Patrick O’Neil, Ph.D. @pwsoneil #ragandisney

How to Build a Rock Star

Employer Brand (in a crowd of rock star employer brands)

Art courtesy of Superbrogio

Ok, what’s the situation?Your nearly obscure 300-person tech company is located among Fortune 500 giants and sexy start-ups operating in the same red hot tech space.

You operate in a very old and slightly unusual industry, using a really complicated business model that’s hard to explain and understand.

Your three-person (really 2.5) team has little $$$$$$ and is stretched really thin.

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Don’t forget GSK, Bayer, Microsoft, Verizon, Quintiles, GE, Labcorp, Teradata, Cree, Lulu, Ipreo, BBT and lots more!

The Neighborhood

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The meaning of any brand is negotiated; it’s fluid and ever-changing.

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#Talentbrand matters more than ever.Good help is getting harder to find.Competition is cut-throat and intensifying.Engaged employees deliver greater results.With less turnover, there is more productivity.

A good reputation has value for all stakeholders.

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Rules for #talentbrand rock stars

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#Talentbranding is as much about creating evidence as it is engagement. (Are you who you say you are?)

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Reality must align with message. Family friendly?Training?Flexible?Meaningful work?Wellness?Recognition?

Prove it.

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Rock stars align their #talentbrands with their company strategy -- from message to media.

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What is your company’s strategy? What does your company do? How does it compete in the marketplace? Where is your company trying to go?

The business strategy is the magic instruction that tells everyone in the company what to do.

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#Talentbrand Reality Check:

You can implement a #talentbrand strategy even if your company strategy is not articulated. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it must be focused.13

Rock stars use a unique mix of social channels to build #talentbrands, but NEVER ignore two of them.

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Role of Owned / Earned / PaidSocial you own forms the foundation of your identity.

Social you earn builds your credibility.

Social you buy extends your reach and presence.

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Channel Paid Earned

Owned Why

Glassdoor v v v Reviews, profile views, SEO, job apps, go to resource

LinkedIn v v v Audience sweet spot, high exposure, high engagement, job apps, self-selecting followers

Indeed v v Top source of applications, profile, omnipresent Google v v v Default search result, 1st impressions Website/

Blogv Content basecamp, SEO, high engagement

Twitter 1 v v Corporate/Employee message, self-selecting followers

YouTube v v Video, SEO, self-selecting followers Flickr v Company photo album Wikipedia v Unofficial description, SEO, Google source Facebook v v Cultural message, large brands Instagram v v Culture, large, image intensive brands YikYak v v Recruiting, college events, real-time Pinterest v v Culture, large, image intensive brands

#Talentbrand Social Media Channels

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or

You absolutely can’t ignore

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LinkedIn = Power of the Network Offers the best of paid, earned, owned Square in the employer marketplace Plugged in with HR through recruiter product Build your corporate profile, careers Post company updates (photos, video, text) and metrics! Followers self-select, improves engagement Share with current, former & prospective employees Sponsor posts for any kind of content ($$$ warning)

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LinkedIn Sits in the Professional Sweet Spot

5,571 profile views, 129,091 impressions in 201519

Glassdoor = Power of Insiders Default resource for employer research SEO drives their business by hitching on to yours Build your corporate profile, post company updates OpenCompany status promotes transparency,

branding Reviews matter, reveal truth over time Responses to reviews are as important as reviews Comprehensive dashboard

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Glassdoor Is the Default Research Resource

31,697 profile views, 68,230 impressions in 201521

Consequences for Ignoring Glassdoor1. Unanswered, lingering negative reviews

confirm and reinforce the negative review.

2. Disengaged employees observe managerial disinterest and disengage further.

3. Employer brand black-eyes turn good candidates away before they apply.

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3 Tips for Successful GD Responses1. For every negative Glassdoor review, pick something

to compliment or acknowledge, something wrong to correct and always say thank you – at least twice.

2. Always take the high road – be humble and sensitive!

3. Emotion is your enemy, but ok to defend your turf!23

REVIEW: “Many employees are happy there, but it's not a culture for innovative thinkers.”RESPONSE: “Thank you for complimenting our hard working people. However, you missed the mark when you say they are not “innovative thinkers.” The proof is everywhere. Railinc was among the first in our region to fully adopt Agile development…. We’re developing mobile apps focused on safety for emergency responders. We’re improving the stack to deliver new efficiencies across product lines. We’re changing our own processes to better serve customers and more effectively use the data that comes through our doors…”

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REVIEW: “This company is in desperation mode to salvage any good that is left after they've run off some great people while the CEO & CFO move this company into complete micromanagement. They are both awful.”RESPONSE: “You're right, we're lucky that we live in a great area with a highly competitive technology business community. Those with the right skill sets can be highly mobile and even selective in their job opportunities… You should know that Railinc as a company has had three of its best years in a row and continues to grow. So people are doing something right here…If you're unhappy…then maybe it's time to have a conversation with your manager …. ”

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Rock stars partner with HR to shape and influence the talent journey.

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What We Do with HR Employee wellness

program Internal and external

Personnel announcements

Corporate intranet All-employee meetings Annual total

compensation & benefits statements

Trick or treat Company events and

outings

Employee awards Presentations & training Employee headshots Benefits communication Recruiting event support BoD Communications Personnel actions Social media alignment Bring your kids to work

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HR Partnership Creates Great Content

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Rock stars deliver substance - they don’t abuse it.

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Where Rock Stars Find Inspiration New hires, news releases, awards, company events, employees

in action, all hands meetings, annual report, gym, community service, wellness events, department meetings, one-on-ones, executive briefings, intranet, white boards, process, technology, customers, business partners, vendors, industry reports, new products, new business, strategy, metrics, benefits changes, recruiting events, special projects, security, training, news articles, other organizations, company initiatives, the building, parking lot, stairwell, successes, failures and more.

If it happens and it’s real, “socialize” it.

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Social Clock Is Always TickingTime is your ally and your enemy.

The more you post, the more engagement you get.

If you stop for any period of time, it creates doubt – what happened here?31

Become your own rock star.

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What No One Tells You For most professionals, this work is not easy. It

requires you to know that less is often more; an awareness that pretty good can be really great; a certain amount of budget (time and money!); a willingness to jump in with both feet; and, a commitment to investigate, connect, publish and

measure.

Most rock stars never feel like rock stars.

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Own Your Brand at Every Step of the Journey

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Thank you.

H: #ragandisneyT: @pwsoneilL: /in/patoneilE: patrick.oneil@railinc.com

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