Employer Reputation Management

Why do many organizations treat Employer Branding and Recruitment Marketing as side projects or junior roles instead of strategic levers? Almost every organization claims its HR or business motto is “we are here to attract and retain top talent.” Yet, in most cases, employer branding ends up as a side project or a junior role tasked with managing LinkedIn pages, updating career sites, or handling other tactical activities. While that’s a decent start, employer branding is far more than this. A strong employer brand is a strategic differentiator. It requires long-term, consistent investment. It’s a narrative and truth that employees and candidates carry with them. Done well, it gives you a competitive advantage, turns employees into brand ambassadors, and communicates why your organization is a great place to work—far beyond certifications. Whether employer branding sits under Talent Acquisition or Marketing, it is as core to attracting and retaining talent as any other function. ROI naturally becomes a big question, which is where strong, pragmatic leadership must build trust in the function at the C-suite level. Employer branding isn’t something to activate only when hiring is ramping up—it’s about protecting and nurturing reputation every single day. An organization’s brand is being built or eroded every second, whether or not a dedicated EB professional exists. In today’s volatile, AI-driven world—where humans still make the final decisions—your employer brand needs consistent, strategic, long-term focus. That’s how you shift Talent Acquisition from being transactional to becoming a true talent strategy. Think of it this way: 📍Employer Branding is the “Why.” 📍Talent Acquisition is the “How.” 📍AI is the “What.” Invest in the “Why,” build a strong EB strategy, and you’ll see your HR and TA functions flourish. Employer Branding isn’t a sidekick—it’s the core. #employerbranding #recruitmentmarketing

What if your Employer Brand had a signature flavor so clear and unique that no one could copy it? Here’s the thing: Candidates don’t just want to hear what you offer… They want to feel what makes your company different. And most employer brands? They’re still selling generic. So how do you go from meh messaging to magnetic positioning? 👇 Meet your new secret weapon: 🟣 The Talent Attraction Attribution Map aka your Unique Selling Mix checklist. This is not just a pretty graphic (although it looks cute on a slide too 😄). Here’s how I actually use it with clients and internal teams: Audit: I use this as a structured audit tool during EVP discovery. It helps you spot what you really offer across all areas of the employee experience from rewards to leadership to culture. Stakeholder Interviews: It’s my go-to conversation guide when talking with hiring managers, leaders, and long-term employees. I ask: “What does ‘flexibility’ look like in your team, really?” “How does recognition actually show up here?” “What would you miss if you worked somewhere else?” Employee Focus Groups: I use this map to prompt rich stories. Because people don’t always know what makes their experience special until they start talking about it. EVP Segmentation: It helps break down what matters to different personas- engineers vs. marketers, juniors vs. seniors. Not every attribute is a value to every employee. So… don’t sell what they don’t buy. Messaging: Once we’ve filled this in with real, lived examples, we use it to craft powerful value propositions and authentic content pillars. The goal? Not to tick all the boxes. But to find the few things you do so well, so differently, that they become your talent brand signature. 🌟 Pro tip: When someone says, “We offer work-life balance,” pull this out and ask: How exactly? Through scheduling autonomy? Through time-off culture? Through leadership respect for boundaries? Get specific and you’ll get noticed. 👇 Curious to see how others use it: What’s one attribute your company truly nails that deserves to be part of your Unique Selling Mix? #employerbranding #talentattraction #EVPstrategy #recruitmentmarketing #peopleexperience

She was visible in the room but invisible online. A client said to me recently, “In person, people know who I am and what I bring. But online? You’d never know it.” And she was right. In person it was clear she had decades of credibility. She was the person people turned to when decisions needed to be made, things needed to get done, problems solved, or trust established. Her peers knew it. Her clients knew it. Her team knew it. But when someone Googled her, her LinkedIn profile came up, and the message simply didn’t match. 📉 A profile that undersold her expertise. 📉 Inconsistent or non-existent activity. 📉 A digital first impression that didn’t reflect the reputation she’d earned. And here is the challenge with this - people don’t separate offline from online anymore. ✨ The client meeting you tomorrow has already looked you up today. ✨ The board member you’re pitching to has already scanned your profile. ✨ The graduate considering your firm has already checked your team’s presence. ✨ The investor you’re meeting next week has already searched your name. ✨ The client referral you haven’t even met yet has already formed an impression. If your online presence doesn’t reflect your offline reputation, it creates disconnect before you even enter the room. “Are they really the expert?” “If their business is as strong as they say, why can’t I see it here?” You’ve worked too hard to be invisible. The good news? You don’t need constant posting or flashy campaigns to close that gap. What you need are the right foundations: ✔️ A profile that communicates value, not just a job title. ✔️ Consistent, purposeful activity that mirrors how you show up in person. ✔️ A digital presence that builds trust before the first handshake. Because your reputation shouldn’t depend on which version of you people happens to find first. Make sure the person people meet online is the same one they already trust in the room.

No one told me this — but I wish they had. Your resume isn’t the first thing most hiring managers see. Your LinkedIn profile is. Before they open your application... Before they read your “objective” line... Before they skim your experience... They search you. They click your name. They scan your page in under 20 seconds. And in that moment — they decide whether they’re curious enough to keep going. I used to think I needed a “perfect” resume. Turns out, I needed a clear, credible, and consistent online presence. Because today, your LinkedIn = your reputation. And it doesn’t take much to make or break it. Here are a few things that matter more than people think: → Your headline (make it human, not robotic) → Your ‘About’ section (tell a story, not just a skill list) → Your photo (does it look like someone people can trust?) → Your recent activity (no posts ≠ no personality) → Your connections (are you building a network — or collecting names?) The best candidates aren’t always the ones with the most experience. They’re the ones who make it easiest to trust them, quickly. And that starts with how you show up online — before you ever step into the room. If you’re job hunting right now: → Update your headline → Clean up your About section → Engage with posts in your industry → And remember: You’re being seen — even when you’re not applying Your resume is your pitch. But LinkedIn? That’s your presence. And that’s what people remember. What’s the first thing you notice when you click on someone’s profile? Let’s talk👇 #JobSearchTips #LinkedInProfile #CareerAdvice #PersonalBranding #OnlinePresenceMatters #HiringTrends #ResumeTips #LinkedInForJobs #ProfessionalIdentity #CareerGrowth #JobHunt2025 #DigitalReputation #CareerDevelopment

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞? Here's the 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩-𝐛𝐲-𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 you didn't know you needed 👇 1. 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞—think about your ICP. Ideal Candidate Profile. The first step is to clearly define who you are trying to reach. What are your ideal candidates' key skills, experiences, and attributes? Use data from your past successful hires and current job requirements to create candidate personas. 2. 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐂𝐏. Different platforms do have different audiences, but there are huge overlaps, so just because people keep their LinkedIn profiles up to date with their work history does not mean that you can’t reach that person on Instagram. Use data. Remove guesswork. 3. 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥! Your content should be tailored to attract and engage your target audience. This means creating visually appealing job ads, videos, and stories highlighting the benefits of working at your company. Think about leaning into trends such as a day in the life. 4. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. Paid social media ads allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviours, ensuring your job posts reach the most relevant candidates. Whilst organic has a place, paid ads are much more effective in targeting specific candidate profiles. Social networks have been pay-to-play for a long time. 5. 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚. Use analytics to track the performance of your posts and ads. Metrics like engagement rates, click-through rates, and application conversions will help you understand what works and what doesn’t. Review these metrics regularly and adjust your strategy to improve results. Feel free to drop me a comment or DM if you want some advice. 🌍🤝 🤖 #socialrecruiting #recruitment #socialmedia #talentattraction #AI

They don’t care about your ping pong tables. They don’t care how long your brand has existed. And they definitely don’t care about your open-plan office with the green juice fridge. What Gen Z cares about? → Impact. → Transparency. → Leadership that actually walks the talk. I say this not just as a headhunter who works with FMCG boards to find global CMOs and GMs but as someone watching how talent pipelines are changing from the bottom up. For decades, employer branding in FMCG was almost self-sustaining. Global recognition. Category dominance. Maybe a graduate program with prestige. That’s not enough anymore. 83% of Gen Z candidates say they won’t even apply for a role if a company doesn’t clearly communicate salary and values (LinkedIn Talent Trends 2024). And 57% rank “authenticity of leadership” as a top reason to accept (or reject) a job offer (Handshake, 2024). I’ve seen this play out. Here’s what I’ve learned: Gen Z isn’t anti-FMCG. They’re anti-performative. Prestige doesn’t buy loyalty—purpose does. Your brand voice matters more than your stock price. So many global companies tell me, “We want to build future C-suite talent.” That starts now—with the stories you tell at the graduate level. If your early-career employer brand still looks like a 2015 PowerPoint deck, you’re not in the conversation. You’re in the past. Because this generation is researching your Glassdoor, analyzing your LinkedIn content, and checking if your leaders match your values. If they don’t? They move on quietly and permanently. For companies that get this right? You won’t just win Gen Z talent. You’ll build a leadership pipeline that’s ready for the future of FMCG. → Where brand and values are one and the same. → Where marketing starts with employee belief. → And where your next CMO might be watching your EVP video… and deciding if you’re worth their talent. Let’s talk about how to build that brand from Gen Z to the C-suite. #EmployerBranding #FMCGLeadership #GenZTalent #FutureOfWork #ExecutiveSearch #TalentStrategy

Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets, and we’re running out of buckets. If you're leading teams through #AI adoption, navigating #hybrid work, or just steering through the tempest that is 2025, there's a crucial factor that could make or break your success: #trust. And right now, it's in free fall. Edelman's Trust Barometer showed an "unprecedented decline in employer trust" -- the first time in their 25 years tracking that trust in business fell. It's no surprise: midnight #layoff emails, "do more with less," #RTO mandates, and fears of #GenAI displacement given CEO focus on efficiency are all factors. The loss of #trust will impact performance. The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) research shows high performing organizations have 10-11X higher trust between employees and leaders. Trust impacts #engagement, #innovation and #technology adoption, especially AI. My latest newsletter gets beyond the research and into what leaders can do today to start rebuilding trust You can't command-and-control your way through a complete overhaul of how we work... Trust is a two-way street. Leaders need to go first, but we also have to rebuild the gives-and-takes of employer/employee relationships. Three starting points: 1️⃣ Clear Goals, Real Accountability. Stop monitoring attendance and start measuring outcomes. Give teams clear goals and autonomy in how they achieve them. 2️⃣ Transparency with Guardrails. Break down information silos. Share context behind decisions openly - even difficult ones. Establish guardrails for meaningful conversations internally (instead of rock-throwing externally). 3️⃣ Show Vulnerability. Saying "I don't know" isn't weakness–it's an invitation for others to contribute. The word “vulnerability” seems anathema to too many public figures at the moment, who instead are ready to lock themselves in the Octagon with their opponents. But what’s tougher for them: taking a swing at someone, or admitting to their own limitations? This isn't just about CEOs. Great leaders show up at all levels of the org chart, creating "trust bubbles:" pockets of high performance inside even the most challenging environments. If you're one of those folks, thank you for what you do! 👉 Link to the newsletter in comments; please read (it's free) and let me know what you think! #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Management #Culture

While representation is a crucial first step in achieving a diverse boardroom, it's not enough to ensure that diverse perspectives are fully integrated into decision-making. Our latest research delves deeper into the complexities of inclusion and highlights the significant benefits that can arise when boards truly embrace diversity. By moving beyond mere representation, organizations can unlock a wealth of advantages, including: 1️⃣ Enhanced decision-making. Diverse boards bring a wider range of experiences, perspectives, and problem-solving approaches to the table, leading to more informed and innovative decisions. 2️⃣ Improved risk management. Diverse teams are better equipped to identify and mitigate risks, as they are less likely to fall into groupthink or overlook potential blind spots. 3️⃣ Enhanced reputation. A diverse board signals to stakeholders, customers, and employees that the organization is committed to equity and inclusivity, boosting its reputation and attracting top talent. 4️⃣ Increased financial performance. Studies have consistently shown that companies with diverse boards tend to outperform their peers financially, demonstrating the tangible benefits of inclusion. To truly harness the power of diversity, it's essential to create a culture of inclusion where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. This requires intentional efforts to address biases, build trust, and foster a sense of belonging among all board members.

Feedback culture is the silent revolution no one's talking about. It's not on TED talks. It's not trending on Twitter. It's not in business school textbooks. But it's transforming how the world's best companies operate. Quietly. Deliberately. Completely. I call it the death of the annual review. For decades, we've accepted a bizarre ritual: once a year, your manager judges 12 months of work in a 60-minute meeting that determines your worth, your future, and sometimes your mental health. It's like trying to understand a marriage by watching one dinner conversation. The best companies realized this was insanity. Deloitte scrapped their complex forms and saved 2 million hours annually. Adobe killed annual reviews in 2012 and saw voluntary turnover drop 30%. Accenture eliminated 90% of their performance management process. Microsoft ditched stack ranking. Netflix embraced radical candor. Google made feedback a science. These were more than random experiments. They were survival mechanisms. They knew something had to change. Because the truth is, annual reviews don't build great teams. They build fear, politics, and performance theater. They reward those who game the system, not those who drive value. They measure what's easy to measure, not what actually matters. Real feedback isn't an event. It's a habit. It's the manager who asks "what could I do better?" after every project. It's the peer who says "I noticed something" without waiting for permission. It's the culture where truth is valued more than comfort. At Toyota, factory workers submit 810,000 improvement ideas annually – that's 14 suggestions per person per year. They don't wait for review season. They see a problem on Tuesday, solve it on Wednesday. The companies winning the talent war aren't offering bigger salaries. They're offering better conversations. They've replaced ratings with coaching. Forms with dialogue. Fear with psychological safety. They've made feedback immediate, specific, and actionable. They've turned it from a weapon into a gift. And the results speak volumes. Higher engagement. Lower turnover. Faster innovation. Stronger teams. Because when people aren't afraid of feedback, they're not afraid to take risks. When managers aren't forced to be judges, they can be coaches. When teams trust each other with the truth, they trust each other with everything else. The annual review isn't just outdated. It's organizational malpractice. It's time we stopped pretending that once-a-year feedback serves anyone but HR software companies. It's time we built cultures where growth happens every day, not every December. Because the best feedback isn't delivered in a conference room. It's woven into the fabric of how we work.

Employees don’t trust companies. They trust people. That’s why most “trust initiatives” fail. Executives think trust comes from managers. Employees know it’s about the entire system. So, how do you rebuild trust in an organization ? Three things matter from employee side : 1. Benevolence : "I trust that you will do right by me." ✅ Back-up ✅ Mutual trust ✅ Opportunities for growth 💬 Manager: I trust my employee can grow with my business. 2. Competence : " I trust that you know what you’re doing. " ✅ Room for error ✅ Recognition  ✅ Best job match 💬 Manager: I trust my people have what it takes. 3. Integrity : " I trust that you are telling me the truth. " ✅ Pay transparency ✅ Fair promotion  ✅ Walking the talk. 💬 Manager: I trust my executives admit mistakes, seek feedback for continuous improvements. Trust isn’t a slogan. It’s built—or broken—with every decision. What else makes or breaks trust? Drop your take below. #trust #employerbrand #transparency #mercer Source : Global Talent Trends Mercer 2024