Employer brand is relatively new considering how old some of the archaic recruiting tactics we use really are. For anyone just recently discovering the concept, employer brand is marketing for the employee experience. It’s a series of pillars, values, and experiences that captures an employer’s reputation as a place to work, as opposed to the more general corporate brand reputation and value proposition to customers.
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Honestly, I’m not sure where or when employer brand was born or the environment it thrived in before, but I watch many companies turn to it as an answer for talent issues during challenging markets. Ten years ago, I’d never even heard of employer brand, but challenging talent markets create opportunity. And now? It’s the hot answer for talent pipeline issues: Stand out! Be known! Become a preferred employer. ​

UKG partnered with four distinguished leaders to share advice on talking about sensitive matters in the workplace in our white paper, The Talk: A Tough (and Necessary) Workplace Conversation.

If your intention is to nurture a transparent and positive culture in your organization, you must be open to facing topics that are often avoided. You may find yourself struggling about how to discuss difficult matters with your employees, but the truth is it’s important to have such conversations.
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To help you face “the talk” head-on, we’ve teamed up with some of the most brilliant minds we know to share their insight on approaching these discussions and practical steps you can (and should) take to do so.

Economists like to talk about the job market in terms of employer and candidate markets. The basic difference? The party with more control. In an employer market, as we experienced a year ago after the pandemic, employers have all the power in the world. A ton of people are applying. Companies have their choice of active and passive candidates. 

That's not the market we're living in right now. Candidates have the power. Around the world, companies are seeing fewer applications and having more people drop out of the process because they already have an offer in hand.

Still, so many hiring managers still believe they’re living in an employer market. They value speed over effectiveness and encourage teams to recycle old tactics to facilitate speed. However, current conditions are unlike any job market recruiters have seen. The “tried and true” job posting templates aren't working anymore — but there are some ways to refresh old these old templates for newfound success. 

Imagine this. I was sitting in a panel interview for a job. There were three executives and a recruiter seated around the table. I was feeling great. It was my last of three interviews that morning. I was sure if this went well. I was getting an offer this week.

They asked me some standard interview question like, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" At this point, I was feeling terrific about my chances, so I went for the fun answer: “Working for you, Sean.”

I smiled. I was expecting a laugh, but that's not what happened next. It was as if the air left the room. I think I heard a mini gasp come from one of the executives. The person I referred to as Sean? Not his name, and he was the kind of person who took that very personally. 

"It's Steven," he said with a huff. 

"Shit," I said under my breath.