Your employer brand is your most compelling selling point when recruiting talent, especially if you seek to garner the attention of the tech industry’s top candidates.
According to a report from the Tech Council of Australia, vacancy rates in tech are 60% higher than the national average. This figure is forecast to grow at triple the rate in the future. Whilst this statistic could be alarming for those of you in the hiring seat, it would better serve you to receive it as a call to action – a call to invest in an employer branding strategy that positions your company as worth working for.
Employer Brand vs EVP and Why Do They Count?
In a nutshell, your employer brand is your organisation’s reputation as an employer. It’s an outward-facing pledge that states you will provide your workforce with a positive experience. The EVP, or Employee Value Proposition, is what you do to honour that pledge. It embodies how you care for your people, from their physical and emotional well-being to the opportunities you provide for their professional development.
With a strong employer brand underpinned by an authentic EVP, your company will:
- Attract the best talent
- Reduce time and cost per hire
- Improve retention rates
- Build credibility with customers and investors
It’s now widely understood that the key to attracting new talent is to lead with an employer brand that encompasses the main desires of the modern workforce. PwC research has highlighted the core ‘wants’ of workers in order: satisfactory remuneration and reward, support for mental health and wellbeing (including work-life balance policies), a positive and supportive workplace experience or culture, flexible working arrangements, and career development.
However, it’s important to note that your employer brand will only hold water if it’s tethered to an EVP centred around your team’s needs and aligned with their values. For one quarter of workers in Australia, the reason they join an organisation is not the reason why they stay. This suggests employers have opportunities to improve internal workplace factors that are beyond the obvious drawcards of IT jobs, such as a generous salary.
Crafting an EVP that Speaks to High-Value Tech Professionals
Tech professionals are in hot demand here in Australia and around the world. As mentioned above, tech and IT jobs have a 60% vacancy rate. And with digital transformation advances setting a staggering pace, the war for talent is on.
Your company’s only solution is to suit up and design an EVP that’s aimed at attracting the best IT candidates.
Career Development and Opportunities to Upskill
This is perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of your EVP when attracting the best IT candidates. Currently, while much is being done to change this, men continue to be overrepresented in the tech industry in Australia, accounting for approximately 74% of the workforce, many of whom are millennials aged between 25-34.
Tech is fast paced, so it’s essential that you lead with a culture hungry to stay out in front. You’ll earn yourself an excellent reputation among the IT community and pique the interest of those on the lookout for a new role if your company is known as one that provides opportunities to upskill and work with new and evolving technologies.
A Strong Remote Culture
A workforce supplemented with remote teams is commonplace in the industry. It’s critical that you build their needs into your EVP. Ensuring they have access to the right tools, access to excellent communication channels and have their life and well-being needs met is critical.
Your remote team must feel as supported as they would, should they work onsite.
For many working in IT jobs, remote work is a huge drawcard. That’s not to say they’re content with a set-and-forget approach. To earn the attention of some of the industry’s best talent, ensure that your remote workforce strategy is committed to providing an inclusive and well-supported experience.
Collaborate, Communicate, Innovate
Innovation is at the heart of your success when adopting new technologies and keeping pace with tech advances. Build teams of people that thrive in an open and engaging work environment and encourage and enable them to collaborate, communicate and innovate.
Establish a culture that supports your tech team to share ideas freely and then work together to bring these ideas to life. Because if you celebrate this group as capable thought-leaders whom you trust to deliver successful business outcomes, you can expect some exceptional candidates to be lining up to work with you.
The Vehicle Driving Your Success
In today’s competitive market, employer branding is the vehicle that drives your company’s success. With a positive work culture, you’ll enjoy increased employee engagement and productivity, credibility, an enhanced reputation and, perhaps most importantly, attract and retain your sector’s top talent.
Here at Continuum, our team of experienced recruiters provide an outstanding service. We’re dedicated to securing high-calibre talent who can positively influence your business and ensure its optimum performance.
Contact our team today to begin the search for your next IT professional.