Nov 20, 2018

Jeremy M EskenaziHow your company can leverage what employees and candidates say about you to attract top talent

By: Jeremy Eskenazi

Have you ever struggled to hire the right people? Do most of the people you interview seem like a questionable fit at your company? It might be a symptom of not using your employer brand to your best advantage. An employer brand is what employees and candidates say about your company and the work experience when you’re not in the room. It’s not something you can go out and buy, or have a fancy branding exercise to develop and replace if you don’t like the one you have. Much like branding a product, your employer brand takes on elevated meaning and a predisposition to buy or join. In what is currently a competitive talent market, effective branding creates a sustainable competitive advantage and can make a huge difference in who is interested in working for you.

If you’re not sure what your employer brand is today, think about employer review websites online that are popular in North America and many parts of Europe. If you’re not familiar with the concept of these sites, they’re user-driven platforms that encourage people to anonymously record their experiences with a company as a candidate or employee. They can write whatever they want, even if it’s negative, and they can encourage people to run in the opposite direction. The flip side is that reviewers can also sing your praises and wax lyrical about you. Unfortunately, much like any user-driven site, anonymous contributors are usually either delighted with something, or were very upset; so you tend to see wild swings of positive or negative comments.

An employer brand is not necessarily changed overnight, but every time you interact with a candidate, you create an impression. Now multiply these impressions dozens or even hundreds of times. This is a powerful force. This is your professional brand and your opportunity to create (or start to re-create!) the first experience.

The people, symbols, and meaning we try to attribute to the company can be a powerful tool in communicating where the organization is headed. The brand management process helps you to unearth the organizations’ brand expression in the marketplace. The five ways to leverage your employer brand are:

1. Asset Assessment. Be honest: what are your strengths and weaknesses? How large is your companydo you need people who thrive in an intense corporate environment or do you want people who are happy to have a more stable career? What benefits do you offer? Is there opportunity for advancement? Knowing this and being able to clearly articulate it is so important.

2. Employee Involvement. What is your organizational culture? Is it vertical, with top-down direction and little front-line input, or are decisions made on a broad collaborative basis? Is there opportunity for creative thinking? Knowing how your employees interact today and empowering them to tell the story of how they contribute is powerful.

3. Competitive Assessment. What other organizations can your candidates work for? You need to know who your competitors are and what they offer. If another company offers higher wages, can you compensate with profit sharing or better benefits? Are there opportunities for you to be creative about your offering based on what your competitors are packaging for candidates?

4. Brand Positioning. You need to know where your organization fits in the overall market. Does your company compete on price, or are you targeting the upscale market? Are you known for promoting from within? Does your company have a reputation for treating women and minorities fairly? The comments left online are a good starting point for this, as are any internal surveys you run.

5. Brand Expression. This is the combined result of all of the ‘brand signals’ that are present in the marketplace and are picked up by consumers and candidates. Every element of your employer brand needs to be in alignment. For example, if you claim to care about the environment and candidates are offered Styrofoam cups when they come in for an interview, you’d be surprised how much that can alter perceptions of your company and what you stand for.

In today’s competitive global economy, these five steps can help you find the candidates you need. Remember that candidates can be both internal and external. If you bring the right talent into your team, they may be interested and have versatile skills that could allow them to try new jobs at your company. They may be ready to take on a new role and be promoted, or they may be excellent at their current job. The point being: there is active work required to engage your current employees as brand ambassadors as well—they too represent and can carry your employer brand far and wide.

Remember, you can’t “make” an employer brand. An advertising agency can’t help you create a brand. They can help create a brand message. Whether or not you know what your brand is isn’t the issue. It’s knowing the what the themes are that people use to talk about your organization. Then you can manage the expression of the brand—and how people receive it—as part of your brand as an employer. You can do this through your goals, vision, and values, and the taglines that best explain what your company is about.

It’s easy for someone to throw out “we aspire to be the best place to work”. Your employer brand cannot be solely aspirational—it has to be accurate for where your organization is today. When your position is too aspirational, people will likely be unhappy when they encounter you—both candidates and employees. If you were in their position, don’t you think you’d feel let down too?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeremy Eskenazi is an internationally recognized speaker, author of RecruitConsult! Leadership, and founder of Riviera Advisors, a boutique Recruitment/Talent Acquisition Management and Optimization Consulting Firm. Jeremy is not a headhunter, but a specialized training and consulting professional, helping global HR leaders transform how they attract top talent at some of the world’s most recognized companies. For more information on Jeremy Eskenazi, please visit: www.RivieraAdvisors.com.

  • Prev
Earlier this spring, Wendy and Brett Ramsey kicked off a pilot project in Eastern Ontario high ...
You can have your say on the proposed changes to the Small Vessel Regulations. The proposed changes ...
The American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC), a non-profit organization dedicated to developing ...
C.C. Marine Distributors has announced their 2023 Marine Trade Show dates. The 2023 Show will be ...
The 2023 Skills Ontario Competition was held at the Toronto Congress Centre May 1 – 2. The ...
With the Employer of Choice designation, your business will better attract top talent and you will ...
The National Yacht Club is one of Canada’s oldest institutions on Toronto’s waterfront dating back ...
NMMA recently announced the appointment of Marie-France MacKinnon as Executive Director for NMMA ...
Thanks to their growing team, this year Quadrant Marine has been able to do more community outreach ...
A major point of discussion in the marine industry recently is the issue facing the shortage of the ...

Marine Industry Career Path: Brett Ramsey

Wendy and Brett Ramsey

Wendy and Brett Ramsey

Boating Industry Canada is kicking off its Marine Industry Career Path series once again. For the first installments this year, we have two subjects to highlight. Introducing Wendy and Brett Ramsey!

The Ramsey’s have been working in the marine industry for many years but have both had unique paths in getting to where they are now. They’ve also been working on an impactful pilot project for a long time, which will now be launching this spring. The focus of this initiative is to bring more young people into the marine industry.


Read More


 

Changing Scene

  • Prev
Back in April we wrote about North American Safe Boating Awareness Week that will take place across ...
When you have an emergency on the water, how do you get help? For National Safe Boating Week, May ...
Sirius Signal, the leader in marine safety innovations, has announced that the float plan used in ...
Dutch yacht builder Vanquish Yachts – well known for its custom craftsmanship yachts has partnered ...
On September 2, 2022, the Kirkfield Lift Lock site was closed due to a mechanical failure. Since ...
Boating Ontario informs us that the MRAA and ABYC have worked to create a certification test for ...
The opening of the 2023 American Boating Congress (ABC) in Washington, DC featured a small boat ...
Groupe Beneteau is announcing that it has entered exclusive negotiations with Trigano, a European ...
High school students from Collingwood and Bradford came to the Georgian College Midland Campus on ...
John Morris, Editor of Canadian Yachting OnBoard and Sailing in Canada News Digests, was honored in ...

Boating Industry Canada News Week

 

Every Tuesday we publish a fresh Digest with informative articles pertaining to the Canadian boating and marine industry. Stay up to date with the latest products, research and industry developments.

Missed an Issue of Boating Industry Canada News Week? If you're looking for a specific issue, or simply want to catch up on previous issues, check out our Boating Industry Canada News Week Archives.

Not signed up for News Week? Subscribe here

 

 

 

 

 

Launchings

  • Prev
Sea Ray is continuing the evolution of its premium SLX Series with the official launch of the SLX ...
Four Winns is excited to announce its recent achievement, receiving the 2023 Multihull of the Year ...
Center console craft for fishing, families, and watersports are the most popular type of boats in ...
Building on its award-winning M Series, Bayliner unveiled the all-new M19 at the Miami ...
Dream Yacht Worldwide, one of the world’s leading sea vacation companies, and Fountaine Pajot, ...
In 2023, Wellcraft will push the limits further with the launch of its next Performance Cruiser – ...
Jeanneau expands its DB Yachts line with a second model: the new DB/37, available in inboard and ...
On January 4, 2023, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Brunswick Corporation ...
Vision Marine and Beneteau will jointly market the ground-breaking Four Winns H2e to Beneteau’s ...
Four Winns continues to be committed to a comfortable and instinctive experience on the water and ...
 

Bayliner M19Building on its award-winning M Series, Bayliner unveiled the all-new M19 at the Miami International Boat Show. The M19 joins the M Series lineup of the M15 and M17 delivering the stability and versatility the series is known for with a focus on expanding boater participation through its intuitive design, ease of maintenance and inclusive price point.  

With an overall length of 19 feet and starting at $30,995 USD, the M19 is built on an improved M-hull foundation offering increased stability and automotive style handling for familiarity to appeal to the next generation of boaters. The M19 features an upgraded nine-person capacity and is watersports capable for a full day of adventure on the water.  

Read More


 

 

Glomex TV

Televisions on a boat are increasingly commonplace. With the simple-to-install Glomex Avior VT300 Omnidirectional TV/FM antenna from GA Communications, it's never been easier to bring analog and digital broadcasts onboard—at a price that's hard to ignore.

The most noticeable feature of the Avior VT300 antenna is its compact white, anti-yellowing radome. At only 4" dia. x 8" H and 8.8 oz., it's specifically made for smaller boats that can't accommodate large TV antenna domes and only need short range reception, depending on height and conditions. The amplifier allows the antenna to have an increase in gain with a 24.5 dB average to receive vertical and horizontal polarized TV signals simultaneously from 360°. 

Read More


 

People

  • Prev
It is with profound sorrow that Furuno USA announces the passing of long-time employee and friend, ...
Making boating safety education more accessible by bringing courses online, growing the ...
Pace Industries, North America’s leading full-service aluminum, zinc and magnesium die casting ...
It is with heavy hearts that the family sadly announce the passing of Alfred “Alf” Mortimer (the ...
After 34 years at UK Sailmakers, General Manager Adam Loory is about to retire to do, what else, ...
At the recently held Boating BC AGM, four new board members were elected for a two-year term:
Under the direction of Sean Fawcett, President, the Landing School in Arundel, Maine is ...
The ABYC Foundation has recognized Kevin McKiernan, a marine service technology teacher from North ...
CORK/ Sail Kingston Inc is a highly motivated organization with a challenging mission – to host ...
Dave Mayhew, President of The Boat Warehouse is pleased to announce that Andy Lindsay  joined ...

Airmar hires Suzanne Hawley as Brand Manager

Susanne Hawley

The Leader in Ultrasonic Technology and Multi-sensor Solutions Continues to Grow in Talent and Innovation. AIRMAR® Technology Corporation, a world leader in ultrasonic transducers and Chirp technology, has named Suzanne Hawley as the Brand Manager for the company’s wholly owned distributor, Gemeco Marine Electronics Specialists, located in Lake City, SC.

Hawley comes to Airmar with extensive marketing and PR experience in the marine electronics industry including 20 years as the owner of Hawley Communications, a consulting agency focused on creative marketing solutions for businesses in the recreational boating industry.

Read More