Why Talent Teams Must Start Translating the Brand – and How AI Can Help Get You There.

 

You’ve defined your Employer Value Proposition (EVP) – the promise you make as an organisation to your people in exchange for their time, energy, and skill. A critical part of your employer brand. Maybe you’ve even launched and socialised it.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth I keep seeing – in meetings, in job adverts, on career sites.

I’ll ask a team to describe what their EVP looks like in practice… and I’m met with long pauses, different versions, or “I’m not sure.”

That’s not a failure of people – it’s a failure of translation.

  • If your Talent Team can’t confidently articulate the brand promise and value offering
  • If your Hiring Managers can’t explain what the values and benefits look like on the ground
  • If candidates walk away knowing more about KPIs than culture

Then your EVP isn’t broken. It’s just not being used.

🤔 The Disconnect No One Talks About

In the race to build a compelling employer brand, too many organisations stop at strategy. The words are there. But the connection between what’s been defined and how it’s lived, especially during performance reviews and hiring conversations, is missing.

Ironically, the people closest to the role – your Hiring Managers – are often furthest from the brand. They speak confidently to the role in question, but not to culture, team dynamics, or the job value proposition that defines the experience. They know what they want, but not what’s been promised. And they’re not to blame. Because many Talent Teams might not have reinforced, reminded, or equipped them with the all-important EVP either.

💥 3 EVP Myths That May Be Holding You Back

  1. “We’ve already launched our EVP – the business knows what it is.” – Knowing the phrase isn’t the same as being aligned on what it means. I’ve sat in meetings where one person speaks confidently about a new wellness or recognition programme – and another says, “Wait, we have that?” If people aren’t clear on what they get, they can’t stay engaged.
  2. “It’s the comms team’s job to activate the EVP. – Nope. If it’s not showing up in recruitment, onboarding, performance, and leadership conversations – it’s not embedded. The real test is whether the EVP is being used, not just published.
  3. “Our values are clear – they’re displayed everywhere.” – But visibility isn’t the same as alignment. Ask five people to describe the values – or better yet, how they experience them. You’ll often get five very different answers. That’s not alignment. That’s brand erosion, and a missed opportunity to shape your reputation as a great place to work.

🛠️ What You Can Do – with AI as Your Copilot

  • Create an EVP quick reference for Hiring Managers

💬Build a one-pager with phrases, values, and team-specific examples they can confidently speak to. ✨ Use AI to generate culture and EVP cue cards, conversational prompts, and role-relevant story starters that make the brand easier to talk about.

  • Sense-check your internal materials

🧾Review how your EVP shows up in job briefs, onboarding emails, internal comms, and team content. ⚡ Use AI to rewrite or align this content to reflect your EVP tone, values, and language – quickly and consistently.

  • Test for real understanding inside your team

🔍Ask: “If a candidate asked what your EVP means, could you answer without using the tagline?” 💡 Use AI to help team members define it in their own trusted voice – in their words, not how the company brand frames it.

🧭 You don’t need a new strategy. You need a way to activate and reinforce what already exists — and AI can help get you there.

🟠 What Needs to Happen Now – and It Starts with You

This isn’t about relaunching your EVP. It’s about asking:

  • Can your Talent Team explain the EVP without referencing a PDF?
  • Are your Hiring Managers aligned on what your values look like in practice?
  • Have you made it easy for the business to live and deliver the brand promise?

You’ve heard it before: AI won’t replace people. But it may replace those who don’t learn how to work with it. And the same holds true for Talent Leaders.

It’s not the tech that makes the difference – it’s your ability to ask better questions, listen for the gaps, and translate strategy into something people can actually use.

So ask yourself:

  • Why isn’t your EVP working the way it should?
  • What could you be doing better?
  • Where are you falling short?

You unlock the answers through conversation. AI can help distil those insights, highlight what’s missing, and sharpen your message – but only if you start asking WHY?

✉️ One Prompt to Start With

“What would it sound like if a Hiring Manager described your culture – without using the word culture?”

Try that with your team. If the answer is vague, technical, or brand-blind, AI won’t help until you go back to basics. But if the answer is crisp, honest, and human, then that’s your talent brand. And it’s ready to be amplified.

📥 Ready to Start Activating Your EVP?

Grab your free EVP Activation Cheat Sheet packed with AI prompts, messaging tips, and tools to help bring your Employer Value Proposition to life.

🔔 Subscribe to stay on the pulse. 💬 Or message me if this resonated – I’d love to hear what landed. 👣 Follow for more practical, human-led, AI-enabled ways to build your talent brand from the inside out.