Employer Branding Still a Pressing Need in SA for 2016!
More Important Than ever for Critical Skills Recruitment

While there is often a question mark ending any debate on the relevance of employer branding in SA, largely due to high unemployment, many organisations are now accepting the fact that it is fast-becoming a top priority for the recruitment of critical skills.

LinkedIn Talent Solutions’ SA Recruiting Trends 2016 Report* found there had been an increase in awareness – from 70% in 2014 to 78% in 2015 – by talent leaders of Employer Branding’s importance, and the absolute necessity for them to hard-sell the concept to management for attracting, on-boarding and retaining  talent.

Acknowledgement of this emerging trend became evident through the turnout Employer Branding SA experienced at its masterclasses run during 2015 which attracted delegates representing a good cross-section of industries.

Here delegates were enlightened as to the advantages and benefits of Employer Branding, thus providing them with a shedful of fresh ideas, practical knowledge and implementable plans to take back to their companies. On their own initiative too they networked, brainstormed and shared some of their unique, ‘home-grown’ best practice ingenuities, and the untapped opportunities available to enhance their own roles as talent leaders.

All this revealed a common thread of challenges that ran throughout the sessions. Challenges that in many ways matched those encountered by Employer Branding leaders worldwide!

Check out some of the notable observations and essential lessons that emerged from these local sessions:

1.    A disconnect between the consumer brand and a negative employer brand can impact significantly on an organisation’s holistic brand reputation, in turn impacting destructively on the achievement of strategic goals, profitability, etc.

2.    Bearing in mind the emergence of Employer Branding as a strategic objective for many corporates, there is now a dire need for their Human Resources, Communications, Marketing and other cross-functional teams to seriously focus together on the employer brand.

3.    Unsurprisingly, then, the role of the traditional recruiter has changed to that of a salesperson, marketer and social media guru, a point emphasised when tasks were unpacked.

4.    While recruiting for critical skills, talent leaders will continue to face sourcing issues until they realise just how vital it is to package, project and channel their organisation’s employer brand to be competitive, especially in the field of passive market recruitment.

5.    Methodologies and tools for new generation recruitment were shared, resulting in delegates realising that they must become far more resourceful and far less complacent while aggressively driving towards their Employer Branding objectives and implementing their long-term strategies.

This is only a snapshot view of the many diverse agenda items that will challenge delegates who attend one of these masterclasses. By being at the leading edge of an exciting, effective new Employer Branding trend, they will beat their competitors to the punch; to attracting, winning and retaining talent in 2016.

Employer Branding SA’s objective is to continue promoting, building and capitalising on employer branding world-class best practice and knowledge, making sure the SA market is up to date on the present and future of employer branding.

For masterclass date and event information, visit www.employerbrandingsa.co.za soonest.

*LinkedIn Talent Solutions’ SA Recruiting Trends 2016 Report concludes, “Looking ahead to 2016 and beyond, talent leaders consider social professional networks, employer branding, passive candidate recruiting and measuring quality of hire to be key trends”.