John Sullivan

BUILDING YOUR EMPLOYMENT BRAND… BY IDENTIFYING AND

SHARING STORIES

EREApril 1, 2008

© Dr. John SullivanProfessor, Author and Advisor to Management

Dr John Sullivan

JOHNS@SFSU.EDU

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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

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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

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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

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Did we make you think?

Give you a dozen ideas to try?

How about some more questions on any topic?