If you’ve just set up a recruitment company, your thoughts may be a million miles away from recruiting new staff to join you right this minute. But, much like establishing your company culture, it’s never too early to think about implementing the things which will allow you to grow when the time comes.

Employer branding is a big area, too big for one 15 minute podcast, so in this episode, Rhys focuses on introducing what we mean by an employer brand, why it’s important for new recruitment businesses to start thinking about their employer branding early and how to start thinking about your own Employer Value Proposition.

Your employer brand isn’t your company brand… it’s not your logo and fancy marketing spiel, it encompasses everything from your core values and your culture to the way your staff present themselves on social media and to clients and candidates.

Why is an employer brand critical for your recruitment business?

For the vast majority of recruitment businesses their largest single financial cost is the staff – so attracting and retaining good recruiters is essential to creating a fast-growing, sustainable business. Employer branding is one of the most important tools you have to ensure you get the right people in place saving you time and money.

Research from LinkedIn suggests that those companies investing in employer branding saw a 28% reduction in turnover, a 50% reduction in the cost of hire – so it’s clear to see there are big benefits to be gained.

There is a lot of competition for the best recruitment talent out there – as such, putting out a generic ‘We’re Hiring’ type post isn’t going to cut through the white noise. You need to be thinking about what recruiters want – and it’s a lot more than the basic salary, commission and package discussion

Recruiters tend to be forward-thinking and tech-savvy. They are immersed in the world of selling business cultures and company branding. They tend to be open to new technology and changes to working, such as flexi-time, home working etc. so you need to be talking about how your company is approaching these.

Establish your Employer Value Proposition early

A good way to get started with employer branding is to think about your EVP (or employer value proposition). Your EVP is the thing that attract would-be employee into joining your business.

You can start evaluating what your EVP is by talking to your existing staff (if you have any currently) and looking at your core values and the culture you are trying to implement. Ask your staff why they like working for your business, what value they get out of it and how they see the values, culture and reward structure. Get them to tell you why they decided to join in the first place and ask them where the business can improve. You can then use this information to work out what you can offer potential employees.

Build this EVP into your daily process – make sure it’s reflected throughout your hiring process from initial adverts through to the hiring process. But more than that, your staff are the evangelists for your business. They are the ones out there on LinkedIn and in the market. They need to be projecting your employer brand and EVP in their daily interactions.

The key to any successful employer brand is consistency – decide what it is and run with it. Put it in your core values, and get your staff to live it. Get it right and it’s the winning formula to grow your business quickly and create a strong foundation for the future. This is especially crucial if you are looking to build a business to sell.

In future podcasts, Rhys will look more in-depth at the elements that make up an employer brand and how you can continue to build on the foundations.

Read a transcript of this episode here.