most effective ways to do this is through employer branding.

    Social media and employer branding complement each other nowadays. Social media plays a significant role in helping candidates understand their work future at the organisation. As a brand, you must stay active where candidates are, or you will miss the most competent candidates.

    Build your employer brand identity and represent who you are and what you stand for. Then, gradually but effectively, it sets the background for interactions and expectations that the current and future workforce will have with the organisation.

    Social Media Contributing to the Employer Branding

    Employer branding entails leveraging the potential of marketing techniques to develop and communicate unique employee value proposition. With things turning around, the purpose of developing an employer brand is also changing. Initially, employer brands were built to grant complete control to organisations. Nonetheless, today’s employer branding arises from employees who share their stories and work experiences through social media.

    According to Glassdoor, 75% of active job seekers are likely to apply for a job if the employer actively manages its employer brand.

    As a result, organisations are actively working to build brands around aspects that set them apart from competitors. In addition, with strong employer brand communication, employers are reaching out to potentially competent candidates beyond the company’s standard network.

    Our deep research brought us a few key points that hint at the ways to leverage social media for employer branding. Let us understand them.

    1. Choose the right platforms

    Not all social media platforms are created equal. When choosing which platforms to use for employer branding, it is important to consider your target audience and what they are using. For example, if you are targeting millennials, you may want to focus on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat.

    1. Identify suitable candidates

    A strong online presence means you can reach out to job seekers who are active on social media and monitor the content they publish. To put this another way, social media is a double-edged weapon that allows you to tell your story to the candidates and know theirs in return.

    You can identify candidates that better align with your brand’s values & mission and make them a part of your family. Over time, you will see them contributing to your goals efficiently. Moreover, if you succeed at providing value to their roles, they will also actively become a part of employer branding.

    1. Provide an inside tour

    Today, a majority of job hunters use social media for job searches. In cognizance, you can provide your audience with an inside tour to give them an insight into the company’s culture and values. 

    Modern employers understand the importance of showing how your work environment looks from the inside and how happy your people are. Once done, you will experience a new strength powering your brand by attracting professionals willing to get employed.

    1. Build trust and credibility within the market

    There are millions of organisations across the globe, but not every business tastes success. The primary reason is the lack of communication between the organisation and the audience. Even the best organisations failed because they couldn’t hire suitable candidates to get work done and hence, started losing business.

    Building trust and credibility within the market is the key to running a successful business. Factually, you must show job seekers why working with your organisation would be their best decision. Also, by consistently sharing engaging content and responding to comments and questions, you can show potential candidates that you are a company that cares about its employees.

    1. Monitor potential negative content

    While social media helps build employer brand identity, there may be a few instances when you need to play cautiously. These are the times when you need to monitor closely and decide how to respond to negative reviews posted anonymously.

    A solid social media presence will help you see what people write about you and tackle them accordingly. Without social media, you cannot track people spreading harmful content about your organisation.

    How to Know When Social Media is Working for Your Brand?

    The importance of measuring success is equivalent to strategising to bring the desired results. Here are a few metrics you can consider to measure your efforts’ results.

    • Follower growth rate

    Keep track of the follower growth rate of your channels. You must note down the growth rate before you start with social media activities and compare it to the growth rate you see over a period.

    • Content engagement rate

    Check your content’s capacity to generate engagement and how many interactions it has received. Look for ways to make your content more candidate-centric to attract more readers.

    • Incoming traffic

    Measure the volume of traffic coming from the career site. You can use Google Analytics to see how much traffic and leads flow to your website.

    Closing Comments:

    Social media influence is all-pervasive. It is much more than just a spot to post team outing photos or share stories. It is a place to represent your brand and amplify its voice. Having said that, just don’t invest too much money and expect your brand to be a success overnight. Instead, check its impact on the employer brand timely and look for ways to improve your plans.

    Is your organisation looking for top talent? If yes, invest your trust in our services, and our team of experts will get back to you with the right offerings.

  • Why Employer Branding Matters: The Benefits of Investing in Your Company’s Reputation

    Why Employer Branding Matters: The Benefits of Investing in Your Company’s Reputation

    In the past few years, employer branding has become more than street talk. Instead, it has become essential for employers to brand themselves proactively and attract top talent. 

    Employer branding is how an organisation is perceived by its current & potential employees. Over time, the way companies recruit and retain employees has changed. Visibly, employers have begun understanding what their organisation can truly offer to job seekers and are turning it into a value proposition. 

    While there are plenty of employer branding strategies, you must first learn the benefits of employer branding before strategising. 

    Do you know?

    According to Glassdoor, 50% of candidates said they wouldn’t work for a company with a bad reputation even if offered a pay increase. 

    According to AIHR, an employer with a strong employer brand can experience the following:

    • 50% reduction in cost per hire 
    • 50% more qualified applicants

    According to LinkedIn, 

    • 55% of recruiting leaders have a proactive employer brand strategy
    • 59% of recruiting leaders worldwide are investing more in employer brand

    The numbers above are enough to justify the importance of employer branding. Let us focus on the advantages of building and maintaining your company’s reputation.  

    Building your Company’s Reputation: What Difference Can it Make?

    By now, you probably have a good idea of the importance of having an employer brand for effective talent acquisition. The following section summarises the ‘why’ of building your company’s reputation. 

    1. Reduces the employee turnover rate

    With great candidates comes greater expectations. They are smart and know their expectations from the organisation. But unfortunately, when employees do not receive what they expect, they prefer to exit the company. As a consequence, even the happiest of employees get demoralised. However, the good news is you can enhance employee engagement and retain your people with an impregnable employer brand. 

    1. Attracts the best talent

    Apart from retaining existing employees, a well-built employer brand places you in a dominant position where you can attract top talent. Nowadays, job seekers apply for a job only if they feel the employer brand is strong enough. Understand it this way: Your organisation’s mission, values, and culture are clearly depicted through the employer brand and outshine others. Therefore, job candidates would automatically get attracted to your brand.  

    1. Motivates employees

    Employees who are happy with their work environment stay more motivated and engaged. And when your people are happy, it generates high productivity levels and makes your employees stay for longer. Besides, they begin relating to the company’s goals & mission. So, in the long run, the existing employees become your brand’s ambassadors, whose voices and figures you can use for employer branding. 

    1. Improves growth rate

    Every organisation worldwide depends on its workforce to achieve its aims. That’s where employer branding steps in. Talent acquisition becomes easier for companies having a strong employer brand. If you stay true to maintaining your company’s reputation, you will receive more job applications than ever. Moreover, candidates would happily accept your job offers, which will pave the success path for your organisation. 

    1. Demonstrates your unique culture 

    While employer branding ain’t a subject you can learn overnight, it takes consistent efforts and involvement of the organisation’s key members. To truly gauge its success rate, you must ensure your work culture is voiced. Look for ways to make your work culture more employee-friendly because candidates love working with companies that value their members. Besides, highlight the diversity within your workforce to crack the success deal over time. 

    1. Conveys your brand value

    Preferences of modern job seekers are changing, and they no more accept a job offer just based on the finances offered. In fact, they look for a company’s reputation and the brand built around its mission, vision, and aims. Therefore, you must muster all your resources and efforts to convey the right message to the audience. Unarguable, the market belongs to top talent that isn’t ready to work for organisations with bad reputations.

    Final Words

    Employer branding encompasses much more than merely attracting job seekers for recruitment purposes. Your organisation’s success journey can be either exciting or terrifying. The latter scenario usually occurs when you don’t prioritise employer branding. However, the HR space around you has adapted to the changing environment, which is making employer branding important. This year is the perfect time to showcase what your organisation is and how it is better than others. 

    Needless to say, it doesn’t hurt to develop an employer brand to sustain in a bear market where nothing assures continued employee engagement & retention. 

    Contact us to source and place the most competent candidates within your organisation. We are experienced in delivering Executive Search, Contracting, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), and Human Resources Outsourcing services to multi-national and domestic firms.

    We have provided companies with over 5000 successful mid-to-high-end talent worldwide in recent years. The sectors we serve are: 

    1. Accounting & Finance
    2. Energy 
    3. Financial Services
    4. Government & Public Healthcare 
    5. Human Resources
    6. Legal
    7. Sales, Marketing & Digital
    8. Supply Chain & Procurement
    9. Technology
    10. Executive Search
  • How To Build Positive Employer Branding Through Social Media?

    How To Build Positive Employer Branding Through Social Media?

    ​For as long as the competitive corporate world has existed, employer branding will play a vital role in dictating business success.  Fundamentally, employer branding is a company’s identity that reflects a well-crafted vision, mission, character, and personality to attract new candidates and retain the existing ones.

    What is Employer Branding?

    Your employer brand is how others perceive your company, including your employees. Whether you realise it or not, every competent leader has the potential to build an employer brand that can leave an indelible mark on the audience’s mind. 

    ​“A strong employer brand can give a company a significant advantage in the war for talent. It can help the company attract top candidates, improve employee engagement, and reduce turnover.”

    In the truest sense, employer branding is a company’s message to the world about who they are and what makes them unique.

    Building a Positive Employer Branding

    A company’s reputation matters more than ever for job seekers, as most of them would not apply for or continue to work for an employer with a bad reputation. In other words, modern-day job hunters prioritise their career development over other factors and, thus, prefer working with high-ranking and respectable employer brands.

    While you spend plenty of time creating a compelling brand story around your products & services, how do you intend to build an employer brand?

    Let us lay a road map for you to make a successful employer brand with social media.​

    From Like to Hires: Role of Social Media

    The most important aspect to understand here is that social media isn’t just about posting job openings and hoping for the best. To be effective, every company needs to develop a strategic social media strategy that aligns with their branding and helps them attract the right talent.

    #1 Attract relevant & competent candidates

    On average, a job opening receives around 250 applications. Out of the received ones, the recruitment team interviews 6-7 candidates and hires the best among them. However, there are chances you may receive applications that do not match your job opening. As a consequence, you may end up losing time going through the not-so-fit resumes.

    Using social media, you can promote your employer brand your way with word-specific targeting. Moreover, you can send out messages through social media networks regarding the qualities you seek in candidates before hiring. Only then can you simplify your employer branding and hiring process. 

    MUST READ: How Can Employers Access a Wider Pool of Talent​

    #2 Approach candidates where they are

    Be it coffee breaks or after-office time, job seekers spend their time scrolling through social media for career development. And this is the opportunity that you must grab to reach out to them. With social media presence, there is a likelihood that job hunters follow your employer brand and stay updated with the latest job openings.

    Furthermore, candidates can directly apply for the job role directly if they get attracted toward the employer brand – a combination of your company’s vision, mission & goals.​

    #3 Engage current employees

    Running a business successfully isn’t all about attracting new talent but also involves retaining the existing ones. So show your current team off to the outside world and the organisation internally. Who knows how your existing employees can source candidates and fill job vacancies?

    For instance, to promote a positive employer brand, you can put up content such as team outings, career development activities, annual award nights, and more. 

    Let’s get started…

    Portray your company as a favourable employer using the tips mentioned below.

    • Establish a tone – Choose a style of your employer brand voice and stay consistent with it. Also, ensure to post regularly and at the right time. Finally, do not forget to keep your tone friendly and one that can set you apart from the competitors.
    • Choose your content smartly – While you may be flooded with content ideas for posting, choosing the right content is upon your wisdom. Furthermore, ensure the pictures and videos you share are consistent with your brand colours.
    • Always be responsive – Your employer branding story must not end with the development of the brand. Instead, it must mark the onward journey of being responsive to your audience and engaging them in various ways.
    • Choose social media networks wisely – Bear in mind that each social media network has different success metrics, and you must choose suitable platforms wisely. More importantly, it is not necessary to utilise all the platforms for employer branding, which means you can select the desired combination. 

    Wrapping Up

    Today’s candidates are digitally savvy, and the only way to reach out to them is through the creation of a strong employer brand. There is no shortage of reasons to promote your employer brand through social media.

    But one question you must answer: How to make continuous & the best use of social media for positive employer branding? Here’s what you can begin with:

    • Start sharing positive employee testimonials and the company’s success stories. 
    • Highlight your company culture and values. 
    • Engage with potential clients on social media

    If you can follow the insights we shared in this blog, you will surely step up your social media game to strengthen your employer brand.

    RELATED READ:

    FAQs

    1. How can social media improve employer branding?

    You need to build a strong employer brand if you wish to attract top talent. Modern organisations make use of social media to develop and improve employer branding. Using social media, employers can communicate who they are and what makes them different from others. In today’s time, job seekers search about organisations before applying for a role, and an organisation with a strong employer brand stands a better chance to hire top talent.

    2. Why is social media good for employers?

    Social media has become a part of everyone’s life. Employers can also use social media to stay visible to job seekers and present themselves as reputable and trustworthy. Additionally, they can let job seekers know what makes them better than other employers. The recruitment team can attract more job applications and hire competent candidates.

  • The Significance of Crafting Precise Job Descriptions

    The Significance of Crafting Precise Job Descriptions

    Job descriptions have been a staple since the inception of job roles. They play a vital role in helping potential employees comprehend job expectations and aiding employers in maintaining accountability.

    In the midst of the numerous responsibilities that talent acquisition professionals juggle, job descriptions are sometimes neglected. Nonetheless, their significance in the recruitment process should never be underestimated. Let’s delve into the importance of crafting precise job descriptions.

    What makes a good Job Description?

    A well-constructed, accurate job description forms the cornerstone of successful recruitment. It provides candidates with a clear picture of the role, allowing them to assess their suitability. Beyond setting expectations, it serves as a guiding document throughout the hiring journey.

    Ensuring that a job description is accurate and concise empowers employers to establish a strong foundation for talent acquisition. Consequently, it is imperative that job descriptions are devoid of grammatical errors and avoid technical jargon or buzzwords.

    An accurate job description aids in:

    1. Attracting suitable candidates
    2. Defining expectations
    3. Saving time and resources
    4. Promoting fair hiring practices
    5. Facilitating effective onboarding
    6. Enhancing employee engagement and retention

    Let’s explore the significance of an accurate job description in greater detail and how it can shape your hiring efforts.

    The Importance of an Accurate Job Description

    When recruiters embark on the journey of seeking new candidates, they must have a clear understanding of the ideal candidate’s skills, knowledge, competencies, and past experiences. Inaccurate or outdated job descriptions not only tarnish an organization’s reputation but also lead recruiters to make suboptimal hiring decisions.

    #1 Attracts the Right Candidates

    Imagine this scenario: John urgently needs to consult a doctor due to a stomach disorder. He spots a clinic nearby with a sign that reads ‘Clinic.’ However, upon entering, he discovers it exclusively treats lung disease patients.

    This situation exemplifies how a lack of clarity in description can attract the wrong audience.

    Likewise, if an organization fails to draft a clear job description, it may inadvertently draw the wrong candidates. This can overwhelm the candidate selection process, making it challenging for recruiters to identify suitable candidates.

    A well-crafted job description effectively conveys the role, responsibilities, and required qualifications, thus attracting candidates with the requisite skills and experience.

    #2 Facilitates Effective Onboarding

    A comprehensive and accurate job description aids management in determining the training needs of new employees. It supports the onboarding and training processes by enabling new hires to understand their roles, responsibilities, and goals from the outset. This alignment empowers them to align their efforts with organizational expectations, leading to a productive start. Simultaneously, hiring managers can create customized training plans, ensuring candidates are placed in actionable positions.

    #3 Assists Employee Engagement and Retention

    Developing a robust job description contributes to employee retention and satisfaction. It helps candidates comprehend what is expected of them if they are hired, averting misunderstandings and laying the foundation for a successful tenure. Conversely, an inaccurate job description can leave employees feeling deceived, increasing the likelihood of turnover. A well-defined job description reduces the chances of employees leaving their roles, as they are placed in positions closely aligned with the job posting’s description during the initial stages.

    #4 Measures Performance Shortcomings

    Following the hiring process, job descriptions serve as a benchmark for evaluating employee performance. They provide a standardized framework against which managers can assess performance. This helps identify areas where employees may fall short or where they exceed expectations.

    #5 Mitigates Risk and Limits Legal Liability

    Well-crafted job descriptions have the potential to mitigate risks and minimize legal liabilities. A clear and accurate job description ensures that the hiring process remains fair and objective. It establishes consistent criteria for evaluating candidates, reducing the potential for bias or discrimination. By focusing on essential skills, qualifications, and job requirements, employers can maintain legal compliance.

    Key Components of a Job Description

    • General overview
    • Job duties
    • Purpose of the job
    • Job goals and objectives
    • Scope of work
    • Work arrangement (in-office, remote, or hybrid)
    • Competencies
    • Reporting structure
    • Special conditions

    In Conclusion

    A job description is not a one-time endeavor; recruiters and hiring managers must regularly revisit their approach to crafting and updating job descriptions. It is a critical tool for effective recruitment and successful talent management. Employers should continuously review and refine job descriptions to align with evolving requirements. In essence, employers must focus on maintaining job descriptions and eliminating irrelevant information.

    If you’re seeking assistance with sourcing the right candidates for your organization’s objectives, Cornerstone Global Partners (CGP) Malaysia can provide valuable support. Our extensive network of professionals and customized solutions ensures a tailored approach that aligns with your hiring goals.

    Why choose us?

    Cornerstone Global Partners (CGP) Malaysia can help you source the right candidates supporting your organisation goals. Choosing us as your recruitment partner will expose you to our vast network of professionals.

    We understand that each organization is distinctive, with its own set of requirements, culture, and vision. That’s why we believe in creating customized solutions that align perfectly with your hiring goals. Our dedicated team of recruitment experts takes the time to truly understand your company’s needs, values, and the specific skills and qualifications you seek in potential candidates.

    FAQs

    The most important part of a job description is competencies. The part includes the knowledge, skills, and capabilities required to secure the position. Employers must give a detailed overview of competencies to help candidates assess whether they meet the requirements.

    Writing accurate job descriptions lets employers note what they expect from the candidate. Moreover, job descriptions help employees to determine whether they match the job requirements. As a result, employers and employees reach a common spot. In other words, employees find themselves in a better position to perform their job as they are informed of the job duties and responsibilities before the interview.

  • How To Promote Leadership Development In Your Organisation?

    How To Promote Leadership Development In Your Organisation?

    It’s a competitive era, and you risk blotting your organization if you still place followers, not leaders, in your organisation. Companies recognise they need to promote leadership development to survive in today’s volatile, complex & ambiguous environment.

    As John C. Maxwell quotes, “The single biggest way to impact an organisation is to focus on leadership development.”

    While it is undoubtedly complex and challenging to promote leadership development, there are numerous ways companies can invest in the leadership development of their employees. For example, the corporate world sees the provision of learning opportunities or having personnel from higher management coach the employees as highly beneficial. And these have proved to help retain the best of the best leaders over the long term.

    Are you seeking ways to promote leadership development in your organisation?

    Navigate your way toward achieving your goals with the below-mentioned deep-rooted methods.

    #1 Ensure Clarity & Visibility of Goals

    “Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.”- Brian Tracy

    Encourage your leaders, managers, and executives to underpin the pursuit of promoting leadership in your organisation. The first aspect is to have clarity & visibility of goals— goals that must be SMART.

    • S-Specific

    • M-Measurable

    • A-Achievable

    • R-Relevant

    • T-Time-bound

    Correspondingly, the goals must be communicated well to ensure complete visibility and improve leadership effectiveness. Everyone in the team must know the organisational goals and their role in achieving them.​

    #2 Identify Potential Leaders

    “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”- Sheryl Sandberg.

    As quoted by Sheryl Sandberg, companies that can spot the quality in their employees are carving a promising future for themselves. In the present-day dynamic work environment, it has become inevitable to establish a sturdy leadership pipeline for the future. Most importantly, organisations need to identify and select the best potential leaders with unconscious bias.

    Sometimes, the leader may not “look the part” due to experience, position, appearance, or communication style. But the correct identification is crucial, owing to the need to find leaders at all organisational levels.​

    #3 Preach Accountability & Responsibility

    “Creating a culture of integrity and accountability not only improves effectiveness, it also generates a respectful, enjoyable, and life-giving setting in which to work.”- Tom Hanson.

    Create an environment that supports and promotes accountability and responsibility among the leaders. The idea is to bring around improvement and effectiveness in their leadership.

    Provide them with leadership training & build a work culture that is entirely participating, both with responsibility and accountability.​

    #4 Practice Inclusivity

    “When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become a wiser, more inclusive, and better organisation.”- Pat Wadors.

    Make sure your leaders know you want them to continue growing with the company and that their growth matters. Allow them to bring up new ideas and provide feedback on improving the process. Eventually, the organisation will witness a paradigm shift in how leadership goals are viewed and promoted.

    Related Read: What is Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace, and Why is it Important?​

    #5 Tread a Path

    “Leaders are the ones who have the courage to go first, to put themselves at personal risk to open a path for others to follow.”- Simon Sinek.

    Since only a leader can identify another leader, it becomes important that the top management plays a role here. This means the top-level management must show a clear path to their employees-turned-leaders to advance and achieve goals.

    Furthermore, it will also enlighten them regarding the necessary steps to achieve leadership team development goals.​

    #6 Foster a Coaching Culture

    “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”- Timothy Gallwey.

    Various organisations develop formal leadership development programs for leadership training. However, the need is to have coaches at all levels that are inspiring & knowledgeable. For leadership development to proliferate, individuals must be allowed to coach or be coached.

    The method fosters a work environment where knowledge sharing is prioritised, and feedback impacts performance.​

    #7 Focus on Continuous Performance Management   

    “The only real difference between one organisation and another is the performance of its people.”- Peter F. Drucker.

    It would take a closer look to understand that leadership is not only about influencing people. Veritably, it is about leaders leading the organisation to attain goals. The fact here is that leadership is not just a title but a responsibility. Leadership development can be mapped out as leading the self, leading others, and leading the organisation as a whole.

    Continuous performance management becomes crucial here to monitor the performance holistically. Further, results can be measured against the expectations and the efforts that go into promoting leadership.​

    #8 Promote a “Learn by Doing” Attitude

    “For there to be a true maturity, people must be given room to grow, which includes room to fail.”- Charles R. Swindoll.

    Unarguably, you cannot support leadership team development merely by advocating it. Instead, as a leader developing other leaders, you ought to give them room to achieve goals or learn the ways.

    One thing worth mentioning here is your leaders may sometimes misfire. But nevertheless, they will never hit right unless they have the opportunity to shoot.​

    Final Words

    The corporate world has a long way to go before it gets hold of future-proof methods to promote leadership development. However, by the time it becomes a welcoming process, seeking the best talent & identifying foundational components within your organisation is a strong starting point.

    Stay awake instead of waiting for leadership development to happen.

    Stay open to ideas and let your organisation adapt to suitable ways to achieve leadership goals.

    Cornerstone Global Partners (CGP) Singapore, an award-winning recruitment firm in Singapore, believes people are the cornerstone of every great company. And our mission statement clearly states it:

    As every building requires a cornerstone, we believe people are the cornerstone of every great company.​ Our recruitment experts are passionate about bringing together great people with great companies.

    We have a comprehensive line of HR solutions to help you spot your organisation’s future leaders. Get in touch with us to learn more about CGP and its services.

    LEARN MORE

    FAQs

    1. What are the three ways to improve leadership in the workplace?

    The most powerful ways to improve leadership in the workplace are:

    • Promote clarity of goals across the organisation so that every employee knows them and understands their role in achieving them.

    • Focus on personal learning where the chosen leaders can learn and lead through uncertainty.

    • Enable feedback so the leaders can bring up new ideas and share feedback on the current processes.

    2. Why is it essential to promote leadership?

    The present world is very volatile and complex. Additionally, it isn’t easy for a single person to manage and run an organisation smoothly. Therefore, employers have recognised the power of having leaders at all levels who can take the responsibility to bring the desired results by achieving goals. This has given rise to the need for promoting leadership.