12 years into this business and I see we’re still talking about the same things, having the same fights, and complaining about the same challenges today as when I started.

One might be tempted to think employer branding as a function or idea hasn’t evolved and grown at all. Groundhog Day, but without the hope of an early spring.

And that’s not the case. While there are a million ways to “do” employer branding, I suspect that what holds us back is that we do not have a shared north star, an idea of what excellent employer branding looks like.

You cannot hit what you cannot envision. You can’t be it if you can’t see it.

So here are my thoughts on what excellent employer branding requires.

Employer Branding is Insightful

You can’t build great branding until you have a rock-solid understanding of how the company, team or role is different. That insight drives all the decisions that communicate credibly how this company could be the best choice for some candidates (and the worst choice for many others). Insight takes work, demands that you ask more and harder questions to get to something worth building on.

Employer Branding is Disciplined

Great employer branding is visible within every candidate touchpoint, and influences every recruiting decision, from what channels to use to what questions to ask. It doesn’t live in silos, but it requires work to embed it everywhere, especially in places where you weren’t necessarily invited.

Employer Branding is Empathetic

A great employer brand isn’t built around what candidates want. Instead, it works to understand the target candidate and makes it clear what’s being offered and why the candidate might value it. And it thinks deeply on the deeper meaning on why the candidate wants that and how it will impact them. It brings what you offer and ties it to their own wants and desires.

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