In a competitive industry like tech, a strong employer brand can help you bring in top talent and retain your current team. By "employer branding," we mean how potential job candidates perceive your organization as an employer. With a strong reputation in your industry, you can gain significant advantages over your competition. Below, we'll highlight the importance of employer branding in tech recruiting and how you can start building your brand in a few easy steps.
Why Is Employer Brand Important in Tech?
Businesses in the tech industry are especially susceptible to the benefits that come from employer branding. This is due, in large part, to the highly innovative and fast-paced nature of tech. When you develop your employer brand, you can receive many benefits, including:
Attracting Talent
When you have a strong brand, attracting the best talent to your organization is easier. The tech industry is one of the most competitive industries. As a result, the top talent have plenty of options to consider when choosing the place of their employment. If you want to bring the best people into your organization, you must stand out from the competition in ways other than compensation.
For example, let's say a prospective employee has two organizations to choose from, each providing similar pay and benefits. The first organization, though, has a strong reputation for innovation within the tech industry and potential for career development. A job candidate is more likely to choose this organization because it promises a more exciting role and further development.
To build this strong reputation for innovation, your business might:
- Give presentations at industry conferences
- Partner with startups or well-known tech experts
- Create blog posts or white papers detailing its innovation process
Retaining Talent
Once you bring in top tech talent, keeping them within your company is important. In the tech industry, a high turnover rate leads to spending more resources to fill empty roles. You'll also lose the experience of those employees, and it will take time for your new hires to develop the same level of expertise within your organization.
Developing your company brand can help keep your tech talent for longer. For example, employees are more likely to stay with a company that has a strong reputation for allowing a good work-life balance. Focus on implementing strategies that keep your talent within the company. Gather feedback from your team about improving working conditions and research your competition to learn what they're offering that you're not.
As you improve your employee retention rates, you'll be able to add this to your brand and become known as an organization where tech employees want to stay.
Innovation
A strong employer brand can also help your organization to innovate. Employees are more likely to innovate and share their ideas when they work in a positive environment. In addition, you'll be hiring and retaining top tech talent who can bring innovative ideas and solutions to your organization. To foster innovation, you'll want to do things like:
- Create a work environment where everyone has space to share their ideas.
- Schedule one-on-one meetings with your team where people can share their ideas in a less intimidating setting.
- Encourage employees to try new methods or ideas.
If you want to develop groundbreaking products or services, you need to foster a company culture that encourages creativity and risk-taking. Encourage your employees to share ideas and allow them to make mistakes without repercussions.
Diversity and Inclusion
A strong brand can help your organization with diversity and inclusion. Diversity in the tech industry is crucial because it fosters innovation, brings different perspectives to problem-solving and ensures that products and services reflect a diverse population. Valuing diversity and inclusion as a part of your company's brand allows you to attract a wider range of talented individuals. You'll then infuse your organization with these wider perspectives and find competitive advantages.
Candidates from underrepresented groups are more likely to choose a company that is committed to diversity. The next time you go through the hiring process, ensure you're casting a wide net to gather tech candidates from various backgrounds and places. If you can make this commitment part of your tech brand, you'll reap the rewards of a diverse workforce.
How To Build an Employer Brand in Tech
To build your employer brand in the tech industry, there are a few steps you can follow, including:
1. Identify your value proposition
Building your brand in tech first means defining your company's unique value proposition and mission. Outlining what sets your company apart from the competition can help potential candidates understand what you have to offer. Consider why someone would want to work for your organization beyond the job itself, then articulate these reasons in a few sentences. To help determine these reasons, consider the following factors:
- Your target audience
- Your core values
- Your value proposition
- Your company culture
2. Create Consistency
Once you've determined the brand message you want to convey, it's time to focus on creating consistency across all your channels. Channels include your company's website, social media accounts and job postings. Beyond this, you'll want to encourage employee advocacy to promote your brand. Employee advocacy encourages your current team to talk publicly about why they enjoy working for your organization.
3. Focus on Employee Development
Another way to develop your brand in the tech industry is to focus on employee development and training. Implementing these programs shows your employees that you're dedicated to helping them thrive and grow professionally. Focusing on employee development will help you retain your top talent and also make it more likely that your employees become brand ambassadors.
4. Engage Your Marketing Team
Finally, work closely with your marketing team to create engaging content that communicates your brand message. Examples include highlighting employee achievements, creating videos or blog posts and sharing insights into your company's goals. You want your marketing team to consistently promote these aspects of your company so that you can attract top tech talent.
Examples of Employer Branding in Tech
Here are a few excellent employer branding examples in the tech industry:
Microsoft
By providing perks like onsite wellness facilities, flexible work arrangements and support for personal growth, Microsoft fosters a positive work culture. This employee investment leads to higher productivity and creativity while reinforcing Micorsoft's image as an employer of choice in the tech industry.
Salesforce
Salesforce's unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion in its workforce is central to its brand ethos. Through initiatives like "Equality for All," it prioritizes hiring and retaining diverse talent. This fosters innovation, creativity and a sense of belonging, bolstering Salesforce's reputation as a socially responsible and inclusive company.
Adobe
Adobe offers unique benefits to employees to help it stand out from the competition. For example, through the exclusive employee website Fond, Adobe offers employees discounts on over 850 products, services and experiences. Adobe also offers discounted Adobe software for friends and family members of Adobe employees. Finally, Adobe empowers employees to give back to their communities by matching charitable donations. All of these efforts, and more, help employees of Adobe feel appreciated.
Atlassian
The founder of Atlassian, Scott Farquhar, attributes a great deal of the company's success to its focus on culture and values. One way they achieved this is with a "mission to Mars" exercise, where they imagined having to recreate the company on Mars, forcing them to identify the values central to the company. Some of the company values include:
- An open company
- Build with heart and balance
- Consider the customer's perspective
- Play as a team
- Be the change you seek
Airbnb
Airbnb's mission-driven approach and unique employee perks distinguish it as a trailblazer in the hospitality industry. With initiatives like "Open Homes" and generous travel credits, it aligns its workforce with its core values. This commitment to purpose and employee well-being makes Airbnb a popular choice for top tech talent.
Start Building Your Employer Brand
Employer branding in tech recruiting is essential for attracting and retaining top tech talent. It allows for a more innovative, productive and efficient organization. Now is the perfect time to assess your current brand and explore the steps you can take to improve it. The sooner you can start implementing the strategies mentioned above, the sooner you can see the benefits of a strong employer brand.
