Employer branding: Interview with David Surrel, founder of a recruitment firm :
- Could you introduce Aspen RH in a few words?
Aspen RH is a recruitment firm with over 10 years of experience. We recruit executives across all functions of a company, covering all sectors.Aspen RH is a team of expert consultants who assist companies in development and organization, and candidates in managing their careers.
- As an HR expert who helps companies with recruitment, what do you observe about the level of employer communication made by companies? Are they familiar with this type of communication?
There is the employer brand that each company inherits by default when creating its name… And there is what each company does with it through its communication.Employer communication is not a new topic, but I notice that there are still disparities among companies in how they address it today.Some companies are more advanced than others. They make employer brand communication a strategic issue and allocate significant budgets to develop it.These companies often operate in markets where we observe a chronic shortage of resources, and where efforts to communicate with candidates and make themselves visible must be substantial. We see this, for example, in the IT world where IT service companies work hard on their image and communication to attract technical profiles. Another example is in the consulting world where the need for resources (especially junior ones) is very high each year, and where large firms implement many actions to exist among students graduating from schools.Moreover, the topic of “employer brand communication” has become significantly enriched in recent years with societal issues such as workplace well-being, work-life balance, gender equality, and environmental respect… all themes to which candidates are increasingly sensitive. Note that companies now widely decline their values around these topics, and we should rejoice in this!
- What are, in your opinion, the key points of good employer brand communication?
We all have strategies for communicating to highlight the products and services of companies. The approach should be the same to enhance the human capital of a company and the employer brand attached to it.Resource challenges are the key to success: “no hands, no chocolate.” If your company has expertise but lacks the people to implement it… it’s complicated!So, to answer your question simply, I think we must find in good employer communication what empowers and fulfills employees daily in their company, and the values on which all this rests!We will also find these themes developed in recruitment campaigns.
- Could you share with us the mistakes to avoid?
The first “mistake” is not communicating about your employer brand/offering.Another error is “over-communication,” which can blur the image. The employer brand is like a product brand; it must exist in the right place, in front of the right audience, but with the right measure as well.
- Do you recommend tools to optimize communication around recruitment?
I am not an expert in recruitment communication; there are agencies that do this very well, each to their own trade.I could recommend that companies work on both their product page and their career page, which is step zero. You can implement good communication strategies on the right channels to reach the right candidates…Let’s not forget that the first reflex of candidates is to visit your website. This implies having a welcoming, ergonomic site with dynamic and up-to-date content on recruitment activities.Then, indeed, you need to communicate where candidates are. Visibility and communication on social networks are a real job with experts (internal or external) whose added value will be to target the right media and produce the right content… with an ROI approach… like in marketing!
Moreover, even if we are in the click era (and even more so now), a company’s employees remain the best ambassadors of the company and its values. So, yes, digital communication through nice videos of employees talking about their company works and is perfect! But at the risk of appearing “old school” on this final touch, I still believe a lot in physical presence/communication/meetings at fairs/events/school forums that create connections and images… essential for enhancing your employer brand!
Finally, and I’ll do a bit of promotion for our profession, the recruitment firm is also there to enhance the employer brand among these candidates. It is undoubtedly a very good ally for building, developing the visibility and valuation of your employer brand.
