Attracting talent to work in cloud computing is super competitive. Attracting talent that will stay, add value, share your values and build your business, all while doing the right thing, is even more difficult to pull off.
How do you get THOSE people to walk your way?
You use employer branding to tell a compelling story. And you do it quick and smart.
When a big tech cloud computing company asked me to help bring their Employer Value Proposition and Employer Brand to life it was a match made in the heavens.
And not just because we obvs both love the big white fluffy stuff.
Transforming an IT Cloud Computing Company into an Employer of Choice: A Charismatic
Employer Branding Project
They’d already developed their EVP and EB. So, all I had to do was talk to 25 of their 3,000+ people to get their side of the story and write it all in a way that reflected each person’s career journey.
I got to unleash my inner TV inteviewer and I think I enjoyed it more than they did!
It turns out techy types aren’t types at all: they’re well rounded, fun-loving and purposeful people: a myriad of personalities who each bring unique skills to digitally transforming our world for the better. Well, this bunch are. And that’s the story we were tasked with telling so this rapidly growing tech company could recruit even more of those types: essentially, can do people who like to have a purpose.
Post-COVID and The Great Resignation, today’s job market is fierce. Attracting and retaining top talent is a challenge in every industry.
In IT and cloud computing, the demand for confident and capable professionals is higher than ever. So, it’s imperative for companies to distinguish themselves as an employer of choice. And you can do that by building a strong Employer Brand.
Ideally that starts with a compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP). And all the best EVPs are developed by doing some internal research and getting into the detail of what’s working, in order to dial that up, while also identifying what’s not working (though not so you can dial that down – so you can address it!).
I often help companies - most often through their agency - to develop their EVP and Employer Brand. But here all I had to do was bring them all to life – the fun bit - on their all-new careers site and a series of blogs that allowed their people to speak for themselves and tell the story of their career to date.
Wee buns as they say here in Ireland!
Translation: Easy!
The Challenge
My client was already a respected player in tech. Their only problem? They were growing fast! They were an attractive proposition to top tier talent. And they had low attrition. Lots of their people had been with them a long time – unusual in this industry and in these times. They also had a great reputation for doing good work – especially in healthcare and public administration.
So, with no major problems to address, we could just get on with telling an incredible story, giving them a little more personality and amplifying the charisma they already had, to get it out into – and around - the world.
The Vision
The company's leadership envisioned a new, charismatic employer brand. They knew they had a great workplace – they just needed to amplify that in clear, consistent and charismatic messaging to not only attract top talent (external comms) but also inspire current employees (internal comms) to bring their best selves to work. Their vision was to be known not just for what they did but for how they did it – a workplace where creativity and innovation thrived, and employees felt they were part of something meaningful.
Developing an Employer Brand that is attractive to new hires is one thing. But here’s the rub: it must resonate with and be authentic to your current people: if they don’t believe it, it’s not workable.
The Strategy
And this is the clever part of this approach: Enabling new hires to identify with the proposition through the eyes of current hires.
It gives your claims credibility.
It’s a great way to show (not tell) that you celebrate and value the people you already have – validating that you value their contribution.
And it gives the impression of a place to work where everyone has agency.
There was no grand plan to embark on a cultural transformation. There was no need to. This whole exercise was about fostering a sense of belonging, innovation, and collaboration, and literally creating a narrative around that, evidenced by all the attractive components this farsighted employer already had in place:
Leadership Development
Everyone espoused their investment in lifelong career learning that is designed to develop both the technical knowledge and people skills required to be effective in this dynamic environment.
The EVP
The summary of the offer can be evidenced across four pillars that come straight from the culture, not imposed upon it.
The EVP was also articulated in a way that set the tone for the brand voice: always a good idea.
In this case, we had a simple but strong set of values to work with, and these where translated into EVP pillars that weren’t platitudes but pointed the way: you do this and you will get all of this!
The four EVP pillars were immersed in achieving ambition through teamwork, understanding your potential, setting new standards and being open to innovation. All articulated in a simple, smart way that resonates with all kinds of people.
Diversity & Inclusion
At the heart of the business and written through every piece of messaging like a stick of rock, D&I aren’t just a box ticking exercise here. And you know why? Because here everyone succeeds on merit. Simple as that. The diversity of people I spoke too speaks volumes about that as an approach.
And by fostering an environment where all employees feel valued and included, you’re also growing your appeal exponentially.
Transparency and Communication
We were also mindful to ensure the openness that was evident in every interaction came to the fore in all messaging. It’s a nod to the kind of non-hierarchical structure that responsible, can-do and independent people value – an indication of how you’ll be trusted to bring your best to work and how you’ll be supported to be better.
The End?
Nope. This is just the beginning.
What we’ve put together here is a resource for all employee marketing going forward. It’s an asset that needs to be worked and brought to life and evolved in line with dynamic business growth: a solid foundation on which to build and road map to guide overall business strategy that will help to improve:
Talent Acquisition by attracting higher calibre clients.
Employee Retention by helping existing employees to feel more engaged and valued at work, decreasing turnover rates along the way.
Innovation and Productivity by putting a clear focus on collaboration and creativity.
Reputation by presenting a much more rounded business that is not only technically exceptional but also an employer that fosters an exceptional work environment.
This investment in an EVP and Employer Brand will pay dividends in the long run, in terms of smoothing the recruitment process and streamlining onboarding. The company's already solid reputation as an employer of choice will continue to grow and they’ll have a much more compelling offer in an industry where everyone wants to work with the big guys.