A core element of a successful business is the ability to attract the calibre of staff needed for the company to succeed. Employing new staff members is a two-way proposition and finding the right people to take on positions in the firm depends on those people feeling that the company will give them something in exchange for their skills and commitment.
One of the latest buzzwords in the world of communicating with potential employees is EVP. Short for Employee Value Proposition, it describes what employees get for what they give to a company in terms of their work and experience. Of course, there has always been a direct exchange involved in employing people. People provide their working time, skills and talent in exchange for payment but in modern times it’s not enough to offer a salary; these days, people expect to know what value they will gain from working for a company and how they will be valued.
What you see is what you get
When seeking to attract people to work in a company, it’s important that the benefit of doing so is clear to those at whom recruitment advertising is aimed. Advertising affords a limited space in which to get a message across and it’s vital that what the target audience needs to know is clearly represented.
Branding is vital in communicating effectively
A vital part of communicating with an audience is the development of a strong brand. If the public, and more importantly in this case the people a company wishes to attract to work for them, can identify with a brand it acts as a kind of shorthand and allows other information to be conveyed in the tight space available.
The brand can be summed up as the personality of the company. Investing in a strategy that enables consumers, employees and members of the public to associate certain values and behaviours with the company helps them to make a decision about whether they want to engage with the firm. If done right, a simple logo can be enough to convey where the company’s ethos and cut the need for lengthy explanation of what the organisation stands for. This can take a while, but it’s a valuable investment in the long-term success of any marketing strategy – including recruitment marketing.
What’s in it for me?
At the heart of any exchange is the value that each side places on the transaction. In the recruitment process, what the employer gets from the deal is pretty clear – a member of staff that has the skills, values and attributes that they seek from their employees. What is less clear, however, is what the new recruit gets in return.
Give and take
In addition to the salary offered in exchange for the effort employees put into their jobs, the EVP describes the less tangible benefits that individuals get from working in a company. By getting this right, employers stand to attract the kind of staff members that have similar values to those held by the organisation.
One of the best ways to grow the value proposition is to find out what existing team members value about the company. This could be the prestige of working for that firm, opportunities to learn and develop or a culture that allows volunteering in community projects. Whatever it is that makes the organisation special for employees, this needs to be summed up in the EVP to attract the people the company seeks.
One size doesn’t fit all
What works for one company will not necessarily work for another, and that’s quite right and proper. Similarly, different parts of the same company may also have different values than others, bound together with the overall brand.
Working in consultation with existing staff, marketing professionals, a digital marketing and design agency and recruitment specialists, an organisation can develop EVPs that suit every area of the business and allow the attraction of exactly the right people to the right part of the company.
Conclusion
EVP should be a core part of any recruitment strategy. Being clear on what the company has to offer employees will make it easier to attract the right people and ensure they stay satisfied once they’re in post.
