Shaping Online Branding to Attract Job Candidates

Author: Victoria Kelleher, Lead Survey Specialist

To attract high quality candidates, employers must make sure that job openings are brought to the attention of job seekers. A large part of this battle has to do with a job listing being put in the right place at the right time. To increase the chances of this, recruiters must understand how job seekers behave.

The invention of the internet has drastically changed the way candidates seek out and apply to open jobs. It has boosted the ability of companies to generate many applications in a short time, but it also makes recruitment more competitive. Job seekers are more aware than ever of an abundance of options, and top talent may be more selective about the positions to which they apply.

Research has shown that most job seekers today rely on the internet to conduct their job search. Job seekers frequently report using sites like LinkedIn and Indeed to find and apply to job listings. Reflecting this, a recent survey from Brightmine found that most companies post job listings on LinkedIn (83% of companies) or Indeed (81%).

Beyond simply locating job listings, job seekers also usually use the internet to research a company's branding and reputation. In particular, the majority of today's job seekers (86%) check reviews of a company on sites like Glassdoor before accepting a job offer. Unappealing branding or negative reviews may make candidates think twice about accepting a position at your company, especially if they are high quality candidates with options.

Brightmine analyses of job post data have revealed that companies with worse Glassdoor ratings tend to have a higher number of open job postings on LinkedIn. While this may in part signal that problems at the company are causing rapid turnover, it might also reflect that these companies have trouble filling roles with reliable candidates.

Optimize Your Company's Branding

Since so many job seekers research a company's internet presence before applying, employers can boost their chances of attracting high quality candidates by optimizing their social media presence. Following best practices in this regard will improve the impression job seekers get from research and might mobilize more candidates to apply.

Employers can also reference more specific guidelines for optimizing a company's profile on LinkedIn or optimizing a company's branding on Indeed and Glassdoor.

Identifying Root Problems with Glassdoor

Unlike company profiles on social media, employers cannot control the reviews that employees post on sites like Glassdoor. However, regular monitoring of the company's feedback on these sites can reveal valuable information about the causes of employee dissatisfaction.

Glassdoor reviews can be a vital tool to identify inefficiencies across each stage of the employee lifecycle. Reviews from job candidates and prior employees often highlight frustrating or inefficient processes. Employers can look for common trends in these posts to identify areas across the business that need improvement.

Low ratings on Glassdoor may also signal factors in the company that lead to job dissatisfaction in employees. For example, analyses at Brightmine have revealed that companies with lower Glassdoor ratings are significantly more likely to have lower average salaries. Since compensation often impacts job satisfaction, companies with low Glassdoor ratings may want to examine how their salary structure compares to other companies, especially if this theme recurs in reviews.

Even though a company cannot remove reviews that are unfavorable, addressing underlying problems will gradually result in positive reviews that tilt the scale in the right direction. By regularly monitoring and mindfully reacting to candidate-facing internet branding, companies will maximize their chances of attracting job applications from high quality candidates.