Is Your Culture Great Enough to Tout in Your Employment Brand?

Last week, my itinerary to speak in the Silicon Valley of India – Bangalore – took me through Germany’s massive Frankfurt Airport.  Every 100 meters or so, I saw a billboard that says, “Celebrate Oktoberfest in the Frankfurt Airport.”  I instantly thought, “What a strategic concept.”  If you don’t have time to leave the airport and head to a beer tent in Munich, Germany will bring the acclaimed event to you between flights.  This caused me to wonder… does your company have a selling point that you could advertise and leverage to your benefit, such as your amazing culture?

A great culture breeds employees who sell more, provide better customer service, make fewer mistakes, are more productive, and stay longer.  It can also be used as a selling point by your recruiters, as you brand your company externally to prospective employees and attempt to cherry-pick the best and brightest talent away from your competitors.

What I’m referring to is your Employment Brand – who you say you are to the world via your Careers website and job ads.  If you have high levels of employee engagement, tout it in your Employment Brand, as potential employees look to that to find out what you value as a company and what your culture is like.

 However, it’s critical to keep in mind that if your culture is not where it needs to be, do not lie and create a false Employment Brand.  Why?  Because when someone accepts a job offer, starts working, and sees that your culture is not what you said it is, the disengagement process will begin or you may lose the new hire because they think they were sold a false bill of goods.

 BE AWESOME!  Whatever your culture, be open and honest about it when crafting your Employment Brand.  Potential employees are not looking for perfection – a work in progress will do.  However, they will not tolerate an organization that says they have a great culture when in fact, it’s really an undesirable place to work.  Be honest about your culture and you will attract people who are a good cultural fit, which is key to your organization’s success.