The Impact of Employer Branding in Talent Acquisition

The majority of today’s workforce, as we know it, is composed mainly of millennials, and those from Generation Z closely following suit. They think and act differently as opposed to baby boomers and those from Generation X. They are the drivers behind the economic and cultural force, something to be reckoned and almost impossible to ignore.

In the employment and jobs landscape too, Millennials and Gen Zs work with a different ideology where job satisfaction takes precedence over job security. Some would even argue that they do not linger, jumping at the slightest chance, abandoning their plush, cushy jobs to seek excitement and challenges elsewhere.

HR professionals know this all too well. Despite the drawback, for organisations, introducing millennials into the workforce becomes absolutely necessary, for the sole reason that they bring energy, ideas, breakthroughs, and progress to the table.

But how should they scour talent pools in search for employees that are relevant for their businesses and retain them for longer? This is the stumper that confounds everyone. Perhaps, employer branding is the panacea; especially when the new-age workforce is all about seeking greener pastures.

Organizations have recognized this fact and stepped-up their efforts to rework their talent acquisition, employee retention, engagement and work policies so that it caters to the new generation. Considering this fact, the panel which consisted of:

• Dr. Aquil Busrai, CEO and Founder, Aquil Busrai Consulting
• Nikhil Arora, Managing Director and Vice President, GoDaddy
• Sameer Wadhawan, Senior Vice President, and Head HR, Samsung Electronics
• Varadharaju Janardhanan, Vice President, HR, Flipkart
• Tarun Sinha, CEO, OLX People
• Anusha Suryanarayan, CHRO, Signify

They spoke individually, and shared valuable insights on the impact of employer branding in talent acquisition. In an effort to hire relevant talent, it became extremely clear from the discussion that adding relevance to the brand image is quintessential. In other words, it’s crucial that employers shine through as powerful and unique to be noticed by prospective employees.

In this context, Varadharaju said,”A brand that communicates with individuals will stand out not only in attracting the talent but also in retaining them.”

“You have to tell your own story to the people to connect with the brand. People want satisfaction, which is about having the right fit and the right match,” added Sameer.

Employer Branding and Organizational Goals

It’s no secret that employer branding is essential to not only recruitment, but also to highlight the leadership stance of the organization in the market. Keeping this in mind, Tarun Sinha, CEO of OLX People explained, “How you digitally communicate with the market and how digitally evolved you are – both are very important. Being proactive about reaching out through different channels is critical in these times. Well developed employer branding strategy not only boosts your chances to attract the right talent, but also helps in achieving organizational goals.”

As the discussion progressed, it became increasingly clear that the brand image evokes emotions — the brand must be built from the ground-up with the company’s belief serving as a parallel. “How you accept or reject talent becomes a promoter of your brand, ” said Nikhil, stressing the fact that the disparity between what is real and perceivable must be made unnoticeable.

Another important point made by the panel was about the empathetic nature of the employers. They should value the time and effort of the interviewees who cannot make it past the final hurdle. By reaching out to them in a manner that doesn’t doesn’t leave them dejected can reflect the ethical and humanized side of the company.

The Importance of Communication

The need for clear, crisp and transparent communication in terms of employer branding and recruitment can be gauged from the fact that over half of employees who have switched jobs or are on the verge of hanging up their boots, credit the breakdown in communication as the reason for their exit.

Rather than turning a blind eye, organizations should take the onus and practise precise and timely communication knowing that trying times, such as the pandemic, is hard on the economy and the job seekers’ community.

“Some of the non-negotiable factors like resilience, empathy and embracing change need to be treasured. It is better to over-communicate than to under-communicate,” said Wadhawan, stressing the need for better communication from employers.

Dr. Busrai also weighed in on the matter and said that a company must adopt flexible methods in order to retain and re skill talent — only then can they go down the road of rebranding. And it can only happen if they are flexible enough to adapt to unprecedented changes in a short span of time.

“Gen Z and millennials strongly believe in purpose and sustainability rather than just profit. The biggest advocate of your brand is your employees,”according to Anusha.

Technology & Social Media — The Tools for Employer Branding

Technology and employer branding go hand in hand. It is through technology that employers can find unique and unconventional ways to rebrand their talent acquisition and branding strategies. We live in a work world where finding relevant talent is key to progress and growth, therefore, tech-powered branding really swoops in to cast the employer in a more articulated manner.

Adding to the game-changing role that technology has to play in employer branding and talent acquisition, Nikhil said, “Technology is a way to talk about your mission at scale and give an appropriate insight of your organizational goals.”

One of the many applications of technology and the influence it brings is social media. Given the number of individuals that are on social media platforms, it gives an opportunity to employers and recruiters to scope talent out remotely and virtually. Not only that, interaction levels between candidates and recruiters also spike on social media platforms when done correctly. While many employers do swear by finding prospective candidates on social media networks, they also go on to state that this avenue optimizes the total cost of recruitment quite a bit.

Speaking on the power of social media, Anusha quoted, “Social media is a big change for virtual and remote recruitment that will enhance further in the coming years.”

Of course, social media presence is not only for attracting the right candidate. It is the brand image of the organization that has the power to influence and highlight its moral beliefs and overall stance to the whole wide world. With the right employer branding strategy and execution on social media platforms, employers have a real chance of being transparent and finding unique ways to share their vision, mission, and contributions.

Social media can also be the right channel where present employees of an organization can share their POVs about the work culture, employee-centric policies etc. Given the reach of social media, a positive review by an employee can usher in more talent and highlight the employee-friendly nature of the organization for the whole world to see. provide an opportunity to be more transparent and tell your story directly to the people. Encouraging your employees to share their personal work experiences through social media platforms can also provide a much-needed boost to the company’s influence on these platforms.