Employer Branding and Campus Engagement

Employer Branding is the image of an organisation. How it wants to position itself depends on what it wants to achieve by that image. Unlike popular belief is not the HR department's sole responsibility but that of every employee.

Wikipedia: "Employer brand denotes an organisation's reputation as an employer".

At its simplest, a brand is no more than a badge of identity and promise of performance. It tells you where something (or someone) is from, and it carries an implied guarantee that what has been promised on behalf of the brand will be delivered.

Some common objectives:

• Great place to work
• Innovative company
• Ivy League company
• Product Quality
• Industry Strength
• Admired for financial strength
• People Management
• Social Responsibility
• Global Competitiveness 
•  

Every brand is surrounded by alternatives competing for their share of attention, interest and loyalty. Brands need to be focused to compete effectively in this crowded space, and brand positioning represents the art and science of targeting the right audiences with the most compelling benefits and brand messages.

Employer image and employer branding have become important topics for most employers in recent years, as more and more companies realize that the demographic and social changes outlined above are a real strategic and competitive threat to their future (Björkman & Lervik, 2007; Calo, 2008).

According to a survey by Hewitt Associates (2010), in which 76 international and global companies from the German speaking region took part, more than 70 per cent of these companies see themselves challenged by a talent shortage even after the recent economic crisis.

An exclusive survey of 1,889 Personnel Today readers with responsibility for recruitment reveals that 95% of respondents believe employer branding is ‘important’ (Fig. A), with 80% saying that it will become even more so (Fig. B). And yet only 25% of those surveyed have responsibility for employer branding (Fig. C).

While recruitment, retention and sickness absence represent some of the most clear-cut areas in which costs can be saved, there is also evidence to suggest that high levels of organisational engagement can help to reduce costs across a number of other less obvious areas.

While reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction provide a strong business rationale for focusing greater attention on the employer brand, the case ultimately rests on demonstrating a clear link between the strength of the employer brand, high levels of employee engagement and financial performance.

Employer Branding has 3 key phases:  Attract, Retain, Engage

Read Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent: 50 Plus One Strategies Used by the Best

 By Donna De St. Aubin, Brian J. Carlsen  

Know your Employer Value Propositions (EVP) and focus on what differentiates yourself from your competitors.

The major benefits of employer branding include:-

• Increased productivity & profitability

• Increased employee retention

• Highly ranked for Employer Attractiveness

• Increased level of staff engagement

• Lower recruitment costs

• Minimized loss of talented employees

• Employees recommending organization as a “preferred” place to work

• Maintenance of core competencies

• Employees committed to organizational goals

• Shorter recruitment time

• Ensured long-term competitiveness

• Improved employee relations

• Decreased time from hire to productivity

According to Gill Nyfield what others in the organisation perceive the HR department as:

HR people are more:	HR people are less:
• affiliative	• persuasive
• democratic	• data rational
• caring	• innovative
• behavioural	• organised and structured
• worrying	• critical
	• competitive

Strategies that help Campus Engagement:

• You need to search no further. The people in your organisation are the best "Brand Managers".
• When you go for campus selection make it point to take an employee from that campus as he will have better rapport with the staff.
• Conduct activities or help the Placement Cell conduct activities like quiz, competitions, seminars, field trips.
• Design memorabilia with your company logo and give it to all selected candidates.
• Instead of just handing over cash prizes for events, donate some latest hardware to the computer lab.
• Share research topics the company is working on with the academic staff for collaborative projects or have students share their ideas on latest technologies
• Most importantly speak to your future employees at a regular basis.