You can’t afford to be just another InMail in a crowded inbox
Every workplace has that special something that sets them apart — the culture, the people, the opportunities. We certainly have it at Biteable. But how can we possibly capture that lightning in a bottle? And how do we — a “small fish” in a very big sea of global talent — showcase it in a way that tells the world what we’re made of?
Scrolling through my LinkedIn feed recently, I noticed every other post started with “Today is my last day at…”.
These farewell posts are filled with thank-yous and shout-outs. More often than not, they’re a positive reflection of the now-former employer. But it got me thinking: where’s all the good stuff between “starting a new job” and “moving onto the next thing”?
Why is this farewell post on LinkedIn the first time I’m hearing about all that lightning in a bottle that made the company a great place to work?
The way the world views your brand makes or breaks talent acquisition. And the competition for talent is fierce. If you don’t have an employer brand that stands out and stands for something, you’re just another InMail in a crowded inbox.
With all the time and money you spend on hiring and recruiting, you can’t afford to ignore the simple things that will amplify your message and make you stand out.
I certainly don’t have all the secrets. But at Biteable, we’ve doubled our team while up-leveling our talent in a very competitive environment. And I firmly believe that the way we showcase our employer brand played a big part in this.
(We even found a way to get 10x more views and engagement on our LinkedIn job posts. No exaggeration.)
Here’s how we did it, and how you can do it too.
Why employer branding is vital to your recruiting strategy
Let’s cut right to the chase: no one is clicking on links to career sites. No one is sharing them either.
LinkedIn is overcrowded with job posts directing people to text-based listings on external career sites. But these posts aren’t doing you or your recruiting efforts any favors. Of all the content on LinkedIn, this type of job post gets the least engagement.
You need to reach your ideal candidates in the ways they’ll listen — not just shout out into the void and hope they’ll hear you.
You’re competing for attention with Google, Microsoft, and some of the biggest companies in the world. We all know who they are and what they do — they don’t need to explain it. You do. Employer branding is all about standing apart, getting creative, and capturing candidates’ attention in a different way.
When done right, this is a classic case of working smarter, not harder.
Your employees are your best brand ambassadors
There’s no better way to stand out than to activate your best brand advocates — your employees. A good employer brand features your current employees as your brand ambassadors. Not because you asked them to do it, but because they genuinely want to.
It goes without saying that the first step to achieving this is to build a culture worth bragging about. But once you’ve mastered that, it’s time to capture that all-important lightning in a bottle and package it in a way that makes it easy for people to share far and wide.
Your employees want to help you find good candidates. Your job is to give them something to share besides bland text documents on a hiring site.
One thing we’ve discovered at Biteable is that we need to give our employees something they’ll be proud to show off — a not-to-be-missed work event, some share-worthy swag, a killer recruiting video.
We need to take what makes our brand great and bottle it in a shareable way.
How we capture the employee experience at Biteable
Since video is part of our lightning here at Biteable, it’s our go-to for showcasing what makes us great.
Video isn’t the only way, but in my time as CEO of Biteable, I’ve seen firsthand the impact it can have. When you do it right, video is engaging, shareable, brandable, and personalizable. All the things we’re looking for when showcasing the Biteable employer brand.
And, as I’ll explain in a minute, we’ve had some unexpectedly powerful results when we use video to convey the Biteable experience to the world.
Job posting videos (with 10x more engagement)
When I realized job posts have some of the lowest engagement rates on LinkedIn, I got to thinking. LinkedIn loves videos uploaded natively, so we started swapping text and link-based job postings for Biteable branded job posting videos.
The theory was that they’d stand out on crowded feeds, convey lots of information in a short format, and give people something they’d want to share.
And we were right. Even more so than we expected.
We created a video template that was as cool to look at as it was informative. The next time we had an opening, we used this template as the centerpiece for our LinkedIn job post. Our people shared it, their connections shared it, and our message reached new feeds.
The result, not kidding, was roughly 10x the views and engagement. Turns out, LinkedIn loves video almost as much as we do.
Each time we have a new role to recruit for, we tweak the video to fit and share it again.
Hiring process updates
When you’re up against the likes of Google, personalizing the recruitment process can be your secret weapon. We send our candidates video updates as the recruitment process moves along.
We even send out a video before an interview introducing the interview team. And if candidates have questions about our policies, mission, or values, we have a video for that, too.
It’s more personal, and it sets us apart. We take pride in creating a positive recruiting and hiring process for every Biteable candidate, especially the people who don’t end up on the team. Our company values of always human and transparent and inclusive aren’t just for show. We really mean it, and that’s the message we want to send to anyone and everyone interested in learning more about Biteable.
Below, we’ve recreated a video similar to the hiring process videos we use for our real candidates.
Culture videos
Every company says it, but it’s not hyperbole when I say that we have something special here at Biteable. Our culture is something we’re proud of, and our people are what make our company great. It’s one of our biggest strengths, and it’s an important draw for candidates.
We created a recruiting video centered around the culture at Biteable. We talk about the role, and why it’s important, but we also put the focus on what our culture is and why it’s so great. This one video goes a long way toward setting us apart in a crowded field.
We also share our year-in-review videos, to celebrate our successes and show off just how great our team is. The recruiting process doesn’t begin and end with the hiring process, and you never know what might spark a future candidate’s interest.
How you can do it, too
Showcasing an enviable employer brand (and recruiting top talent in the process) doesn’t take a lot of extra time and effort. And it isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula.
It all comes down to being more transparent about what makes your company a great place to work. We do it our way, you’ll do it your way. That’s what makes it fun. It’s also part of what helps candidates understand the DNA of your company.
No matter what your brand does or what your lightning-in-a-bottle might be, these tips for showcasing your employer brand are worth trying. Tweak them as much as you’d like so they fit well into your own recruiting process.
Create recruitment posts worth sharing
I don’t mind sharing our secrets. Follow our lead and video-ify your job postings for better engagement, shareability, and to stand out from the pack. Include footage of your people talking like we did, or transform your written job posting into a video like this one:
Personalize the recruitment and hiring process
It’s a little more effort for a massive reward. Make every recruiting experience with your brand a positive one — even for those candidates you don’t hire. There’s a lot of potential for variety here. Start off by sending out personalized hiring process updates, then figure out what else is most impactful for your brand.
Introduce the interview team or the leadership team to give candidates better insight into the recruitment process and who they’ll be speaking to.
Send out personalized videos alongside job offers and congratulate successful candidates.
Or use personalized videos to share bad news to an unsuccessful candidate.
Capture the best parts of your culture with employee testimonials
No one knows more about what it’s like to be a part of your company than the people who currently work with you. Give your most powerful advocates a platform with employee testimonial videos like this one:
Don’t just talk about diversity and inclusivity — show it
If your company values diversity and inclusivity, talking won’t get you very far — certainly no further than anyone else. Walk the walk by showcasing your D&I initiatives in action.
Create a recruiting video that puts the diversity of your company front the center. Include real employees talking straight to the camera about their experience with D&I at your company. It doesn’t have to be (and really shouldn’t) be a huge production. Footage shot on a phone feels real and personal — just like your brand.
Electrify your LinkedIn feed with a little less “it’s been fun” and a little more lightning.
Give your employees a reason to share recruiting and culture content with branded videos instead of a boring link. Find your lightning, capture it, and activate your team to showcase an employer brand that will set you apart.
