4 Best Practices to Promote Your Image As A Great Place To Work

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One of the most frequent topics for discussion at recruiting conferences is employer branding. Employers large and small have come to understand that their employer brand is separate from their business-to-consumer, business-to-business, or business-to-government brands. And for organizations with multiple products or services, each of those brands is separate from their employer brands as well.

Every employer wants to be known as a “great” place to work. Not every employer is. If you aren’t, don’t try to pretend you are as you’ll do more harm than good as now you’ll be known for lying in addition to whatever other negative issues may exist. So fix whatever problems you have until you truly are a great place to work and then promote that image to the students and recent graduates you most want to hire.

NACE’s 2012 Student Survey offers four excellent suggestions for how you can boost your recruiting according to the preferences of the college students your organization is recruiting:

1. Let students hear from you—Students want to hear directly from your organization either through your website or from representatives of your organization that the student meets on campus.
2. Involve key sources to carry your message—In addition to direct communication, your branding messages work best if they are reinforced by trusted advisers to the student, such as parents, faculty, and career services staff.
3. Incorporate elements critical to intern conversion—Pay your interns and engage them in project-level analytical work instead of administrative and clerical busy work.
4. Offer the benefits important to your recruits—A high starting salary is no longer as important to students. Instead, students are paying more attention to your benefits, training, insurance, and vacation policies.