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John Sullivan's Spring 2008 ERE Expo presentation
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BUILDING YOUR EMPLOYMENT BRAND… BY IDENTIFYING AND
SHARING STORIES
EREApril 1, 2008
© Dr. John SullivanProfessor, Author and Advisor to Management
Dr John Sullivan
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Global reach of Dr. John Sullivan
Work Published (43 Countries)
Publicly Presented/Advised (24 Countries)
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Dr. Sullivan’s current books
Dr. Sullivan has a monthly column… on the “last page”
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Why this topic on stories?
1. The long lull when asked… tell me about your firm
2. Dry statistics - We are a Fortune 500 firm
3. “No meaning” phrases - We live our values, we believe in W/L balance
4. No differentiation – We have great people, we have team work, our products make a difference
5. The common… “Oh, we do that too” return after they hear a powerful story (the “crime” of keeping great practices secret)
6. The ease of building a story inventory
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Referral cards can be effective story creators
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A WOW referral card – An illustration
Apple loves innovators…
and you WOW’ed me!
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As you unfold it… you see
I don’t impress easily… but we might just have
a black turtleneck that fits you!
Call me tomorrow! 408.738.1922
Steve
Would you like to be part of the team that invented the iPod and iPhone
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And on the back you see
Because there are so few really talented people
in the world…
I just wanted you to know
If you got one… do you think you would call?Would you tell anyone else?
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6 topics for today
1. Introduction
2. What is Employment Branding?
3. Why stories are so powerful
4. How to identify stories
5. How to better spread stories
6. Answering any remaining questions
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Introduction
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Action step # 1
Find out what your “C” level people care about
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Business factors that concern executives
Rank these issues
Meeting customer demands
Government regulation
Competition
Adequate sales and/or financing
Finding skilled staff
2008 Robert Half Management Resources 1400 CFO’s
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Business factors that concern executives
1.Finding skilled staff 20%
2.Meeting customer demands 16%
3.Government regulation 15%
4.Competition 14%
5.Adequate sales and/or financing 12% None of these/other 17%
2008 Robert Half Management Resources 1400 CFO’s
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Realize that…- Talent management is the #1 business
issue
- So, if you can’t get sufficient resources (being the # 1 business issue)… you need a radical change in your approach
Or to begin looking for a new job
Realize that…- Talent management is the #1 business
issue
- So, if you can’t get sufficient resources (being the # 1 business issue)… you need a radical change in your approach
Or to begin looking for a new job
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Action step # 2
Set as a goal to permanently end talent shortages at your firm… and to identify the best approaches
that can get you there
There are 2 categories of firms…
Those that have a talent shortage
And… those firms that have a sorting problem
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Realize that…There are only 2 programs that can shift youinto a “sorting problem!” In the last 20 years, no firm has dominated
their talent market without…- A great external employment brand or a- A great employee referral program
It’s brand, refer or suffer (Any questions?)
Realize that…There are only 2 programs that can shift youinto a “sorting problem!” In the last 20 years, no firm has dominated
their talent market without…- A great external employment brand or a- A great employee referral program
It’s brand, refer or suffer (Any questions?)
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Action step # 3
Test how hard it is currently for an outsider to find out the “real truth”… about working at your
firm
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Is it really exciting to work at your firm?
Could you find the real excitement (that youknow) in…
Your job descriptions?
On your corporate web site?
With a Google search?
Your offer letter legalize?
During orientation?
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Realize that…
“There is no bigger shame…than being a great place to work but keeping it a secret…
because HR has failed to find great practices… and to spread compelling stories about them”
Realize that…
“There is no bigger shame…than being a great place to work but keeping it a secret…
because HR has failed to find great practices… and to spread compelling stories about them”
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6 topics for today
1. Introduction
2. What is Employment Branding?
3. Why stories are so powerful
4. How to identify stories
5. How to better spread stories
6. Answering any remaining questions
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A definition of employment branding
Simple definition -- Employment branding is the only long term recruiting and retention strategy!
It is a formal process for sculpting and then managing your external image as an employer.
It works because being “talked about by others” is the most credible approach… and stories are easily remembered and repeated
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Employment branding elements
1. Branding is an image management program, it is a
form of “managed bragging”
2. It is designed to make sure that your great
management practices are… “talked about” by
others
3. The goal is to make your firm’s image as an
employer so positive… that it drives targeted
potential applicants to think… “WOW, someday I’d
like to work there”
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Employment branding elements
4. It works… because when others spread stories,
testimonials and highlight best practices… they
are just more credible/believable (Restaurants/appearing desperate)
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Employment branding elements
5. Rather than utilizing advertising... employment branding "proactively" (virally) spreads the word through “stories”
- in the media
- on-line
- through speeches at events
- through employee word-of-mouth (Referrals)
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What is NOT Employment branding?
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What is NOT Employment branding?
If the person “selling” employment branding
emphasizes… Empowerment Software A job board Job satisfaction Relocation etc.
They are probably former sub-prime loan officers from
Countrywide… avoid them!
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Recruitment advertising is not EB
Reasons to be wary of recruitment advertising
1. Advertising is expensive -- employment branding should be based the cheaper PR "model"
2. Believability -- because advertising is paid, it just doesn't have the credibility that comes from "others" praising the way you manage
3. Desperate? – it sends a message that your firm is "desperate” and must write it’s own copy
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Recruitment advertising is not EB
More reasons to be careful of rec. advertising
4. Articles are widely read / ads are skipped
5. Advertising is too brief -- because of the high costs, advertising must be brief and advertising isn't interactive
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6 topics for today
1. Introduction
2. What is Employment Branding?
3. Why stories are so powerful
4. How to identify stories
5. How to better spread stories
6. Answering any remaining questions
32
Stories drive branding
Employment branding works because… “stories” are powerful selling/ branding tools
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Stories drive branding
Employee’s spreading stories is effective because: Employee stories are more real and credible When employees tell stories, questions can be
answered to tailor the story One on one conversations last longer, so
detailed stories are possible Top people… know other top people - Kevin
Bacon and “6 degrees of separation” Colleagues can get close, with little resistance
from top performers
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Negative stories can also be powerful
An example - Comcast sucks
Shortcut (2) to Comcast_Sucks.lnk
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6 topics for today
1. Introduction
2. What is Employment Branding?
3. Why stories are so powerful
4. How to identify stories
5. How to better spread stories
6. Answering any remaining questions
37
Identify external stories
How to find external “stories/ and best practices
Start compiling the stories by asking PR if they have press clippings that cover stories and best practices that relate to your “brand pillars”
Identify any awards your company has won
Do an internet search for stories and best practices that were written up in the media
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Identify internal stories
How to find potential stories internally
Look in brochures, orientation and recruiting materials, newsletters and on the web site
Search executive power points and speeches
Ask “superknowers” and longtime employees to
help you identify exciting stories /best practices
Show them a list of features and ask “do we do
that?” >
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Identify internal stories
How to find potential stories internally
Asked HR generalists
Call alumni/ retiree’s to see what they did/ saw
Call district managers to see what they do Assure them they will not be forced to “stop”
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Identify and counter negatives
Also conduct a search for “negatives” Yahoo finance, Workrant.com, JobVent.com,
F***edcompany.com
College - Vault, MBA forums,
My space, YouTube (Comcast)
Google search (Firm name +bad (evil, dishonest, uncaring, deceitful, liars, greedy, corrupt)
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Action step # 4
Build a program, story and best practice
inventory
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Categorize stories for easy access
Put together a “story” / best practice inventory
The goal is to respond quickly to reporters inquiries with powerful “on the mark” stories
It should also allow managers that are giving speeches or writing articles to access powerful stories related to their topic, function or business unit
Use it for “best place list” applications
Use Excel or develop an internal web site
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Categorize stories for easy access
Categorize stories by your “brand pillars”:
Location
Fun
Well managed
Encourages innovation
Concern for health/ family
Opportunity to learn
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Action step # 5
Create your own stories
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WOW stories make branding work
Examples of powerful stories
SW Air employee/ pilot assessment
BofA run the credit card division
Wegman’s markets (Wafers / I know that cow)
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Internal competitions can build your external brand
Send a message that talent triumphs over tenure
Picture varies from actual
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An example of “retail” employment branding
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A parking lot full of BMW’s spreads the brand everyday
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An example of a corporate best practice
Video games to on-board (Sun)In 2007, Sun commissioned two on-boarding games, Dawn of the Shadow Specters and Rise of the Shadow Specters
New hires at Sun are encouraged to play them as an optional part of their on-boarding process
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Remote work is a great story
Results Only Work Environment•Pick your hours•Pick where you work•No in-person meetings required
The business impacts:
The cost of turnover is $102k per employee, ROWE teams have 3.2 % lower turnover ($13 million per year)
When workers switch to ROWE, their productivity jumps by 35%
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Google is the worlds first “a story a day” culture
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Google has found a way to demonstrate...that they are different!
“Pajama day” at Google
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Attract innovators with events that say...you are different!
“Martini Blowout” at Google
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Does this send a message that Google is “different”
“Testing on the toilet”
www.flickr.com/photos/gubatron/246489031
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Google recruits at public events to send a message
Make your website funny and compelling
Our Dog Policy
“Google's respect and affection for our canine
friends is an integral facet of our corporate culture.
We have nothing against cats, per se, but we're a
dog company, so as a general rule we feel cats
visiting our campus would be fairly stressed out”
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Google just in the last 3 days
Google creates compelling stories from errors
Dear Superman,Reading your blog post about Google Transit at SXSW made us wonder if you were losing your powers—I mean, how hard could it be to leap over a simple 8-lane highway intersection, man of steel? We’ve enclosed a new cape—hopefully it will help you find your powers again.…seriously, though, Adam, we’re sorry that Google Transit sent you on such an expedition, and we wanted to let you know that we’ve since improved our routing, so that it returns more plausible walking sections
SXSW intreractive music festival in Austin 2008
01c64a6a01c64a6a
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More Google innovation
Green recruiting
A cool world: Enjoy a rosier future as a Virgle pioneer
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Starbucks excels at stories also
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WOW stories make branding work
Starbuck stories (365)
Starbucks work across America
Kidney give away
Proceeds from a crime
3 HR shutdown
Help a collapsed customer
Free bag of coffee/ coffee tastings
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Write your own book
A book infers you are good enough to write about
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6 topics for today
1. Introduction
2. What is Employment Branding?
3. Why stories are so powerful
4. How to identify stories
5. How to better spread stories
6. Answering any remaining questions
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Spread stories through
1. Referrals (Every employee a story teller)
2. Video (1000 words)
3. Speeches at events
4. Internet
5. Media stories
6. Blogs
7. Your careers website
8. Books about your firm
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Final thoughts
Have courage to try one thing… and then another
Relax, branding programs almost always work and they are very hard to screw up
They are more fun to run… than any other HR program
Subscribe to Dr Sullivan’s recruiting articles every Monday on ER daily at WWW.ERE.NET
---
On the web site… WWW.DRJOHNSULLIVAN.COMyou will find over 600 articles on all aspects of HR by Dr. Sullivan
---And you can Subscribe to the free VP-of-HR e-newsletter providing "out of the box" solutions for senior HR managers at WWW.DRJOHNSULLIVAN.COM or give Master a business card
---Or read his column on the last page of Workforce Magazine
Did we make you think?
Give you a dozen ideas to try?
How about some more questions on any topic?