Sunny employer branding spectacle by the water

Sun, SOUTH and... everything you want to know about a strong work brand. Then you've got the crux of the Employer Empowerment lunch & learn. Around 50 communication and HR professionals gathered on the terrace of ZUID on Thursday to be inspired by our own employer brand looters Annemarieke and Alexandra and application greats Jesse Geul.

To start with speaker Jesse Geul's most practical lesson: put the two most important benefits for your target group at the top in your (vacancy) texts. So if you weren't there and you're wondering what you missed, here are the two most notable take-aways:

• A successful employer branding campaign owes a lot to pre-substantive target group research
• An EVP is essential if you want to convey a strong work brand (and too few organizations have one)
  

Black Oat Cappu and Coffee

When our waterfront terrace is filled with enthusiastic lunch & learners, who have found a spot under an umbrella while sipping a refreshing drink, Jesse Geul (former police recruiter and LinkedIn celebrity) from shore. He immediately puts things on edge. With an entertaining example, he explains what is going on in the labor market. Havercappu drinking Genz'er Fleur and entrepreneurial 'boomer' Peter have very different ideas about what hard work is. When Peter invites her to a job interview over a cup of black coffee, things end part-time. That's not possible, right?! A magnified example, but recognisable. The reactions did show for both camps, which mingled on the South Terrace.

Modern Employment

What can you do about such a situation and how do you make sure you get that “picky Genz guy” in? Jesse also had an answer to that. Do something with the five trends or work needs that exist today. These are partly in the work-life balance sphere (part-time work, remote work, right to inaccessibility). But certainly also in the purpose corner: social engagement and getting space to let your entrepreneurial spirit run wild.

Although, according to Jesse, these many trends are actually a luxury problem on the applicants' side, you are definitely smart if you do something with them. As an employer, therefore ask yourself: am I really unable to accommodate this or is it a matter of principle. Break open the conversation about modern employment and see what is possible. And you want exactly those unique opportunities in your labor market communication.

Who or who?

After a loud applause, a delicious lunch and a chat with Jesse, Annemarieke and Alexandra talk about where he ended up. How do you promote your work brand, and how do you build it in the first place? First, some temperatures. Where does the responsibility for employer branding lie with the various organizations that are present today? The surprising and confronting conclusion: it appears difficult to identify one department. While that clear responsibility is a prerequisite for those who want to build a strong work brand.

Make a promise to your colleagues too

A strong employer brand starts with your brand strategy, Annemarieke explains. Here, you work towards a promise to your customers. But what's just as important are the promises to your colleagues, and you want to take that “exit” too. You record them in an employer value proposition (EVP). This short story forms the basis for everything you will share. For almost all attendees, this appears to be a practical next step after this lunch & learn, because only one of them has this document lying around.

Target group research determines top or flop

On to how you promote that EVP, to the ins and outs of marketing a strong work brand. After a bit of theory with attention to all the different challenges that an organization can have in this regard, the inspiration slides appeared and the group started talking. What do we think of these campaigns? Can we green check the three essential points: distinctiveness, target group-oriented and clear message? From the discussion comes an insight that stays with you. Where it previously mainly evoked reactions such as “this is cool”, the response is increasingly turning to “does this humor suit the target group?”. That just underlines what Annemarieke mentioned earlier: target group research is a must if you want to bring your strong work brand across the stage in a successful way.

Enjoy the aftermovie!

You probably noticed that a lot of images were shot during lunch & learn. We don't keep them to ourselves, but we'd love to share them with you. So you can share them with your network again or just enjoy yourself. You can take the photos view here. Check out the aftermovie below!