In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with James Ellis, Principal at Chicago-based Employer Brand Labs. He’s an author, keynote speaker, practitioner, and podcaster with a wealth of experience across multiple industries for almost a decade.

James wrote Talent Chooses You: Hire Better with Employer Branding. The book has been called “the Bible of employer branding”. He also manages the number one employer brand newsletter in the world, Employer Brand Headlines, which helps companies globally establish their brands and develop their ability to hire talent.

Listen in as James explains how to use employer branding to create the desire to be a part of the company among your ideal recruits, and why the best recruiters hire for attitude and ambition over merely skills.

James breaks down the keys to identifying your perfect candidate persona and improving the employee experience. With regards to building an employer brand, he discusses the art of putting together your unique Employer Value Proposition (EVP), the most important aspects about your brand that you need to highlight, and why it’s important to “localize” the company culture to your ideal recruit.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• [01:54] What is employer branding and what is its purpose?
• [05:41] Identifying your perfect candidate persona
• [08:01] Improving the current experience of your employees
• [14:41] Beyond Glassdoor
• [16:58] How to better describe the employer experience online
• [21:16] The aspect of the employer brand you need to highlight
• [30:06] Localizing your employer brand
• [33:44] What makes a “good candidate experience”?

Key quotes:

• “Individuals have a perception of what it must be like to work there. That perception comes from touchpoints of experiences.”
• “The purpose of employer branding is to create desire among the target audience: the people you’re trying to hire.”
• “Offering a white glove candidate experience works wonders in certain situations, but it’s not the end-all, be-all. A good candidate experience reflects the culture—the experience of working there.”