The power of employer branding in recruiting during COVID-19

84% of job candidates say the reputation of a company as an employer is important, according to Talentnow. During COVID-19, employer branding is more important than ever. Employees might be reluctant to change jobs at this time, but companies are always in need of top talent, especially in the tech industry. Being able to attract top tech talent is key for businesses who want to stay competitive now and in the future.

At CWJobs, our platform continues to see a high number of active candidates searching for jobs and making applications. In the last two weeks, we had over 16k active candidates looking for jobs or updating their profiles on CWJobs*.

Brands who are positive and visible during a downturn will emerge stronger once the market picks up. That’s why employers need to be focused on building their employer branding and keeping an open conversation with tech candidates, using clear and consistent messaging.

Clear and consistent messaging

In this constantly-evolving landscape, finding accurate, reliable sources of information seems more difficult than usual. We’ve previously written about how technology is helping fight misinformation during the pandemic and how the responsibility extends to all companies across all sectors. Clear communication is key to ensuring that your brand remains trustworthy and reliable.

Twitter recently published its own advice on how brands should communicate during COVID-19 and at the top of their list is that “this is not a marketing opportunity”. Companies should aim to be transparent in how they communicate with their employees, job seekers and the wider industry.

A trustworthy brand isn’t afraid to communicate negative information. Employees want to know how their jobs may be impacted and jobs seekers want to know what their new roles will look like while they work from home and what the future of the company might be.

A good starting point for ensuring messaging is consistent is to create a communications plan that outlines what messages should be shared and how they should be delivered across all platforms, including telephone, video, email and social media.

Maintaining a connection with candidates

Brands that maintain communication with job seekers at this time are more likely to remain in their consciousness when it comes to applying for jobs. As a company, it can be tempting to update everyone on the minor details but what engages jobseekers is relevant content.

Generally speaking, jobseekers are looking for reassurance that once the worst of the pandemic is over, there will be job opportunities available. In the meantime, companies would do well to provide resources that jobseekers will find useful for the future.

For example, according to tech company IZEA, 66% of social media users expect their consumption to increase during coronavirus. This presents companies with an opportunity to maintain a connection with jobseekers and share useful tips and information.

It’s important to strike a balance between providing honest, factual information about COVID-19 and inspirational content that encourages jobseekers to engage.

Revising your brand strategy

For many companies, COVID-19 presents an opportunity to reflect on their brand and to make adjustments to ensure it remains aligned with the marketplace after the pandemic.

A good starting point in revising a brand strategy is to consider brand values. What was once deemed a core value a few years ago, may not be considered as important now. As well as helping to attract new recruits, updating company values can provide staff and management with renewed motivation as businesses enter the next phase in their journey.

At the core of every hiring strategy is a set of objectives. Companies need to be clear on the type of candidates they want to attract. Updating job descriptions and candidate information packs can help companies attract the right type of candidates moving forward.

As part of a brand revision, businesses should also consider their tone of voice. What was once an appropriate way of communication may not be now. Companies should consider how they use language in their job adverts and how they inform candidates who are successful and unsuccessful in their applications.

Embracing technology

With some parts of the UK still in lockdown, technology continues to play an important role in the hiring process. Companies that have embraced technology to enable remote working are likely to be seen in a positive light in the future by job candidates.

When it comes to recruiting, companies should make a point of stating on their job adverts whether remote working opportunities are available. With most companies having embraced technology to allow their staff to work from home, opportunities to offer flexible working are most welcome by job candidates.

CWJobs’ research finds that almost half (49%) of tech workers would take a pay cut to be allowed to work from home. And two-thirds (66%) would accept a job that was over two hours away if they could work remotely.

Companies should also consider using video conferencing software in the future to conduct candidate interviews, demonstrating their commitment to digitalisation. 91% of our candidates reveal that they would likely use video interviewing software as this would help them continue their job search and connect to more opportunities**.

Other tech innovations such as skills-based assessments can also make for a better candidate experience. Not only do these assessments remove any bias from the recruitment process, but they can keep candidates informed of the progress of their application.

CWJobs enables employers to use their company profile and targeted emails to share what their brand values with candidates. They can also benefit from programmatic and social ads to reach passive jobseekers.

CWJobs and our employer branding partner, Universum, can help you build a robust employer brand to attract the right candidates and fill your tech roles quicker. Get in touch at 0333 0145 111 to find out more.

*CWJobs internal stats, May 2020

**CWJobs candidate research, April 2020