The global study, Inside the Mind of Today’s Candidate , which sought the views of over 6,500 professionals and 7,700 recent job-switchers, found that while 4 out of 5 (82 per cent) British professionals are interested in new job opportunities, almost two thirds (63 per cent) of the UK’s recent job-switchers did not know or knew very little about their current employer before hearing about their job. UK employers could be missing opportunities to attract top candidates by not building awareness of their brand among potential future hires.
The research also revealed that one in five job-seekers in the UK are unable to clearly see what it would be like to work for an employer prior to applying for a job, with 14 per cent citing too vague information on would-be employers’ websites.
Commenting on the research, Jon Addison , head of Talent Solutions at LinkedIn UK, said, ‘’With over 5.5 million companies in the UK and unemployment currently at a 42 year low, today’s job market is candidate-centric, giving job-seekers a wealth of options when looking for their next role. One effect of this is that the battle for talent between employers has become fierce, and British employers cannot afford to rest on their laurels when it comes to attracting candidates – both active and passive.’’
Jon continued, ‘’Our research shows that while the potential candidate pool in the UK is huge, with four out of five professionals interested in hearing about new opportunities, British businesses simply aren’t doing enough to promote their employer brands and show candidates why they are great places to work. It’s important that they address this, or risk being left behind as top talent joins forces with better known brands.’’
Top tips for building employer brand awareness
To help businesses - large or small - better connect with prospective hires, Jon Addison shared the following tips for building awareness of your employer brand.
- Join up recruitment and marketing: By drawing on the skills and experience of marketing specialists in your organisation, recruitment teams can make sure they are pitching their employer brand message in ways that will resonate with and reach your target audience
- Leverage your employee ambassadors: No one can say why you’re a great place to work as well as your existing employees. Encourage them to share their experiences of work with their own networks to widen the pool of potential candidates you reach.
- Get creative: To stand out from the crowd as an employer, it is important to inject creativity into your employer brand campaigns. This doesn’t need to cost the earth; a simple social strategy, or developing engaging content for your website can be effective ways of showing what you offer to candidates.
LinkedIn’s research also revealed the top things that most motivate British professionals to look for a new job, with better pay topping the list, closely followed by wanting a better match in interests and wanting a better work-life balance.
