Understanding Employer Branding in Tech Recruiting

Competition is fierce for companies in the tech industry. According to a recent report, tech has the highest turnover rate than any other industry. Tech candidates are highly skilled, sought after and have specific requirements and expectations. Top talent, especially the younger generation, want to work with organizations that align with their personal goals.

Employer branding is the best way to convey these aspects to potential employees. Nine out of 10 candidates are more likely to apply for a job with strong employer branding. Keep reading to learn how you leverage employer branding to secure higher-grade candidates for clients in the tech industry.

What Is Employer Branding?

Employer branding is essentially a sales pitch for hiring tech professionals. It’s how potential candidates perceive a particular tech company and decide why they should work for them. This can include:

• Company reputation: This is the overall standing and recognition of the organization within the industry. A positive reputation can attract top talent and clients and ensure employee loyalty. Strong employer branding is one of the reasons Facebook and Google are snapping up top-flight candidates.
• Employee value proposition: These are any benefits or opportunities for growth and work-life balance an employee can expect, such as remote working, upskilling and certifications. A compelling EVP aligns with the needs and aspirations of potential candidates.
• Overall perception: Workplace culture, leadership style, diversity and inclusion initiatives and corporate social responsibility efforts shape how current, former or prospective employees view the company.

The goal of employer branding is to attract strong talent, streamline recruitment and increase employee retention. Positive branding helps companies stand out in the competitive tech market, engaging talent aligned with the company’s values. For example, outlining specific projects or software you work with can attract talent who want to progress in that area.

This can streamline the recruitment process by attracting more qualified applicants and reducing the time to hire. Just like any other industry, tech employees are also more likely to stay with a company with a positive work environment, growth opportunities and a strong sense of belonging.

Why Is Employer Branding Important in Tech?

In today’s digital world, tech professionals have more access to information about a company than ever before. Those working within the B2B space can find out a lot about potential companies before they decide to apply for a role.

Experienced tech professionals are eager to join organizations with a good reputation. The top talent knows their worth and will look for a company that resonates with their core values, salary expectations, goals, and career trajectory. A strong employer brand is the best way to convey these details to potential candidates and offers the following benefits:

• Attracts qualified applicants: According to LinkedIn, 88% of job seekers consider a company’s employer branding when applying for a job.
• Reduces cost per hire: Research by LinkedIn found that companies with strong employer branding can reduce cost per hire by 50%.
• Increases engagement and retention: LinkedIn sources reveal that strong branding can increase retention rates by 28%.

Employer Branding Strategy

Here are some reasons employer branding strategy is important and how to build a solid strategy to attract top tech talent.

Why Is Strategy Important?

A defined strategy, rather than an ad hoc approach, helps:

• Align efforts: Branding should align with the tech company’s overarching organizational goals and values.
• Ensure consistency: Branding strategy ensures consistency in messaging and representation across all platforms.
• Measure success: A strategy provides insight into the impact of employer branding efforts through established key performance indicators.

What Are Some Things To Consider in Creating a Strategy?

Consider the following key factors when building a solid strategy to attract top tech talent:

• Define the target audience: Identify the specific job roles you’re targeting, such as software engineers, data scientists or other tech professionals. Understanding their motivations, values and preferences will help guide your messaging and propositions.
• Be inclusive: Many new tech recruits want to work with a company that aligns with their core values and contributes to society beyond a paycheck. Focus on diversity to widen your talent pool.
• Be open-minded: Test for capabilities over credentials. Many tech companies source candidates with coding boot camp certificates and strong coding work samples on GitHub. This can widen your pool of candidates willing to learn and progress within the company.
• Define your Unique Selling Point (USP): Develop messaging and value propositions that showcase what sets the organization apart. Outline the unique aspects of the company culture, benefits, career opportunities, work environment and EVP that tech professionals look for.
• Showcase key projects: Tech professionals want to work on challenging projects to build their skills. Discuss the technologies, products, tools and projects the tech team works on, such as specific software or coding languages.
• Select appropriate channels: Choose effective channels for reaching and engaging with professionals in the tech space, such as social media, webinars, live chats, virtual events and tech job boards.
• Focus on continuous learning and development: Tech professionals are hungry for knowledge. Showcase the company’s commitment to coaching and upskilling the tech team through certifications, courses and opportunities for career growth.

Employer Branding Examples

Here are real-world tech companies with strong employer brands and what makes them effective:

Google’s Focus on Employee Experience and Perks

Google provides an exceptional employee experience with perks and benefits above and beyond industry standards, such as free meals and snacks, on-site wellness and fitness centers, massage therapy, laundry services and on-site medical care. Google also offers comprehensive health insurance, parental leave and retirement plans. Top tech professionals want to work at Google because of its commitment to employee well-being, work-life balance and personal development.

Netflix’s Emphasis on Freedom and Responsibility

Netflix gives employees the freedom to make decisions. This creates a culture of empowerment and innovation, where employees feel motivated to take risks and pursue bold ideas. Netflix attracts people who are typically self-motivated, driven and comfortable taking ownership of their work. By promoting accountability among employees, Netflix ensures higher levels of engagement, productivity and job satisfaction.

Strong employer branding is important for finding and hiring tech professionals. It can increase application rates, reduce the cost per hire and improve employee engagement and retention in the competitive tech industry. A comprehensive strategy that defines your target audience, key messaging and appropriate channels is key. Assess your current employer branding and take steps to improve it to attract and retain top tech talent. Whatever you do, always aim to prioritize employer branding in your tech recruiting efforts.