Attraction Labs: Build an effective employer brand with a unified and compelling message

When it comes to hiring, companies typically fall into two camps.

The first struggle to find qualified candidates who align with their mission.

The second already has top talent lined up and excited to work for their team before even posting a job. Whenever there’s an open role, they’re greeted by highly qualified professionals – most of whom would be a great fit.

Companies in the latter group are successful because they have a story that resonates with the right people. They’ve unlocked the power of Attraction.

This is part two of the BPS Labs series. Check out the rest here:

1. Introduction to Labs

2. Attraction (you’re here)

3. Resourcing

4. Compliance

5. Strategy

Creating a message that resonates with team members and potential candidates

In October 2019, we had the opportunity to conduct a Lab with a FTSE 250 company with a long history. It was one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialised food packaging.

The company’s HR Director wanted to attract what they called “lightbulb talent”—innovative and driven individuals were not afraid to disrupt the status quo. They believed that a unifying message would be the key to attracting the right people throughout the entire business and unlock growth.

With that in mind, we set out to bring together the leadership team to take on the task of developing an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) that would speak to its current and future employees. But as we explored what that message would look like, a different angle came to light.

The Lab: Rediscovering the company’s mission and how it can make an impact

BPS sat down with the company’s leadership team, including the CEO, CFO, and several Directors. Our own CEO, Marketing Manager, and Head of Creative joined them to provide fresh perspectives and drive the conversation forward.

At the outset, the session aimed to create a message that resonated with innovative disruptors. But as the conversations progressed, it became clear that there was a deeper issue at hand.

The participants began to see that a sense of connection was lost between their regional teams as the business expanded throughout the years. As the CEO put it:

“We used to stand for something – research and development – we don’t stand for enough and we don’t have an emotional connection.”

It became apparent that this disconnect was also felt by the leaders in the room. Coming together in the Lab helped bridge this gap and gave the team a more holistic look at their organisation.

This led to a shift in the conversation.

Instead of people who might ruffle some feathers, the team realised that they needed a unified sense of purpose and connection across their global operations. Doing so would attract talent that wanted to join them towards achieving shared goals.

Building a strong Employer Brand with a standout EVP

After taking a step back to process the conversations, the BPS team proposed an EVP that invited people on a journey and “be part of something bigger.”

It’s simple, but it encapsulated both the company’s long history and global scale.

We developed a master framework to show how the message could be disseminated across different parts of the business.

For example, “Be the change” was the message crafter for the Research & Development team, one of the biggest drivers of the company’s growth throughout the years. Sales & Marketing had “Be an ambassador. Be curious. Be Agile. Be hungry for growth,” while HR, emphasised the importance of their people with “Be the heart.”

To show this EVP in action, we developed mock ups of recruitment marketing materials such as a careers page and job ads to attract ideal candidates that were aligned with the message. We also provided visuals of office interior designs and promotional products that used the proposed employer brand. We even created and distributed personalised Love Hearts candies with bespoke messages.

Putting the story to the test

There was one more hurdle that the new EVP had to overcome. To prove that this new message would resonate, the CEO wanted the opinion of one of his most important stakeholders – his young daughter.

Would she be excited about the new story the company was about to tell? Did she want to be part of that journey?

She loved it!

We first set out to help a company attract the right talent. In the process, we helped them recreate a shared purpose that made their team great in the first place. Here’s what the CEO had to say:

“The Labs workshop really helped us to ‘unfreeze’ our current thinking. The session created the momentum and energy required to think more creatively about our values and purpose. The BPS team drove the creative process and the Lab was well worth the time spent.”

***

Attraction will help you grab the attention of your ideal candidates. Now that more of them are looking your way, how do you scale your recruitment so you can hire with confidence? That’s where Resourcing comes in, up next in this series on BPS Labs.