Building a brand-centric talent strategy

What is talent acquisition?

When you hear the phrase talent acquisition, you should be thinking of the big picture and long term plan. Compared to traditional recruiting which is more focused on filling empty roles quickly, a talent acquisition strategy plans for the end-to-end process of how talent meets and lives at your company. This means everything from recruitment marketing to employee experience. 

Talent acquisition strategists should be closely communicating with C-suite and HR leaders to align talent strategy with the overall company goals and growth plan. This could look like forecasting for future openings and looking for potential candidates even before job postings go live. Or promoting internal talent mobility through mentorship and promotions. 

The talent acquisition process is usually broken down into these steps: sourcing (outbound), attracting candidates (inbound), interviewing, hiring decisions, and onboarding. 

How employer branding impacts your talent strategy

Employer branding tells your company’s story - who you are, what you do, and why candidates should care. A good brand differentiates your company from the rest in a competitive market. Most importantly, it shapes who is applying for your roles and investing their time.

To attract good candidates, you first need a good brand. That’s why employer branding is at the heart of successful talent acquisition strategies. After all, 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before even applying for a job. Here’s a breakdown of what great branding looks like at some key stages of the talent acquisition process. 

Sourcing for candidates

Active sourcing is part of outbound recruitment — this is when recruiters are the ones connecting to potential candidates and telling them about their team and open roles. One of the challenges of sourcing is the people you’re reaching out to may have never heard of your company. So you have to stand out from the noise and prove your case.

That’s why a strong employer brand — one that’s personal, unique, and memorable — can make the difference in if someone responds to outreach. On top of that, your employer brand should also help inform the types of candidates you're sourcing. What’s special about your team and who is looking for the same thing? At this stage, the goal is to align your needs with the talent that’s out there and a strong brand helps to get that alignment.

Attracting talent with inbound recruitment

On the other side of the spectrum there’s inbound talent attraction which is when candidates find and apply for the role. Inbound recruiting is really all about marketing and employer branding. These candidates might come from job boards, social media, your website, or referrals from friends. Their interest in your company depends on what they’re getting from these channels. 

This means writing job descriptions that speak clearly to your audience about what the role offers is really important. Look at everything from the candidate’s perspective: If I didn’t know anything about this company, what are my first impressions? The best talent often has the choice between different opportunities - you have to tell your own unique story.  

Employer branding is often thought of as high-level values or purpose. But the differentiator is in the individual stories and experiences. Share your own story of why you joined the team, your experience working there, or what you love about the culture. 

Thinking about employer brand during interviews and decisions

The interview and decision stages are where you assess if the candidate experience is actually consistent with your employer brand. For example, if your brand values diversity, is there effort in making your interview panels diverse? Or, if your company values transparency, make sure that’s actually backed up by communicating your employer value proposition to candidates clearly.  

Part of your employer brand is your reputation which means that the interactions that candidates have during interviews and when they hear back makes a difference. A negative experience might deter future candidates from applying. But good experiences can encourage people to share with their network and bring more positive visibility. This means that having empathy and being kind during the recruitment process goes a long way. 

Boosting retention with internal branding

Talent acquisition is also about retaining and growing the talent you already have. A strong brand leads to better retention, alignment, and productivity. One strategy to improve internal employer branding is through surveys and conversations to get honest employee feedback. 

Ultimately, you should adapt your brand to your people. Companies sometimes get it backward: they start with the high-level values, and then find the stories that fit. Instead, start with the people. Ask them why they’re here, what they appreciate most about their work or teammates. Then craft your brand based on these responses. By building the brand around the people instead of fitting the people to the brand, you end up with something that’s more personal and authentic for your audience.