HR Professional - December 2007/January 2008 - (Page 25)

branding has recently received a lot of buzz, developing and marketing an effective employment brand is not as simple as retooling an organization’s corporate mission and buying ad space. Top organizations are increasi ngly re cog n izi ng that tru ly effective employment branding combines internal and external communications efforts around a brand that genuinely represents the organization. This may seem like a daunting task, but it is not only well worth making the effort, but critical to do so. er brand, it helps to think about recruiting in marketing terms. Why employment branding? A recent study published by the Canadian Economic Observer used four different projection scenarios to analyze the potential for growth in Canada’s labour force. While three out of four scenarios predicted the labour force would continue to grow for the next 25 years, all four scenarios showed a sharp decline in the overall participation rate. The study found that in all scenarios, the number of workers for every person who retires would be reduced by half between 2005 and 2031, falling from about four today to slightly more than two in 2031. As participation rates shrink and unemployment levels continue to drop, companies will need to look beyond traditional recruiting strategies to win top talent, target passive job seekers and, most importantly, to retain and engage the candidates they hire. Employ ment bra nd i ng i s a re cru iti ng strateg y that ha s evolved to meet these needs. It is the strategic approach of attaching a brand to an organization that speaks to current and potent i a l employe e s i n a c omp elling way. Because marketing an employment brand is similar to marketing a traditional consumw w w .H RThought L e ader . c om Finding a brand that fits Creating a brand that genuinely represents the organization can be the most difficult element of employment branding. Too often organizations believe a retooling of the corporate mission will do the job, but developing a brand that resonates with candidates takes insight into what excites and engages current employees. An employment brand that hopes to win credibility with an outside audience has to be formed from an internal perspective and must speak to the wider organization. An effective brand often begins with the organization’s employees themselves. A global survey of employers published by Bernard Hodes cites an example of one organization that began by creating a diagram mapping the organization’s consumer, corporate and physical product brands. Once the key components of each brand were mapped, stakeholders from each area of the company (marketing, corporate, human resources and so on) provided input to develop an employment brand that reﬂected the organization as a whole and was consistent with the organization’s other overarching brands. In a separate example from the Hodes survey, the organization in question not only involved stakeholders in the development of its employment brand, but held employee workshops throughout the process to incorporate input from employee discussions into the brand’s evolution. When Alberta school-bus service provider Southland Transportation had to develop a compelling employment brand, they looked directly to the front-line employees who represent their company every day. In 2006, Southland had to fill a 40 per cent hiring increase, while facing an Albertawide labour shortage and the introduction of a major new competitor into the market. June Read, manager of communications and employee development at Southland Transportation, says the company started by taking a look at its best employees. “We built a proﬁ le around these people and then ﬁgured out how we could attract more of them.” Working with Highwood Communications in Calgary, the result was a very successful recruitment campaign that led to a deluge of ideal applicants and went on to win several categories at working. com’s annual Employer of Choice Marketing Awards. SOUTHLAND TRANSPORTATION’S BRANDING CAMPAIGN TARGETED CARPOOLING MOMS. D e ce mb e r 2 0 0 7/J a n u a ry 2 008 25 http://www.HRThoughtLeader.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - December 2007/January 2008

HR Professional - December 2007/January 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Website Did You Know By the Numbers Technology Study News: Ontario Regulatory Enforcement Compensation News: Postponing Retirement Legal Compensation On Message Public Image Ltd. Building Brand Equity Research Strategy HR 101 Interview with Marshall Goldsmith Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - December 2007/January 2008

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