Digital talent is becoming increasingly difficult for businesses to attract and retain. This has become evident by the fact 42 per cent of UK businesses have had to cancel projects in the past two years because they don’t possess the necessary digital skills to complete them. Furthermore, these firms have lost an average of £483,690 each time this happens.
It has therefore become more important than ever for companies to prioritize digital talent acquisition. There are a number of enterprises that understand the value of employer branding in attracting top quality candidates, and your company may be able to learn a lot from them.
In the case of Google, the brand has become so well known for its selection process, it has top talent queueing up at the door to work there. But what makes it so special?
The company has built its reputation on innovation, but according to Elodie Lhuillier, HR business partner at Google Switzerland, the way the company treats its employees is an equally important element of its employer brand.
She told Randstad: “We’re very conscious of how big a role work plays in people’s lives and the importance of meaning within it. We want to be known as a company that genuinely values our people and gives them the freedom to amaze.”
At Google, employees are also encouraged to indulge their passions by using a day to participate in service projects in their communities. The company also helps employees match their skills to the needs of certain non-profits, allowing them to use up to 20 hours of work time across the year to volunteer. In addition, Google matches non-profit contributions made by employees.
This is certainly something your brand can consider, especially if you want to attract more millennials, who will make up 75 percent of the workforce by 2025. The Millennial Impact Report found that these younger employees are more engaged with philanthropic causes than ever before, so demonstrating your own corporate social responsibility will have significant benefits in attracting top digital talent.
asos
Earlier this year, Asos was named the second most desirable company in the UK to work for by LinkedIn, beaten only by the John Lewis Partnership. Labelled a “millennial-focused e-commerce powerhouse” by LinkedIn, Asos is reportedly “one of the few companies to report actually benefiting” from the struggling pound - a result of the tumultuous Brexit vote and subsequent negotiations. Asos actually upgraded its annual growth forecast in its half-year results, revealing that it is performing better than a great deal of other organizations, including John Lewis, which warned that prices could rise as a result of Brexit.
According to CNBC, “the most attractive companies to job seekers today are entwined in our lives”, and this is very true when it comes to Asos, which has firmly entrenched itself as the first stop for many when they think about shopping. The company is ambitious - being open about its desire to “be the world’s number one fashion retailer” - and wants to grow fast, something that appeals to workers today.
Asos seeks out “creative, intelligent and passionate people” for its team. Learning and development is a huge part of its employer brand, with a whole section dedicated to it on its careers site.
This is something that is being increasingly valued by intelligent workers who are no longer happy to remain in one position for their whole career. By offering these training opportunities, Asos ensures that employees maintain their digital capabilities, contributing to the company remaining one step ahead of the competition.
Henry Clifford-Jones, director of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, said: “As competition for top talent gets increasingly fierce, leading businesses are investing similar amounts of focus and creativity to stand out to employees as they do to promoting their brand, product or service to buyers.”
He explained that bringing marketing and HR talent together to achieve this is no longer just a nice thing to do, but essential. This is extremely relevant advice to businesses looking to emulate the success of Asos in attracting top digital talent.
capital one
Another of LinkedIn’s top employers, Capital One is a brand founded in the 1980s but still relevant to millions of people today. Operating across the world, the company has remained at the forefront of innovation and still gets people excited at the prospect of working there? So why is that?
With fintech startups garnering huge attention in the financial sector, an established brand like Capital One has to work even harder to get in front. As a result, the company launched its Capital One Cafes in the US, where people are able to charge their devices, drink specialty coffee and access free financial advice.
The company brands itself as a “scientific laboratory on a journey to become a leading high-tech company and digital innovator”. In order to achieve its aims, Capital One actively encourages diversity in its candidate pool. According to the company, “to reinvent money - to infuse simplicity, ingenuity, and humanity into banking - we must harness the power of our collective wisdom”. This is why it has set out its “commitment to build and foster a diverse and inclusive culture where every voice is heard and matters”.
According to a recent study by Weber Shandwick and KRC Research, partnered with the Institute for Public Relations, 47 percent of millennial workers consider diversity and inclusion an important factor in considering a new job. The level of attention paid by Capital One to this issue is an example to all businesses looking to attract more top talent.
Capital One wants to “challenge the status quo and reimagine money to inspire life”. This kind of ambition is hugely appealing to top digital candidates, who want to contribute to something significant and make a tangible difference in the way the world works. If your company can reflect this level of drive and determination to drive change, you will be establishing it as an attractive option to top talent.