Signs your employer brand might be working against you
You don’t need a formal audit to spot the early warning signs. Here are some of the most common ones we see when we work with small businesses across Worcestershire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands:
- Your job adverts are vague about benefits, salary or what a typical day actually looks like
- Your website has no careers page, or the one it has is clearly an afterthought
- You can’t easily explain, in a sentence or two, what makes you a good employer
- Your social media shows the commercial side of the business but not the people inside it
- You’re getting applicants but they’re not quite right. Or you’re getting very few at all
- New starters take a long time to settle in because there’s nothing to help them understand the culture quickly
If more than two of those sound familiar, your employer brand is likely costing you good hires.
What does an employer brand review actually involve?
An employer brand review is a structured look at everything that shapes how your business comes across to candidates and employees. At Limelite HR, we typically cover four areas:
1. Your external presence
We review your website, careers page, job adverts and social media channels. We look at what a candidate would see if they searched for you before applying, and whether that picture is accurate, appealing and consistent.
2. Your employment offer
We look at how you’re communicating what you offer: salary, flexibility, benefits, development, culture. A lot of businesses have more to offer than their adverts suggest. Candidates can only respond to what they can see.
3. Your recruitment process
We review how you attract, screen and hire. Is the process consistent? Does it reflect well on the business? Are you giving candidates a fair and clear experience from first contact to offer?
4. Your internal culture documents
We look at what exists to help employees understand who you are: handbooks, culture books, onboarding materials. These are often the missing link between a great culture and a team that actually feels it. If you don’t have anything in place yet, our HR project support service can help you build a culture book from scratch.
Quick wins you can start today
You don’t need a six-week project to start fixing your employer brand. Some changes pay back almost immediately.
- Rewrite your next job advert. Cut the corporate language. Be specific about the role, the team, the salary range and what a good week actually looks like.
- Add a careers section to your website. Even a single page with your values, a couple of team photos and a clear “how we hire” section beats nothing.
- Get your team on LinkedIn. Encourage employees to share what they do, what they enjoy and the wins they’re proud of. A handful of authentic posts is worth more than a polished careers ad.
- Audit your last three rejection emails. How candidates are turned down says as much about you as how they’re hired. Make sure the message is human, timely and respectful.
- Ask your last hire what nearly stopped them applying. Their answer will tell you exactly where your employer brand needs work. You can find more templates and resources in our HR shop.
A real example: the BuzzGen employer brand review
BuzzGen is a creative content agency with a genuinely strong culture. Great team, real personality and a clear sense of what they stand for. But when they came to us, funded through Worcestershire County Council’s workforce planning support, none of that was visible to the outside world.
Their job adverts were missing key information. Their website had no careers page. Their LinkedIn was active commercially but said almost nothing about what it was like to work there. And their recruitment process shifted depending on who was hiring.
We carried out a full employer brand review and delivered:
- A detailed recommendations report covering their website, social media, advertising strategy and employment offer
- A new recruitment policy with consistent templates for job descriptions, person specs, adverts, interview forms and offer letters
- A 16-page branded culture book showcasing their values, team and unique benefits
- An updated employer handbook aligned to their refreshed brand and tone
The result was a business whose employer brand now matches the culture that was already there. Candidates can see who BuzzGen are before they apply. The recruitment process is consistent and professional. And the team has a clearer shared sense of identity.
Here’s what they said about working with us:
“Working with Limelite HR to review and develop our Culture Book and internal documents has been a genuinely valuable experience. The process helped us clarify our values, align our team more closely with our mission, and ensure consistency across all communications. Their ability to translate abstract ideas into clear, actionable language that resonates with both current and future team members was particularly helpful.”
Could your business access funded support?
BuzzGen accessed this work through Worcestershire County Council’s workforce planning programme, which identified employer branding as a priority area for their growth. If you’re based in Worcestershire, similar funded support may be available to you.
We work closely with Worcestershire County Council and can advise on what funded support may be accessible for your business. Get in touch to find out more.
Where do you start?
The best place to start is an honest look at what a candidate sees when they look for you. Search your business name. Read your last job advert as if you’d never heard of yourself. Ask a friend if they’d apply based on what they see.
If you don’t like what you find, or you’re not sure how to fix it, that’s exactly what we’re here for. Let’s talk about what your employer brand is saying about you, and whether it’s saying the right things.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call
About the author
Lisa Murphy FCIPD, CEO and Founder at Limelite HR & Learning. Multi-award winning HR and leadership expert and Fellow of the CIPD, specialising in strategic HR, inclusion and organisational development. Connect on LinkedIn.
