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Jul 31, 2018

Transparency matters to your employer brand. The reputation of your organization as an employer is your employer brand. The difference between an empty nest and a flow of talented candidates also depends on how strong your employer brand is.

Top-tier candidates, no matter which post they’re looking to fill, want a clear understanding of your business. There are many competitive job options available. It’s the transparency of your employer brand that will influence their decision.

When choosing their future employers, talented job seekers are now exercising greater discretion. The information age has not only helped consumers researching products before purchase but also candidates applying for jobs. The best workers won’t accept a job at face value. Now that claims can be verified immediately on social networks, employer value proposition can no longer be exaggerated by organizations on their websites, during interviews or at presentations.

In today’s highly competitive market for talent, transparency is a powerful recruiting weapon. The external propagation of information and data has made transparency an integral aspect of talent hunting. Many brands have a strong history of openness and are benefiting greatly in their recruiting pursuits.

Keep in mind that new technology and tools give us recruiters the ability to learn more about any candidates before the interview, but it also gives candidates the chance to learn about companies.

The power of social media advertising

Thanks to social media and review sites, companies are now under pressure to pay more attention to how they treat candidates throughout the entire lifecycle of the recruitment process and beyond. Trustworthiness is a significant factor for most potential candidates. Before they apply, they want real-world previews of the nature of the job. It has never been easier for candidates to run thorough background checks on companies. From talking to former employees on social media, like LinkedIn to reading online employer reviews on Glassdoor, they make informed decisions.

Recruiters cannot afford to shut themselves away from the current trends. Brochures and trade fairs are no longer enough to build your employer brand. The personal brand of recruiters is tied up with employer brand and this brings benefits for both sides.

Recruiters need to understand that the world is changing; only those who can improve and adapt will survive. If you aren’t using the internet to embrace employer brand transparency, you are fighting an uphill battle. At the click of a button, any information becomes available to prospective candidates.

Although talent acquisition metrics are focused on as a measure of success, another equally important metric is the number of high potential candidates who declined (or didn’t apply to) job offers because of critical online reviews.

Transparency displays the positives of your company culture

A clear and honest outlook is an essential tool when it comes to recruiting candidates for your organization. Job seekers want to have an idea of the culture, the day-to-life that encompasses the organization. They are not just solely in interested in knowing their roles at your company. Before they make any decisions about employment, a transparent employer brand will give them an in-depth idea of what the company is really like.

A large percentage of job seekers, for instance, use Glassdoor to check out potential employers and find out more about the true nature of the company. Take advantage of this opportunity to lift the veil a bit. By allowing potential candidates to see that you value transparency within the workplace, your chances of recruiting success increases.

Social media platforms might be playing an important part in your recruiting too; however, it’s time to take it up a notch by showing off your company culture on these platforms. A little bit of culture flaunting gives candidates a more casual view of what a nine-to-five would look and feel like in your workplace.

Nevertheless, transparency should be a continuous thing, even from when the onboarding of fresh hires begins. On that note, it is very imperative that company goals are understood by your new hire and also aligned with their desired workplace culture.

Brand transparency encourages an open line of communication

For employees within your company and candidates interested in working for you, an open line of communication is of equal importance. The influx of more talented candidates is only possible when a transparent culture in the workplace is the focus of your employer branding efforts. In other words, a common goal needs to be shared and discussed by your team on a daily basis. It’s also good to start with a brand ambassador program and use your every employee to spread the news about your company brand.

An organization-wide sharing of information empowers the current employees in an organization to grow beyond their division and become more involved in solving problems. Every team member should be able to talk and listen in clear terms.

An influx of talent is possible by clearly showing that swift and open line of communication. Long-term recruiting success, which is in everyone’s best interest, is only possible when there is transparency in your working culture, as well as swift communication and response to candidate queries.

Higher rate of employee referrals

One lurking advantage of employer brand clarity is the power of referrals: a significant tool for promoting recruitment success. If you’re not communicating the importance of referrals, your company will be missing the best talents. Keep in mind that people influence people. Nothing affects people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend. That’s why a referral program could bring more candidates than other channels.

Your employees will be eager to refer top-notch people only when they understand in clear details what goals need to be accomplished. Transparency provides a level playground where goals and track workflow can be tracked by every team member. This means that it gets easier for employees to look inside their contacts and refer the best people with the right skills when said employees have a better grasp of the roles that need filling within the organization.

Furthermore, if referrals of potential talent are not actively championed by the current workforce, then higher recruitment costs during the talent acquisition process are bound to occur.

Openness defeats negative employee sentiments

Social media has already made it easier for job seekers to validate a future employer’s transparency. Therefore, the recruitment process can significantly be influenced by candid information posted online by both candidates and former employees.

From the very start, transparency should become an integral part of your company’s employer branding. Your team and potential employees need to know in detail how their contributions affect company goals.

A new era of culture change and transparency will tackle the problems of negative employee sentiment in a company’s workplace. Often, the most significant threat to a workplace environment is problems not openly discussed.

By wanting to work in an environment that values their contribution, employees are stakeholders in their company’s success. For an organization to raise its employer brand value, it has to develop a business strategy that manages the sentiments of its employees.

Recruiters may not be required to “sell” the job any longer

In today’s race for talent, recruiters may not be needed to explain to candidates what they should expect or ask of the employer. They can no longer “sell” the positives of the job or workplace without being questioned about the negatives by the candidates. Now job seekers have a lot of information readily available and can make conclusions on their own.

Even when you claim your company is unique, the best brand in the market and nothing short of workplace perfection, how do you ensure that the best candidates and even some current employees believe you?

Organizations are no longer shielded from outsiders by a wall of bricks. The dynamic has dramatically changed. It’s no secret that information about you and your company can be found online. From a sneak preview online, any candidate with a minute to spare can envision the roles in your organization and the level of care and inclusion you give your current employees online.

Transparency lowers recruitment and retention cost

Attraction, hiring, productivity, and retention of new hires can suffer immensely due to poor employer branding. When companies don’t provide measurable and corroborative data concerning their employer branding, it could lead to higher recruitment and retention costs. Potential employees want the best work environments in which to invest their abilities and skills, and anything less draws a gap of unmet expectations.

Over the years, transparency during the application and interview process has been expected and required of candidates. Today, job seekers demand the same level of candidness about their work environment and the duties of the job description. But it’s only in recent years that companies have begun to be held accountable for the discrepancies in their job descriptions, career opportunities, and the workplace environment.

Thankfully, job seekers can bypass company-produced information and seek the raw facts. A cause for concern can only exist if there’s much inconsistency between the company’s propaganda versus what former employees say.

Now top brands are lowering recruitment costs by producing transparency metrics, accurately measuring claims during the talent acquisition processes. Based on this objective data, candidates will be able to make informed decisions.

Do it right

When transparency is done right, you don’t just recruit top talent; you also retain the best employees and encourage innovation throughout your organization. To connect your potential employees and your current team with your employer branding, the secret may be as easy as lifting the veil a bit wider for both candidates and employees to see.

There are four keys to any brand success: self-definition, authenticity, accountability, and transparency. Transparency could make you vulnerable. But transparency creates trust and trust is the foundation of any relationship.

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