Creating Smart Social Recruiting Strategies
Talent, Social, Mobile & Recruiting Summit
THEVALUE OF BUILDING AN EMPLOYER
BRANDTO ATTRACT AND RETAINTALENT
Alan Whitford
5 November 2013

Why Me?
Over 25 years experience in recruitment and in the start-up and expansion
of high technology businesses in Europe
Provide strategic and practical insights to the automation and web-
enablement of Human Resource and Recruitment Process activities
throughout Europe
Clients include Times 500 companies and software and services vendors in
the Human Resources and e-commerce arenas
Founder of RCEURO, web portal for the European recruitment industry
Published in a number of on-line and off-line media covering technical and
strategic issues around HR, technology, social media and business
Lead training programmes on the use of social media and networking tools
Founding board member of HR-XML Consortium European Chapter
Chair of the highly successful Social Recruitment Conference series
Operations Director of the Direct Employers Association Europe

The Importance ofTalent
80% of executives surveyed globally believed that "the
ability to attract and retain the best people" will be the
Primary Force influencing business strategy
Source: Deloitte - 2001

The Candidate and Employer Scene

Candidate Perception of a Talent Pool

Marketplace and Societal Challenges
The War For Talent is now 16 years old
The Candidate won 15.9 years ago
Everybody knows
Not enough skilled workers
Too many unskilled workers
They are all in the wrong place
5+ Generations in the Workplace
Our brand is what ‘they’ say about us
Double Dip Recession (or “economic correction”)

What Are The Challenges?
1. Your ability to attract and retain quality workers
2. Diverse cultures
3. Speed of change – technology quicker than people
4. Managing this change
5. Technology to support the change
6. Vision, talent planning and creativity (skill gaps)
7. HR & Recruitment Executives with necessary skills

The Global Recruiting Landscape at a GlanceThe Global Recruiting Landscape at a Glance
1
5 most important trends shaping the future of recruiting
2
3
4
5
Social professional networks are increasingly impacting quality of hire
Employer branding is both a competitive threat and a competitive
advantage
Data is used to make better hiring and branding decisions
Companies are investing in hiring internally to stop top talent from
walking out the door
Companies are figuring out the mobile recruiting terrain
LinkedIn 3rd Annual Global Recruiting Trends survey in 19 countries.
We surveyed over 3,300 talent acquisition leaders to capture their thoughts on what keeps them up at night, hiring and
budget trends, and key sources for high-quality hires. We distilled all this and more into 5 key trends you need to know
as a Strategic Talent Leader, to be on the cutting edge and be effective to candidates, your team, and your company.
To access global and other country-specific reports and infographics, visit:
http://lnkd.in/GlobalRecruitingTrends

1. Recruiting/sourcing highly-skilled talent 44% Germany
2. Improving quality of hire 30% India
3. Employer brand 25% Nordics
4. Pipeline talent 25% SE Asia
5. Improving sourcing techniques 18% Australia
What is at the top of your peers’ list for 2013?
Talent Leaders Are Most Focused On Improving The Basics – How ToTalent Leaders Are Most Focused On Improving The Basics – How To
Source, Pipeline, And Hire The Best TalentSource, Pipeline, And Hire The Best Talent
“Think about your talent acquisition organization's top priorities for 2013.
Which of the following choices would you consider to be the most important and
least important areas of interest for your organization?”
2013 Top 5 Priorities Priority is #1

Talent Leaders Around The Globe Think Social Professional NetworksTalent Leaders Around The Globe Think Social Professional Networks
Will Shape Recruiting In The Long TermWill Shape Recruiting In The Long Term
“What do you consider to be the three most essential and long-lasting trends in
recruiting for professional roles?”
Pay attention, these trends are here to stay
Ensure you are investing adequately in social and professional
networks for the long run
2013
Utilizing social and professional networks 39%
Upgrading employer branding 33%
Finding better ways to source passive candidates 27%
Being a strategic talent advisor to the business 22%
Boosting referral programs 21%
Training recruiters and hiring managers on 'how to hire A-level talent' 16%
Optimizing your career site 15%
Recruiting globally 14%
Reducing spend on staffing firms 12%
Increasing focus on internal hiring/transfers 12%
Top 10 long-lasting trends

The Employer Branding War Is In Full SwingThe Employer Branding War Is In Full Swing
Competitive Threat Competitive Advantage
Believe employer brand has a
significant impact on ability to
hire great talent
83%
Top 3 Threats
1. Invest in their employer
brand
2. Improve employee
retention
3. Learn to use social
networking and social
media more effectively
“What are the things that your competitors have done or may plan on doing
that would make you most nervous?”
Understand your employer brand and how it can set you apart from the
competition. Take the opportunity to engage not only candidates, but
employees as well.

©RCEURO.COM LLP
What Is Employment Brand?What Is Employment Brand?
What do you think?

©RCEURO.COM LLP
What is Employment Brand?
How an organisation markets what it has to offer to
potential and existing employees
A set of attributes and qualities, often intangible, that
makes an organisation distinctive, promises a particular
kind of employment experience, and appeals to those
people who will thrive and perform best in its culture
A strong employer brand should connect an organisation’s
values, people strategy and HR policies and link to the
company brand
Source: CIPD Guide on Employer Branding

©RCEURO.COM LLP
End To End Employment Branding
Employment brand is defined by the candidate and employee
experience
Research to develop a true employment value proposition
Deliver the complete brand experience
Attraction
Selection
Onboarding
Career Progression
Leaving
Returning

©RCEURO.COM LLP
Who Is In Control OfYour Brand?
Edwin’s Lament = Bad Employer Brand
I’ve got a simple idea
Why doesn’t the recruiter (agency) just inform the candidate when a prospective
employer rejects their application?
I’d like to hear from recruiters when my application is rejected - so I know which job
prospects are still active - and which are dead
I could learn - to be more successful going forward
What went wrong?
How do I improve?
Maybe I finished 12th in a field of 10 - but there is another round coming in the
future?
What did the Employer really think of me?
What do I really think about the employer?

©RCEURO.COM LLP
AssessingYour Employment Brand
Research internal and external focus groups
Identify company values, employer attributes,
company brand recognition, customer impressions,
individual interests
Define key themes from the audience
Balancers, Progressives, Believers, Essentials
Seekers, Friends, Inclusivity

The Most Successful Employers Use Data To Measure Their TalentThe Most Successful Employers Use Data To Measure Their Talent
BrandsBrands Qualitatively And QuantitativelyQualitatively And Quantitatively
Believe organization utilizes
data well to make hiring
decisions
Regularly survey new
hires to understand brand
position
Regularly measure
employer brand in a
quantifiable way
27%
44%
53%
23%
34%
33%
Survey new hires regularly to get a qualitative review of your talent brand.
Use numerical metrics to measure your brand quantitatively over time and
against competitors.
Brazil and India are leading the pack in using data for employer brand
52%
55%
48%

Why Does This Matter To The Business?

Customer
Retention
Customer
Retention
Customer
Impression
Customer
Impression
Offering
Quality
Offering
Quality
Offering
‘Match’
Offering
‘Match’
Brand Image
/ Reputation
Brand Image
/ Reputation
Value for
Money
Value for
Money
Employees’
Behaviour
Employees’
Behaviour
Attitudes
to Work
Attitudes
to Work
Attitudes
to Company
Attitudes
to Company
Mangers’
knowledge
and
behaviour
Mangers’
knowledge
and
behaviour
Work
structure,
Teamwork,
Training
Work
structure,
Teamwork,
Training
Job content,
Ethical context,
Promotion,
Pay, etc.
Job content,
Ethical context,
Promotion,
Pay, etc.
Revenue Growth
Profit Contribution
Revenue Growth
Profit Contribution
Investor
Proposition
Customer
Proposition
Employee
Proposition
You work with this ...
But what’s the
effect of this?... and this.

A negative jobseeker experience impacts
an individual’s customer behaviour
Message for the CEO/CFOMessage for the CEO/CFO

Bad recruitment experiencesBad recruitment experiences
59.4% have had a
negative experience

Types of bad recruitment experience
Bad Experience %age
Attended Interview, never heard back 52%
Misleading Job Description 42%
Interviewer was late 32%
Irrelevant questions – not related to job role 30%
Personal questions – marital status, children, family plans 26%
Interviewer was rude 25%
Personal question about Health 13%
Personal questions about disabilities 7%

How does a negative jobseeker experience
impact an individual’s customer behaviour?

Impact Of A Bad Recruitment ExperienceImpact Of A Bad Recruitment Experience
As a result of the bad experience, %As a result of the bad experience, % less likelyless likely to:to:
Accept a Job at that Company 76%
Recommend the Company to a friend 82%
Purchase that Company’s products/services 64%

National Impact Of A Bad ExperienceNational Impact Of A Bad Experience
59.7%
68.0%
61.5%
64.1%
64.1%
70.0% 72.0%72.0%
66.0%
65.4%
65.3%
69.7%
68.4%
68.9%
58.4%58.4%
71.8%
63.0%
%% less likelyless likely to buy that company’s products / services:to buy that company’s products / services:

What DoesYour Employer Brand Look Like?What DoesYour Employer Brand Look Like?

Contact Me At Any Time
Contact Information:
alan@abtechpartnership.com
Tel: +44 (0)7971 864620
Twitter:
@alanwhitford
@rceuro
@DEAEurope
Sites:
www.abtechpartnership.com
www.rceuro.com
www.directemployers.eu