The 10 min employer brand audit.

Recruitment is an ongoing challenge. How often do you stop to reflect? Because a quick check-in can make all the difference. Here’s one you can do in just 10 mins.

Ready? Got a cuppa? Bourbon biscuit? Maybe an apple if you’re being good? Let’s go.

1. Pick a role you’re recruiting for. Programmer, Content Specialist, doesn’t really matter – it just has to be one you’re actively recruiting for.

2. Be that candidate. Take a second to take off your employer hat. Put it down, give it a pat, now think about the person who may be searching for this job. What would they want from the job/employer?

3. Type the role into Google. Search ‘Senior graphic designer’ or whatever you’ve chosen. Take a look at what comes up. Is there many? What industries? What are your first impressions?

4. Read some job ads. Check out the job ads and see how they sell it. What are they strong on? How do you feel?

5. Scan the career site. Have a quick flick of the career pages. Do they sound exciting? Could you work there?

6. Now reflect. If you were that candidate, where would you apply? Your company or one of the others?

Getting the best talent is tough. There’s lots of employers competing for the same jobs, and it looks like it’s only getting harder.

Remember, you’ve only got a brief window to grab a candidate. Don’t let your competitors outshine you.

Is it time to look at your employer brand?

So how did you fare with your ten-minute audit? Does your job advert compete? Does your career site sell ‘why’ someone might want to join you?

If the answer is no, it’s time to look at your employer brand.

Now an employer brand is more than just a recruitment tool – but – it is still a recruitment tool. Having a clear story to tell, crafted from robust research, presented in a human way, will help set you apart in the talent competition. And that will help you recruit.

Where to start?

Employer branding takes some work. Can you do it in-house or should you outsource? Have a look at the basics and decide yourself:

1. Review your talent competitors

2. Understand what modern candidates are looking for

3. Listen to employees across the business

4. Shape what it means to work for you

5. Turn that into a compelling story

6. Test it and tune it

7. Wrap it an appealing brand

8. Weave that across recruitment activities, internal engagement and everything in between.

Is your team ready to tackle it? Want a little help?

It’s a project that can make a huge difference, whilst being fun along the way.

I’ve partnered with The Surgery to bring you Kick Arse Employer Branding - an employee-led employer branding process, that will take you from a 7 to a 10. I bring over a decade of psychology-led reward & benefits branding, and The Surgery are true gurus in internal comms, digital and design. Together we make an awesome team 💪

So, if you need a little nudge in the right direction, or someone who can step in and do it all, give me a shout – I’d love to talk it through.

If you want more useful tips and advice then join me for a free training session.

Or hunt down our Kick-Arse Employer Brands podcast on Spotify or Apple Music.