The war for talent is constant, no matter the market conditions. Luring top talent through your doors is never just about money, perception is another important yet often undervalued currency.

What’s cooler than being one of the first to (nonchalantly, of course) turn an Apple Watch on your wrist? Telling people you work for Apple (also nonchalantly, this is axiomatic for most millennials). Employment branding, like merchandise branding doesn’t just happen. You have to work at it as a company and it has to be grounded in a business case. When you hire someone, you have to make a business case for the funds to pay that salary, so why do so many companies neglect to make a business case for employment branding? And, no you can’t just buy a ping-pong table, but that’s a start!

While you’ll never have complete control over the perception of how cool it is to work for your company, you can nudge things, and that starts on the inside. You don’t have to be overly aggressive, but try to get everyone aligned on one or two points that demonstrate a strategy, a result, or a value that makes your company a great place to work for. You provide them with the points so they can naturally fit them into a conversation. Simple is better, and the more people you can galvanize in this effort, the stronger the message will be. Remember keep the points broad and easy to thread into natural conversation.

Nothing begets good talent like good talent, so help your employees understand that everyone benefits from getting the best and brightest. If the company brand improves, so does their resume (their brand power)! As a manager, you should be able to do this with confidence and in a way that your team can believe in.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.