“How do we reposition our company as an employer of choice?”
Matt Fraser at Penguin Recruitment answers a recruitment quandary from an SME planning consultancy.
Quandary: “As an SME planning consultancy, for most of the pandemic we haven't had much time to focus on our employer brand. We're now wondering how to build it back up again and not sure how to reposition ourselves as an employer of choice for the post pandemic world. Where do we start?”
Matt Fraser says…
One of the most valuable things you can do right now is find out what your employees think about your planning consultancy as an employer. What do they love or dislike about working for your company? Are they satisfied with the career opportunities? Do they feel well supported? What benefits are they interested in? After all, they are the ambassadors of your business and without their positivity around culture, values and opportunities, your employer brand is going to struggle, especially if you’re not as well known as some of the larger consultancies.
In our experience, jobseekers are asking about flexible working more than ever before. If you don’t already, you should consider offering remote working or a hybrid working model. It could help you compete against other employers, although most will be offering some flexibility by now. A one-size-fits-all approach may not work either so it’s vital that you can brand your consultancy as one that is open to the expectations of its employees.
It’s also a good time to review your recruitment practices, especially with regards to COVID - are you offering a safe process for hiring? The importance of employee wellbeing and mental health have been highlighted by the pandemic.. Make sure you get the message out there that this is a massive focus for you. Use social media, blogs, articles and word of mouth to communicate these messages.
If you would like assistance with attracting high quality town planners, contact Matt Fraser at Penguin Recruitment: matt.fraser@penguinrecruitment.co.uk.
