How to build a strong Employer Brand
By Jolien Tronquo
Soft HR & Marketing Coordinator
VDP Industries
What is Employer Branding?
Employer branding is the term used to describe how your company is perceived as a workplace. It’s about attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent by showcasing your values, work culture and reputation. A strong employer brand makes your company appealing to both job seekers and employees.
Why is building a strong employer brand important?
Having a strong employer brand isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a powerful tool for business growth. A well-established employer brand attracts more high-quality applicants without requiring large recruitment budgets. When a company has a positive reputation, hiring becomes faster because candidates are naturally drawn to workplaces that are known for their great culture and values. Additionally, employee retention improves as individuals tend to stay longer in environments that foster growth, well-being, and career development. Lastly, a strong employer brand helps secure top talent, as many job seekers prioritize a company’s reputation over salary when making career decisions.
Consider these statistics from Vouch (2023):
Research shows that 88% of job seekers take a company’s brand into account before deciding to apply. Furthermore, 69% of job seekers would decline a job offer from a company with a poor reputation, even if they were unemployed. A strong employer brand not only enhances attractiveness but also significantly impacts cost efficiency, reducing the cost per hire by 50%. Additionally, 89% of HR leaders acknowledge that having a strong employer brand provides a competitive advantage in the job market.
How to build a strong employer brand
(source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/employer-branding-framework-abdul-razzak-sohail/)
1. Start with what you can control
Optimize your career page
Your career page is often the first impression that job seekers have of your company, making it essential to present a compelling and authentic image. To achieve this, use real workplace photos and videos to give candidates an inside look at the company culture. Highlight opportunities for growth and emphasize what makes your company unique, helping potential employees envision a future with your organization. Additionally, showcase how employees directly influence projects, as job seekers want to see the impact they can make within the company.
Enhance job listings
Rather than simply listing job duties, job postings should be engaging and personal to attract top talent. Describe what success in the role looks like so candidates can understand how their contributions will be measured and valued. Share insights into the work culture and team dynamics to help potential employees envision themselves as part of the team. Additionally, consider recording a short video where a team member explains the role, as this makes the opportunity feel more real and personal, ultimately increasing candidate interest.
Leverage your website, blog, culture and corporate values
Your website should reflect your company’s mission, values, and employee experiences. You could publish updates about company achievements and employee success stories or showcase team-building events. People want to know what happens behind the scenes. Additionally, highlight initiatives in sustainability, diversity or industry innovation.
Improve candidate communication
The hiring process plays a major role in shaping your employer brand. Studies show over 80% of candidates favor companies that provide a positive interview experience. To achieve this, you should personalize interactions with candidates. Provide regular updates so they feel valued. And last but not least, you should be transparent and authentic as a recruiter.
2. Strengthen things you can directly influence
Manage online company reviews
Platforms like Glassdoor and Google Reviews shape public perception. You can monitor feedback and respond openly and professionally and address concerns constructively to show you care about employee experiences.
Leverage employee storytelling
Nothing resonates more than real employee experiences. Share testimonials, blogs, or short videos that showcase: long-term career growth within the company (e.g., an employee who started in an entry-level position and moved into leadership) or unique employee journeys, like a female technician or a male accountant breaking industry stereotypes.
Maximize social media presence
Use platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook to give an inside look at your company. Highlight projects, employee achievements and workplace culture. You could also share updates on team-building events, after-work activities and employee milestones.
3. Strengthen things you can indirectly influence
Proactively work on the public perception
If your company doesn’t actively promote itself, external narratives can take over. Share success stories that highlight a great work environment. Balance any negative reviews with proactive, positive content.
Put awards in the spotlight
Awards and certifications build credibility. Join regional or industry initiatives like gaining the EASA accreditation and highlight achievements that reinforce your company’s reputation.
VDP Industries’ employer branding strategy
In this article, I have focused on a framework that consolidates all aspects of employer branding, which we’ve only begun to implement. Previously, our employer branding efforts were somewhat unstructured, which made it difficult to fully engage our audience. This framework ties together all of our branding activities and ensures a more cohesive approach.
Our marketing plan outlines employer branding actions for each month.
For instance:
In February, we highlighted our Quarter Day (17/02), where we engage employees with company updates and training. This year, we’re offering communication training to enhance workplace interactions. We also showcased our after-work events (27/02) to illustrate what goes on behind the scenes.
Last year, we also wrote an article about Peter, who started his career at VDP Industries and is now CEO of E2S. This article demonstrates career growth within our company group Masters of Industry. This hasn’t been posted yet.
While these are the little steps we’ve already mapped out, there are a few key areas we need to improve such as our career page (more recent pictures), job listings (with videos of our employees telling how they day looks alike), storytelling… We’re also focusing on posting more frequently on our social media (LinkedIn and Facebook).
The framework allows us to be more strategic and consistent, addressing these areas where we can enhance our employer brand. One of the biggest challenges we face is maintaining consistency—writing articles/posts, taking good pictures, interviewing employees and scheduling posts takes time. However, one strategy that has worked well is creating an Employer Branding Calendar, which integrates multiple branding channels.
Takeaway: Employer Branding is a Game-Changer
Regardless of your company’s size, employer branding is essential. Start by showcasing what makes your workplace special. Over time, your company’s reputation will strengthen, attracting top talent naturally.
Tip: Share this with HR and Marketing—they’ll love collaborating on this!
On behalf of VDP Industries, thank you EASA Europe Asia Africa Chapter for bringing members together and sharing tips & tricks on various topics: technical, human resources, marketing… This is really a valuable network to learn from each other.