A company’s reputation as a workplace is a strategic asset. This image is your employer branding. It reflects the genuine culture and employee experience.
A strong brand attracts talent. A weak or outdated one slows growth. Companies with a robust employer brand often see a 50% decrease in cost-per-hire. They also achieve a 28% increase in retention rates. These figures come from LinkedIn and Universum data.
Does your branding need a strategic refresh? Here are five clear indicators.
1. High Dropout and Low Applicant Quality
If top talent walks away during the hiring process, your perception is off. The brand is failing to convert interest into commitment.
- Candidates are Ghosting: Many candidates drop out after the first interview. They may find negative information online. They might hear inconsistent stories about the culture.
- Quality is Declining: You get many applications, but few are qualified. This means top performers are choosing other employers. Competitors have a more compelling employer branding story.
Research shows 75% of job seekers research a company’s brand before applying. They are looking for authentic insights into the daily experience.
2. Poor Internal Feedback and High Turnover
The internal reality defines your external brand. Employee dissatisfaction will eventually damage your reputation.
Lack of internal pride quickly undermines the brand’s credibility.
- Turnover is Spiking: Your employee departure rate exceeds industry averages. People are leaving for better work-life balance or career development. They seek a more positive workplace culture.
- Negative Experience Feedback: Workplace surveys and exit interviews show recurring complaints. Issues often centre on Leadership in workplaces, lack of support, or broken promises. When the employee experience doesn’t match the hiring pitch, the brand fails.
3. Employees Aren’t Brand Advocates
Your current employees are your best marketing channel. If they won’t recommend the company, your brand is in trouble.
Candidates trust employee voices much more than corporate announcements.
- Referrals are Low: Your employee referral program is barely used. Proud employees naturally refer to their professional networks. A lack of referrals signals low internal pride in the culture.
- Negative Online Presence: Few employees share company content on social media. Worse, platforms like Glassdoor are dominated by negative reviews. 83% of job seekers use these reviews to guide their job search.
4. Competitors Are Winning the Talent Race
If you consistently lose desirable hires to rivals, your brand is not appealing. It lacks differentiation in the talent market.
An uninspiring employer branding proposition makes your company look generic.
- Losing Key Hires: You lose job offers to competitors, even with competitive pay. This shows that company culture, career paths, and leadership in workplaces are bigger deciding factors.
- EVP is Outdated: Your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) focuses on minor perks. Modern talent wants genuine well-being and flexibility. If your brand doesn’t highlight an authentic employee experience, it struggles to attract the people you need.
5. Inauthentic and Stale Messaging
An effective brand must be truthful and current. A message that feels fake or fails to match reality is a huge risk.
The story you tell must align with the daily life of your employees.
- Inconsistent Channels: Your career page, social media, and job descriptions offer different stories. This inconsistency immediately signals inauthenticity to candidates.
- No External Certification: Your company has not done a recent brand audit. You haven’t sought third-party certification to validate your claims.
Top Amazing Workplaces measure their culture through internal feedback and external validation programs. This commitment to measurement provides tangible proof.
Next Steps
Recognizing these problems is the start. An employer branding upgrade requires more than a new logo. It demands improving the fundamental employee experience and culture.
Start with honest internal workplace surveys. Audit your external messages. Get firm support from Leadership in workplaces. This will turn your reputation into an asset that wins the competition for talent.
