A company's reputation is its brand

- The other day, one of my coaching clients told me she had been referred to a job that she dismissed as not being right for her. She hadn't even gone for an interview, and I wondered why. She said, "Have you seen what people are saying "about them on Glassdoor?" I hadn't, so I took a look, and here's what I found. Comments like, no communication between departments, frequent personnel changes across the company, and dismal employee morale. I could see why she decided not to waste her time. Of course we have no way of knowing if this is the general consensus or just a few terminated employees who wrote this as a way of getting back at their employer. And you know what? We'll never know. That's why companies need to closely manage their employer brands. Your employer brand is basically your reputation, and job candidates say there are a number of things that have a big impact on your brand, and on them. The first is job security. Most people don't accept a job thinking they'll be back on the job market in a few months, so a history of layoffs can really damage an employer's reputation. Hire thoughtfully and manage out your non-performers, and look ahead and develop hiring strategies for six months, a year, and five years from now, and review those strategies every quarter. Do your best to avoid being in the position of having to do massive layoffs. The second is the opportunity for development. Today's workers, especially younger workers, are looking for employers who invest in the development of their people. Do you offer tuition reimbursement, or provide financial help to those who are paying off their student loans? Be sure to highlight these opportunities on your website and in your recruiting materials. The opportunity to work with a better team also comes up as a factor. Let's suppose you work for a law firm, and a team of high profile attorneys from one of your competitors has just moved over to your organization. You need to let people know, so send out a press release and post the news on your website. People are also attracted to companies that share their personal values. And when I say this, I don't just mean a poster on the wall with a catchy slogan. I mean heartfelt values that are the heart and soul of the organization. A great example of this is from Southwest Airlines, who list fun loving attitude under the values section of the website. I got to personally experience how this value integrates into what they do when one of their flight attendants took to the mic and sang a welcome to Boston tune. She'd have gotten a standing ovation if we hadn't been strapped into our seats for landing. And the fifth factor is positive impressions of the company from past and present employers. Head over to Glassdoor, and you'll quickly get a sense of how past and present employees are feeling about your organization. Some of you may be relieved to see that there are no comments there. That's not really a good thing in terms of employee branding. If an employee thanks you for providing them with an opportunity to work for your awesome company, immediately suggest they go over to Glassdoor and express their opinion to write a review. It's good to have an understanding of factors that impact your company's reputation. Some, like location, you may not be able to change. However, as you can see, there are a number of factors that companies can certainly influence when looking to create positive employer brands.