Many employers attempt to brand themselves through heavy advertising and outsourcing, hoping to spread their reputation to as many people as possible. But not everyone needs to know who you are as an employer; you only need to be aware of your target employees and reach out to them in a cost-effective manner in order to spare your financial resources and make the process of employer branding inexpensive. There are many employers in Myanmar running small businesses and startups looking for talent, and it is important for them to be prudent in the resources they use, sometimes letting a lot of the talking be done by the actions taken in other aspects of the business. Listed below are five pragmatic ways to promote employer image, no matter the size and type of business, without spending much and garner the attention of those who take an interest in becoming your employee.
Leverage a Blog to keep Job Seekers informed
Leveraging a blog is one of the most common ways for employers to promote their brand image inexpensively. Many businesses use their blog(s) to curate and distribute various kinds of content; company-owned blogs are a great medium to streamline interesting articles combined with facts about your company, products, and the services it provides and its employment opportunities. Articles thus distributed can be further shared on social media platforms, sent out to prospective customers or job seekers through email blasts and even published in the form of journals or periodicals made available online and easily accessible by your intended recipients.
With experienced writers and content professionals, you can turn your company’s blog into a blend of knowledgeable contents and advertising materials that can win over many potential employees. JobNet’s blog is an example of a content pool catered to both employers and employees. Moreover, just having great content on your blog is not alone adequate to promote your employer brand; you also need to have the right channels and outlets through which you deliver this content to your prospective employees.
Mention Your Employees and Showcase Their Testimonials
Existing employees of your company are arguably the most credible source of referrals to others who might want to work for you. Recommendations that come from those currently working for you are more convincing for many job seekers because they can validate what it is like to work at a company from an employee’s viewpoint. You can design incentive programs for your current employees and award them for new job applications received through their referral. You can also feature your employees online; having them narrate their experiences and feelings about working with you which in turn could attract more leads.
Organize Online Branding Campaigns
Social media can be a powerful tool to optimize your employer image if you know how to leverage it effectively. If you have relevant social media channels or platforms with a wide network of potential jobseekers, you may as well have an opportunity to organize structured employer branding campaigns that might not cost you anything at all. You can post regularly scheduled job opportunity related posts or employer facts that can uplift your overall employer value. You can also get your friends and family to share these posts within their networks; gaining exposure to different circles and multiplying the outreach without having to use paid boosting services.
Facebook and LinkedIn are ideal social media platforms in Myanmar which can be considered to solidify your brand and status as an employer. A majority of people in Myanmar use Facebook on a daily basis and any business page stands a chance to be fairly exposed to those people with good branding strategies and techniques. LinkedIn has also been starting to gain popularity as a professional employer branding platform and many jobseekers in Myanmar are now on LinkedIn to explore their career opportunities and potential employers.
Reconnect with Past Candidates
A good employer knows how to establish a good rapport not only with current and prospective employees but also maintain relations with past candidates who did not make the cut previously. Many job candidates lose motivation to apply for a job at the company they were rejected from the first time. But with adequate follow-up and support, they may be compelled to apply again and perhaps you, as an employer, might be willing to employ a few of them given that the needs of a new position might be more well-suited for the candidate this time around. It is always worth reconnecting with your previous job candidates and see if they are still interested in a job, as you know there was once intrigue by them to join your operation. Even if they’ve secured other opportunities in the meantime, they’d be happy to learn that you are the kind of employer who does not take them for granted and cares about building a good, long term relationship with them.
Showcasing Yourself during Networking Events
Networking events like career fairs are a great place for employers to brand their opportunities with a limited budget. Career fairs organized by other large companies are a place for you if you want to score experienced candidates actively looking for a job while university and college career fairs may be an alternative if you’re looking for young employees like student interns or fresh graduates. These events usually attract a huge number of job seekers in one place driving your cost per introduction down, but you’ll have to share their attention with other employers who might represent competition. You should always be poised to make an attempt to distinguish yourself from other employers and ensure that you have opportunities suited for people at the occasion; for example, you shouldn’t be looking for experienced managerial candidates at a university career fair, nor looking for intern or entry level candidates at an executive meeting.
JobNation Career Fairs organized by JobNet are one of the most popular job fairs in Myanmar, providing thousands of job vacancies and enjoying significantly high media coverage. You can keep posted about JobNet’s career fairs and partnership opportunities on our website, Facebook Page and LinkedIn Page. The next JobNation event will bring thousands of employers and Job Seekers alike together on Saturday 21st September, 2019. We hope to see you there.