If you’re in talent acquisition right now, you may well be juggling a long list of open roles, increasing candidate drop-off rates, more turnover, and rising recruitment costs. It may well be that your employer brand isn’t doing what it should. The good news? It’s totally fixable. The sooner you address it, the better – it’s cheaper to tackle the problem before it snowballs into something bigger. Think of us as your employer brand doctor – here to help prevent problems before they start!
Stick with us, and we’ll show you exactly how a weak employer brand can be bad for business, plus some simple, cost-effective ways to turn things around.
So, what exactly is your employer brand?
In a nutshell: it’s everything. It’s how potential candidates view you, not how you see yourself. In today’s job market, your brand needs to stay fresh and appealing to attract top talent and keep them around. Crucially, your brand impacts more than just hiring. It influences your reputation with customers, investors, and even stakeholders too.
The stats are clear: 88% of job seekers take your employer brand into account before applying, and companies with a strong brand are three times more likely to hire quality candidates. On the flip side, 69% of candidates say they’d turn down a job offer from a company with a poor reputation – even if they’re unemployed. If you want to get ahead and keep top talent coming in, making sure your employer brand is solid is more important than ever.
(Source: MRINetwork)
The cost implications of a poor employer brand
A weak employer brand isn’t just an image problem – it hits you where it hurts: your wallet. It’s often hard to see at first, but over time, a weak employer brand can cost you big in ways you might not even realise. From recruitment expenses to lost productivity, here’s a rundown of where your brand is draining your resources:
The cost of candidate fallout
If your brand is a turn-off, candidates will be dropping off too. A 2024 Cronofy report found that 43% of candidates bail on interviews because of scheduling delays. And it doesn’t stop there – drop-off rates are high at every stage: 22% during application, 24% at screening, and 25% at interviews.
The cost of increased turnover and poor candidate quality
With a poor employer brand, you’re going to attract lower-quality candidates, which means higher recruitment costs and more turnover. Companies with weak brands may need to bump up salaries by 10% to attract talent (source: Harvard Business Review), and you’ll probably spend more time filling roles, which can hurt your operations. On the flip side, companies with strong brands experience 28% less turnover. That’s huge, considering replacing an employee can cost up to 200% of their salary!
The cost of increased reliance on agencies
When your employer brand is weak, you might lean more heavily on recruitment agencies. And guess what? Those fees can run anywhere from 15% to 30% of a candidate’s first-year salary – sometimes even higher for hard-to-fill roles.
The cost of low engagement and productivity
Engaged employees are happy employees. Companies with engaged employees see 23% higher profitability and 17% more productivity. In contrast, disengaged workers are contributing to a global loss of $8.8 trillion in productivity each year. So, poor engagement can definitely hurt your bottom line.
In short, a poor employer brand might seem like a minor issue now, but it adds up fast – and it’s costing you more than you think. Fixing it is a smart way to save money in the long run and stay competitive.
Time to fix your employer brand?
Your employer brand doesn’t stay fixed – it’s always evolving. With the way things are changing in the job market (think shifting employee expectations, more hybrid work, and a bigger focus on purpose-driven workplaces) your brand could probably use a refresh to stay competitive. Brands need regular attention, so let’s make sure yours stays attractive to the best talent out there.
Review your employer value proposition (EVP)
Today’s employees expect more than just a salary. They want things like flexible working, mental health support, and psychological safety. DEI is no longer just about policies. It’s about action and creating an inclusive culture. Plus, your EVP needs to adapt to the changing landscape of job roles, especially with AI and automation on the rise, and increased demands for pay transparency and career progression.
If your EVP isn’t aligned with these evolving needs, it’s time to rethink it. A little investment now could make a huge difference in how your brand is perceived and how you attract and keep top talent. For more guidance, check out How to Make Your EVP Work Harder by our friends at BrandPointZero.
Adapt your EVP for different audiences
Just as consumer brands tweak their messages for different customer groups, your employer brand should speak to the unique needs of each team within your company. Salesforce are nailing this by using LinkedIn to showcase diverse content for different roles within their organisation. Similarly, Marriott does a great job with Instagram reels, highlighting everything from hospitality to corporate roles.
These brands understand that one-size-fits-all doesn’t work. Platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram Reels are really popular with brand right now who are using them to show behind-the-scenes peeks at their workplace cultures. This authentic, real-life content helps you connect with the right people.
If you need inspiration, check out our case study with NFU Mutual, where we helped them create a super-targeted EVP for their pricing team.
Don’t stop at the candidate experience
The candidate experience is a big deal, and rightly so. If candidates drop out of your hiring process, you lose time and money, plus you might end up paying agency fees to fill the role. A bad candidate experience can even hurt your reputation and make it harder to hire top talent in the future.
AI is changing the game. Companies like Chipotle have slashed hiring times from 12 days to just 4 using AI-powered assistants. Also, fairness and ethical practices in hiring is a must have. By creating clear, unbiased hiring criteria and offering equal opportunities to all applicants, you’ll boost your employer brand and attract a more diverse pool of candidates. And with remote work now a staple, it’s crucial that your hiring and onboarding processes are seamless, even virtually. Clear communication is key, and making remote hires feel valued from the start will help ensure a smooth transition.
Check out our article ‘Candidate experience: How to meet and exceed their expectations’ but don’t forget to carry those good experiences through into equally good on-boarding as that’s the time new hires will be evaluating promises against reality.
Re-engage candidates with your employer brand
Once you’ve nailed your employer brand story, it’s time to get it out there. Encourage your employees to share their real experiences on LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram. Trust us – real stories from real employees resonate way more than polished corporate ads. Companies that embrace employee-generated content see up to twice as much engagement. If you want to dive deeper into this, check out ‘Content marketing for recruiters. Engaging candidates with your employer brand’.
In conclusion
A weak employer brand is probably costing you more than you think. It’s not just about recruitment fees – it impacts your reputation and even customer loyalty. If you let things slide, it’ll only get harder to fix. So, take a moment to ask yourself: Is your EVP still delivering what your employees want? A little tweak could make a huge difference. And let’s face it – a strong employer brand isn’t just a feel-good thing – it pays off hugely in the long run. If you need help, we’re here to chat!
Want some help?
If you feel you’d like some help, support or even a little chat around your careers website or aspects of your employer brand and talent attraction strategy just drop us a line. After all, much of our best work has started with a cup of tea and a Zoom call.
