Topic: HR Consulting for Startups

In a world that is as fast as ours, where trends come and go on the daily and everybody wants to stand out it is important to build a recognizable brand. Not only in order to attract new customers but most importantly to attract those talents that will make it possible to grow your company. Keep in mind that 23% of Startups fail due to not having the right team! Investing in the right strategy to find fitting candidates will thus pay off in the long run.

81% of candidates take company culture into account when applying for a new job. Think about companies that spark your interest, rest be assured that they do have something in common: a strong focus on employer branding. It may be through a compelling social media presence, a refreshing company culture or simply a banging job description that makes you want to write that cover letter the moment you finish reading.

Of course this is not easy to accomplish overnight but here are a few things you can already start with today:

• Show what you already have! Making things visible is the first step to build a better brand and show potential Employees how you run your company. 
• Be Authentic! Use Social Media channels to show what’s really going on behind closed doors. Best Practice Examples are: Madewell (@madewell / 1.4 Million followers), Recess (@takearecess, 84.1k followers) and Glossier (@glossier / 2.7 million followers). All of those social media channels are great examples of how to show your company’s colours and make your brand stand out.
  Remember: Potential Candidates will have a much easier time to get a feel for your company if you show them what you are all about. Authenticity goes a long way as 35% of Candidates who quit in their trial period do so because of them not being on par with the company culture. 
• Your Job Description matters, and here’s why: Your Job Posting will most likely be the first point of contact with potential candidates. You want it to stand out and make a lasting impression. Make sure you let your colours shine through – for example at Heroes we always mention gender and sexual equality at the end of every Job Ad, as this is very important to us as a company.
• Give your Employees the Spotlight they deserve. If it’s through social media posts, showing their unique personalities or letting your employees write articles and express themselves this way, always remember that  your employees are the backbone of your company! Not only will it show you care but it can also persuade new candidates to want to join your team!

Internal employer branding on the other hand is all about your existing employees. It’s one thing to attract new talents but a whole different business to retain your team members. Where external employer branding focuses on making your internal company processes visible and building a strong brand, Internal Employer Branding means living your company culture and focusing inwards.

Ask yourself first, what is important to you. How do you want to position your brand and what is the target candidate audience you want to attract. All of those questions will help you to work out your long term strategy. 

Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

• Define your Mission, Vision & Values. It might seem like a scary task at first, but don’t worry we got your back: here is a quick guide on how to ask yourself those tough but necessary questions. 
• Set up a branding strategy! After you’ve dug deep on the core Values of your company it’s important to set a strategy in place in order to implement your ideas. After all, you don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste. 
• Don’t forget to practice what you preach. External and internal employer branding are two pieces of the same puzzle – thus both strategies should play off of each other. 
• Give your team the room and tools to grow. This can include: an employee journey to motivate your team members to continuously develop their skills, providing a compelling digital architecture that your employees will want to use on the daily or a yearly budget for each team member to engage in classes and courses. 
• Your Employees are part of the process. Talk to each of your team members when setting up a new Strategy for Employer Branding. It will help you to determine what your existing company culture is and maybe you will even get ideas that you would not have come up with yourself. 

In order to make your company’s Employer Branding truly outstanding you will need to treat this as the marathon it is. Employer Branding is not a short term race, it’s not just a project you can finish in a month or two. It is an ongoing process. Treat it as such and you will see results with time! 

Now that you know the ins and outs of employer branding you can start on implementing the most important steps right away! Keep in mind to always remember that:

• Your job description matters! 
• You have to be Authentic. 
• Your employees are part of the process.

Interested in more employer branding content? Read more on our blog!

Linna Morgan, Content Creator