Give & Get Employer Branding summary

Introduction

Give and Get Employer Branding by Bryan Adams and Charlotte Marshall The give and get approach attracts committed candidates by honestly showing what employees receive and what they must contribute. Have you ever heard of the Japanese concept of ikigai? Put simply, it describes your reason for being and the joy of doing something that gives life purpose. While few people would reject money for nothing, most of us want more than that.

We want to put our skills to work and make an impact. We want to earn a sense of belonging and achieve something worthwhile. In other words, we want to give something in order to get something. This is why the give and get approach to employer branding makes sense.

It appeals to our fundamental desire to make a difference. Aren't these exactly the people you want working for your organization? They are employees who thrive on overcoming challenges and making the most of their skills. Of course, they are.

Now is the time to learn the give and get approach and start attracting the right candidates.

build an honest employee value proposition

Build an Honest Employee Value Proposition. If you have vacant positions you need to fill, what do you do? Most businesses attract candidates through usual methods, like standard job descriptions on websites and social media channels. Certainly, these efforts can result in a large number of applications piling up in no time.

But is there anything worse than going through heaps of unqualified and undesirable applicants? The answer, of course, is no. The key message here is, if you want better candidates, create a better employee value proposition. Every hiring process takes time, money, and energy.

There are resumes to sort through and candidates to interview. Wouldn't it be great if you only had to deal with the best, most qualified, and highly motivated candidates? It may sound radical, but you can get better candidates by turning most away before they send a resume. As the authors put it, it is time to repel the many and compel the few.

The way to do this is through an honest and bold EVP, or employee value proposition. Essentially, an EVP answers why someone should apply for this job or work for this company. The traditional EVP usually includes a lot of positives. Companies tend to emphasize benefits and perks while saying little about difficulties and challenges.

This might sound sensible, but it can easily backfire. A cozy, unchallenging job description is more likely to attract unqualified candidates who waste your time. Neglecting challenges may also produce hires who become frustrated when harsher realities come to light. This is why the authors propose the Give and Get approach to the EVP.

Give and Get puts difficulties, struggles, and challenges upfront to scare off the wrong candidates. It leaves you with people who have the right stuff. You still tell candidates what they will get from the job. But you also emphasize the realities of the work and what they will be expected to give.

The chapters ahead explain what to expect from this bold approach and how to start activating it today.