The economic shocks of the past few months have seriously expanded the pool of talent available to companies, whether they’re looking to hire full-time or on a freelance and contract basis. But just because there are more people looking for jobs, doesn’t mean that your company can take the brakes off employer branding.
In fact, there’s a case to be made that with more people working remotely than ever before, employer branding has never been more critical.
As a reminder, employer branding describes an employer's reputation as a place to work, and their employee value proposition. It is distinct from the brand that customers associate with an organisation but, when it comes to long-term outcomes, can be just as important.
That’s not where the parallels end either. As is the case with customer branding, first impressions count for a lot when it comes to employer branding. Who the first message comes from and what it looks like matter a great deal. Your organisation needs to be intentional in its messaging and make the person feel special and heard.
Once the connection’s made, meanwhile, it’s critical that your organisation be able to effectively tell its story. This is something that some companies battle with, especially if they attracted employees with things like perks and cool offices pre COVID-19. The goal isn’t to make a potential hire think that you’re cool, but to ensure that your motivation for hiring and their motivation for applying for the position.
These things are all critical when it comes to hiring ordinarily, but even more so when hiring freelance and remote talent. After all, if the project you’re hiring for is urgent, you can’t afford to take time to build chemistry. Additionally, by building a solid employer brand, you’ll ensure that you always have the top freelancers and contract workers applying to work with you.
So, before you make your next hire, do a little research on your employer brand. Bolster what’s right, fix what you need to, and watch the top talent roll in.
Top Tip #1
As well as internal research, looking up your company on services such as Glassdoor will help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your employer brand. But when there is criticism, you need to be able to reflect on it honestly and implement any necessary changes.
Top Tip #2
When it comes to freelancers and contractors, small admin difficulties (such as long delays on invoice payments) can negatively impact your employer brand. Linkdpro removes most of those roadblocks, ensuring that the entire process -- from application to final payment and contractor review -- runs smoothly.
Up to a certain size, it’s possible for company management to oversee the talent acquisition process. After a while, however, they’ll inevitably find themselves facing much bigger concerns. If you don’t already have a human resources (HR) team working in this capacity, now is the time to build the foundations for one.
Here too, you should look for someone who specialises in working with remote companies. Remember, traditional office-bound HR skills can only take you so far in the remote world.
Of course, having a remote-ready HR won’t just help you with talent acquisition, but also with onboarding and company culture.
Don’t be afraid to go external
While your internal remote talent team is important, it’s also critical that you have the right external players on your team.
At linkdpro, our account managers work with some of the leading companies in South Africa to ensure that every job posting outlines their needs as clearly as possible. We will also match your company with fully-vetted and handpicked local remote talent for that position, wherever in South Africa they may be.
That kind of expertise and impeccable level of service cannot be matched by a standard online job-site. The support we provide is unmatched. When you hire local remote talent through us, you'll work with a dedicated linkdpro account manager who will answer questions, resolve any issues, and generally do anything he or she can to ensure you are completely satisfied with your linkdpro experience.
Along with the rigorous vetting process we put in place for any freelancer looking to join our exclusive community, it means that you’ll have the strongest possible pool of remote talent from the get-go.
Top Tip #1
Cultural fit is even more important for remote teams than office-bound ones. Dedicate at least one round of interviews to evaluating how a candidate will fit in with the rest of your team. Doing so means that your eventual hire will fit in with your working style right away.
Top Tip #2
As linkdpro, our cumulative experience means that we’re well placed to help companies set up remote teams. Some of our resident experts have set up remote working structures for the likes of Microsoft and Gigster and are ready to do the same in South Africa.