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    Navigating Employer Branding in APAC’s Diverse Talent Landscape

    The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, with its rapid digital transformation and vast internet user base, presents a dynamic and challenging environment for employer branding. Glynnis Quek, APAC Online Marketing Lead at Google, shares insights on navigating this diverse landscape and effectively attracting top talent.
    Understanding APAC’s Nuances
    APAC’s linguistic diversity, evident in over 2,000 languages and dialects, demands localized content. Chinese, for instance, has unique variations in each country, necessitating customized messaging for Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.
    Platform preferences vary across markets. LinkedIn is favored in India and Australia, but less prominent in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. China has its own platforms, necessitating a shift from global channels.
    Cultural preferences also play a role. Stories highlighting a fun workplace culture resonate well in Korea, while professional development and career growth are key drivers in Singapore.
    Addressing Misconceptions about Western Companies
    Western companies often face misconceptions in APAC, such as the need for strong English language skills, rigid Western workplace cultures, and incompatibility with traditional values.
    Google’s #GoogleRamadan campaign effectively challenged these perceptions by showcasing Muslim employees, resonating deeply with APAC’s sizeable Muslim population and prompting the global expansion of the campaign.
    Balancing Global Strategy with Local Resonance
    Google maintains a global employer brand strategy while ensuring local relevance. Quek assembles cross-functional teams with local subject matter experts and traditional employer branding partners, empowering them to work within the global framework while adapting it for their specific markets.
    Partnerships for Success
    Partnerships are crucial for effective employer branding in APAC. Google’s Women Techmakers initiative in India and the Google Aboriginal and Indigenous Network in Australia are examples of localized partnerships that resonate with diverse talent pools.

    Empowering Local Teams to Create Resonant Content
    The key to success lies in empowering local teams to create content that resonates with their markets. Quek emphasizes the importance of combining a robust global employer brand strategy with innovative local teams capable of adapting content for their specific audiences.
    Bottom Line
    APAC’s growing tech talent and burgeoning middle class make it an increasingly important region for global brands. By understanding local nuances, addressing misconceptions, balancing global strategy with local resonance, and forging strategic partnerships, companies can effectively attract top talent in this dynamic region.
    To follow Glynnis Quek’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For more on Google’s global employer brand strategy, listen to our episode with Mary Streetzel. For help identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, get in touch.
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    Netflix: An Employer Brand Built on Freedom and Responsibility

    When it comes to company culture, Netflix is a force to be reckoned with. Its famous “Freedom & Responsibility Culture” presentation has made waves and introduced ideas that are now commonplace, like unlimited paid time off and a radical approach to employee empowerment.
    But what’s really behind Netflix’s unique approach to company culture? And how do they attract and recruit top talent in both tech and entertainment?
    We sat down with Sergio Ezama, Chief Human Resources Officer at Netflix, to find out.
    Simplicity is Key
    At Netflix, everything is based on five simple principles:

    Encourage decision-making by employees
    Share information openly, broadly, and deliberately
    Communicate candidly and directly
    Keep only your highly effective people
    Avoid rules

    These guidelines inform all sorts of management policies at Netflix, from their unlimited vacation policy to their five-word expense policy: “Act in Netflix’s best interest.”
    This management structure, which Netflix sums up as “highly aligned and loosely coupled,” enables them to grow while still retaining the ability to make big pivots quickly. In short, it’s how they were able to transition from mailing DVDs directly to customers into becoming a video streaming platform, and then make the jump into producing their own high-quality content.
    Working with the Best
    Ezama quickly points out that the Netflix culture memo is an external document, not an internal one. They want it to be the first thing a candidate reads about the company and the first document you receive if you’re applying for a job.
    “We want to strike a balance between being a bit different, being credible, and being aspirational,” Ezama says. That means putting what they stand for front and center and being OK with the fact that it’s not going to appeal to everyone. The work is challenging, and excellence is expected because that’s what it takes to be the best at what you do.
    For Ezama and the candidates he’s looking for, the chance to be on a dream team that comes together to solve very challenging problems makes working at Netflix so rewarding. It’s the central Employer Value Proposition that drives all of their employer branding work.
    “Industries will change over time, and cultures will change over time,” he says, “but working with the best people is something that will remain constant.”
    Measuring Success
    As the CHRO of a large organization, Ezama is passionate about measuring the success of employer branding efforts. When someone comes to him with an idea, the first thing he’s looking for is conviction. Are you passionate about this? Are you really, truly behind this? And secondly, what is the evidence? What output can we measure?
    At Netflix, they rely on the Employer Brand Index to give them the data they need to measure their employer branding efforts. “The work that we do with Link Humans helps us understand if we’re being competitive or not, not only with Netflix but also relative to those we compete against,” Ezama says.
    So, what’s the takeaway?
    Netflix is a company that is committed to simplicity, excellence, and working with the best people. If you’re looking for a challenging and rewarding work environment where you can be part of a dream team that solves big problems, then Netflix might be the place for you.
    But be warned: Netflix is not for everyone. The work is challenging and excellence is expected. If a candidate is not up for the challenge, then it’s probably best to look elsewhere.
    But if they are ready to join a team of the best and brightest minds in the world, then Netflix is the place to be.

    To follow Sergio Ezama’s work, connect with him on LinkedIn. For help gathering data and insights you can act on to improve your own company, get in touch.
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    How Mars Used the Employer Brand Index to Refresh Their EVP

    Developing an employer value proposition (EVP) is essential for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent.
    The EVP is a statement that summarizes the unique value that a company offers to its employees. It is a promise to employees about what they can expect in terms of compensation, benefits, development opportunities, and overall work experience.
    An EVP is essential for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent. It helps communicate the company’s culture and values and shows potential employees why they should choose to work there.
    But how do you know if your EVP is working? And how do you know when it’s time for a refresh?
    That’s where Link Humans’ Employer Brand Index (EBI) comes in. The EBI is a comprehensive analysis of your employer brand that tells you what candidates, employees, and alumni are saying about your company online.
    Mars, Inc. is a global company with over 140,000 employees in 80 countries. They recently used the EBI to guide an EVP refresh for their organization.

    Refreshing an EVP on a Global Scale
    Mars is a complex organization with a wide range of businesses. Their EVP needed to be something that could resonate with employees and candidates all over the world.
    The first step in the refresh process was to conduct an EBI survey. The survey asked respondents about their perceptions of Mars on a variety of factors, including career development, culture and values, and work-life balance.
    The results of the survey showed that Mars had a strong reputation among its employees and candidates. However, there were a few areas where the company could improve. For example, respondents felt that Mars could do more to promote its mission and purpose.
    Using the EBI to Supplement Internal Surveys and Focus Groups
    In addition to the EBI report, Mars also conducted internal surveys and focus groups. These surveys and focus groups provided additional insights into the company’s culture and employee satisfaction.
    However, the EBI data had some advantages over the internal surveys and focus groups. First, the EBI survey was anonymous, which allowed respondents to be more honest. Second, the EBI survey reached a wider audience, including candidates and alumni.
    How Mars Uses the EBI
    Mars now uses the EBI to measure the effectiveness of its EVP on a regular basis. The company also uses the EBI to inform its decision-making on a variety of topics, such as talent acquisition, employee engagement, and corporate communications.
    Establishing Your EBI Baseline
    The EBI is a valuable tool for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent. By using the EBI, you can get a clear understanding of how your employer brand is perceived by candidates, employees, and alumni. This information can help you to identify areas where you can improve your EVP and make your organization a more attractive place to work.
    To follow Marie Codet’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help gathering data and insights you can act on to improve your own company, get in touch.
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    The Rise of Passive Candidate Recruitment

    The global talent shortage is a major challenge for businesses of all sizes. In the United States alone, there are currently 11 million open jobs. This means that there are more job openings than people are looking for work.
    One way that businesses are addressing this challenge is by targeting passive candidates. Passive candidates are people who are not actively looking for a new job, but who might be open to a new opportunity if the right one comes along.
    There are several reasons why businesses are targeting passive candidates. First, the pool of passive candidates is much larger than the pool of active candidates. This means that businesses have a better chance of finding the right talent by targeting passive candidates.
    Second, passive candidates are often more experienced and qualified than active candidates. This is because passive candidates are typically already employed and have been successful in their current roles.
    Third, passive candidates are more likely to be a good fit for the company culture. This is because passive candidates are not actively looking for a new job, so they are more likely to be happy with their current situation.
    Atlas World Group’s Approach to Passive Candidate Recruitment
    Atlas World Group is a global logistics company that has been struggling to fill key positions in IT and technology. In order to address this challenge, they have shifted their focus to primarily targeting passive candidates.
    Atlas’s approach to passive candidate recruitment is two-fold. First, they use LinkedIn Recruiter to target passive candidates who have the skills and experience they are looking for. Second, they leverage the social media of their current team members to share job openings with their networks.
    The Benefits of Targeting Passive Candidates
    There are several benefits to targeting passive candidates. First, it allows businesses to reach a wider pool of potential talent. Second, it gives businesses the opportunity to build relationships with passive candidates before they are actively looking for a new job. Third, it allows businesses to target passive candidates who are a good fit for their company culture.

    Start by building a strong employer brand. Passive candidates are more likely to be interested in your company if they have a positive impression of your brand.
    Make it easy for passive candidates to learn about your open positions. Your job postings should be clear and concise, and you should make it easy for candidates to apply online.
    Personalize your outreach. When you reach out to passive candidates, take the time to personalize your message. This will show that you are genuinely interested in their skills and experience.
    Highlight your company culture. Passive candidates are more likely to be interested in a company that has a strong culture. Be sure to highlight your company culture in your outreach materials.
    Offer opportunities for growth. Passive candidates are often looking for opportunities to grow their careers. Be sure to highlight the opportunities for growth that your company offers.

    Conclusion
    The global talent shortage is a major challenge for businesses of all sizes. However, by targeting passive candidates, businesses can increase their chances of finding the right talent. Atlas World Group is a great example of a company that has successfully implemented a passive candidate recruitment strategy. By following Atlas’s example, businesses can overcome the challenges of the global talent shortage and find the right talent to help them achieve their goals.

    To follow Kelly Cruse’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, get in touch.
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    Building a Flexible Employer Brand for a Multinational Media Company

    NBCUniversal is a media company with more than twenty businesses in thirty countries, including theme parks, television stations, motion pictures, and premium streaming services. With so many diverse brands and localities, creating an EVP (Employer Value Proposition) that works for all of them is a significant challenge. Anne Hurley, Director of Talent Branding at NBCUniversal, discusses the process of executing an EVP refresh for one of the world’s largest multinational media companies and building the flexibility to activate it across a wide variety of brands and countries in an interview with the Employer Branding Podcast.
    Setting Objectives for Employer Brand
    To articulate an EVP that works for all the different brands, NBCUniversal started by laying out the Talent Acquisition organization’s goals as a whole. They decided on setting objectives around brand awareness and engagement, employee experience, DEI, and recruiting excellence. These objectives helped steer the process and defined what they were trying to get out of their new EVP and how they should measure success across all brands.
    EVP Built on Flexibility
    NBCUniversal is a decentralized company, with properties operating independently. Hurley says, “our job is to influence them at each point of the candidate lifecycle.” They needed to create an EVP that brought everything together and was flexible enough to work equally for NBC News and Peacock streaming.
    They began with a research phase by hosting employee roundtables, looking at internal data collection, and engaging with external vendors. They then took those findings and got together with other internal groups like Corporate Creative and Corporate Communications to distill everything into the tagline: “Here you can.”
    “It’s simple, right? But that’s why it works,” Hurley says, “it acts as a ‘fill in the blank’ where we can insert language at the end of the phrase based on personas, skillsets, or interests. It doesn’t need to compete with our consumer brands—it’s simply complimentary.” For example, for E! News, it might be articulated as “Here you can be Pop Cultured,” or if they wanted to speak to their DEI initiatives, it might become “Here you can be authentically you.” Their EVP is powerful because it can be articulated differently to different personas.
    Activating EVP Globally
    Hurley’s Talent Branding organization has been working to make localization a priority. “Our brand does not resonate with people in the UK or Germany or France in the way it resonates with people in the US,” Hurley says, so they set to work creating a global toolkit to bring everything together.
    Hurley and her team started with focus groups to more clearly identify needs in each global territory and used that information to create localized assets that would align with the organization’s EVP while sharing the same look and feel across all languages. They worked closely with local brand champions to develop these resources, which in turn gives them everything they needed to create their own localized, inclusive content.
    Connect with Other EB Pros
    Hurley advises you to be clear about your internal goals before starting the EVP refresh process, do the research to get a complete picture of your organization and make sure to bring everyone to the table when the time comes to take the following steps. Large organizations come with unique challenges, but best practices exist for developing and activating an EVP. Additionally, don’t hesitate to reach out to other professionals working in the employer branding space. “I’ve made a lot of connections by simply pinging the guests on this podcast,” Hurley says. This podcast includes a way to get in touch with all of the guests, so don’t be afraid to make a connection.

    To follow Anne Hurley’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. To identify the values and culture you want to create in your own company, get in touch.
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    Building an Effective EVP: The Journey of a Bangalore Tech Company

    India’s startup ecosystem has been experiencing a rapid growth rate, with the country emerging as the third-largest startup hub globally, posting record revenue of $227 billion in 2022, according to Mint. This growth has led to a highly competitive market for talent, making it essential for companies to have strong employer branding and an attractive Employer Value Proposition (EVP) to remain competitive.
    To gain insights into creating an effective EVP in such a fast-paced environment, we caught up with Malliga Rajkumar, the Senior Director of HR and Talent Branding Lead at Flipkart, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in India based in Bangalore, which began as a startup 15 years ago with a team of 200 people.
    As a 30,000-strong organization serving 150 million customers across all of India, Flipkart is known as the “startup of startups,” with alums going on to found their successful tech enterprises. Despite its size, the startup ethos of risk and innovation remains near and dear to Flipkart’s heart.
    However, with the tech sector’s growth came fierce competition for key talent, prompting Rajkumar and her team to build and implement an employer branding strategy to ensure Flipkart could compete. Rajkumar’s approach was to ask two simple questions: “What is it about our culture that we want to absolutely retain and rebuild where it may have atrophied? And what are the elements that we want to add on?”
    Developing EVP
    The journey to Flipkart’s EVP was months of extensive primary and secondary research. Rajkumar and her team interviewed people at all levels within the organization, spoke to headhunters, and did market benchmarking with accredited organizations like the Great Place to Work Institute and Mercer.
    In the end, they had a list of all the things Flipkart wanted to be known for and a list of the things talent cares about. The challenge was to find a balance between the two to stake out an EVP that encapsulated what Flipkart stands for while appealing to the talent they wanted to attract.
    They settled on a simple EVP that stitched together all of the concepts they wanted to include in one phrase:
    “Together, We Dare to Maximize.”
    Together spoke to everything they hope to foster in terms of community and collaboration. Dare represents their startup heart by celebrating audacity and breaking boundaries. And maximize represents their ambition to be the best they possibly can be and continuously improve.
    Activating EVP
    Articulating an EVP is only half the battle; Rajkumar and her team still needed to activate it for both employees and candidates. “Together we dare to maximize” is displayed in every Flipkart office. More importantly, that concept and the four pillars that support it are woven into all internal communications, awards, employee forums, and events throughout the year.
    They also measure its resonance each year in their annual employee engagement survey. A team of over 250 employee advocates helps get the word out and shares an honest look at what life at Flipkart is like.
    Aspirational EVP
    Flipkart sees its EVP as aspirational, and they want to ensure that they live up to its promise. Therefore, they used their mission statement to build a 3-year maturity model that articulates every process’s intent, design, experience, and measurement. The goal is to look at everything they do and take the time to align it with their EVP incrementally.
    As always, it is crucial to measure the impact of employer branding to demonstrate its value to key organizational stakeholders. At Flipkart, they compare their engagement statistics to a benchmark list of other companies to assess their performance and identify areas for improvement. Additionally, they have specific metrics for individual campaigns and regularly conduct internal surveys to assess the level of awareness within the organization regarding employer brand themes.
    According to Rajkumar, “Employer brand is not about who you are today; it’s about who you aspire to be.” A good EVP should reflect the organization’s current state and set higher standards for what it can become. Good employer branding presents an opportunity for an organization to improve and live its values, which in turn attracts top talent.

    To follow Malliga Rajkumar’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, get in touch.
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    Developing and Activating a New EVP for an Old Company

    The concept of employer brand is still fairly new to the world of business. Articulating an EVP (Employer Value Proposition) is typically on the agenda of management teams; however, not every organization knows how to go about it.
    Hence I was pleased to chat with Kayla Branham, Marketing Manager of Talent Acquisition at security giant ADT. Most of us will be familiar with this company and brand that has been around for over a century. But what is it like to work there?
    Branham points out that every company has an employer brand or employer reputation. The question is how you manage this and how you can highlight what makes your company stand out as an employer. In this case, Branham adapted Allison Kruise’s 3-step model for brand activation to develop a new EVP at ADT.
    Landing on an EVP
    Step one was to investigate what the current employer brand was for ADT. The research undertaken zoomed in on a number of areas, such as:

    How are we perceived as an employer?
    What is on offer to our candidates and employees?
    What makes working at ADT different from other companies?

    The purpose of asking questions to people around the business was to understand perspectives from all talent groups. The research outcome painted a picture of what it’s like to work at ADT.
    On top of speaking to current employees, the team also carried out external research to determine employer brand perception in the public sphere.
    Establishing the EVP
    One word kept popping up in focus groups: Trust. This particular word happens to be essential to the ethos of ADT and it was a natural place to lay the foundations of the EVP around trust. The governing thought was determined:
    “At ADT, you’re entrusted with tomorrow.”
    Next up, Branham and team identified four pillars of the employer value proposition:

    Take ownership
    Work with a great purpose
    Shape the future
    Win together

    “There’s a give-and-get element to each of them. It’s what team members offer to an employer and what the team member is receiving in exchange,” Branham notes.
    Time to activate
    The EVP was launched at the back end of 2022, and before this, it was communicated internally to various stakeholders and teams. The idea was to stoke interest in the upcoming external rollout.
    Branham and team developed a number of content pieces designed to inspire employees and to create engagement. Videos, LinkedIn banners, and social sharing contests were all part of the plan.
    Looking to the future, Branham will be partnering closely with Talent Management to focus on continuing internal activation and adoption. “We want to ensure that our EVP is a lived experience for our team members,” she says. They know that scaling the employer brand internally is the most important thing for growing external awareness.
    The next stop on the journey is to partner with Talent Management to embed the EVP with the employee lifecycle. By scaling internally, the EVP will manifest itself in the public domain in an organic fashion.

    To follow Kayla Branham’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help with your own EVP, get in touch. We help you identify the values and culture you want to create in your company.
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    How VMware Attracts and Retains Tech Talent

    Long before COVID-19 made working from home the norm, this software company was experimenting with remote work and exploring its impact on employer brand. This unsung hero of the B2B technology space was powering some of the busiest and most visible brands of the early months of the pandemic, all while supporting a globally distributed workforce.
    Keeping a watchful eye on these experiments was Global Employment Brand Manager Price Peacock, whose team is responsible for showcasing that employee experience to the public.
    Embracing Remote Work
    Embracing the distributed team model benefits businesses in several ways. Chiefly: It allows hiring managers to recruit from a larger pool, and it makes you a more attractive employer to the staggering number of workers who now prefer telecommuting.
    The move to a distributed team helped VMware address its top talent challenge: standing out in the competitive local tech talent market in Palo Alto, California, where VMware’s headquarters sit. “From a talent perspective, we’re enabling our recruiters, sourcers, and hiring managers to look for people in areas not near VMware offices. That’s allowing us to remove some of those challenges that we historically faced and hire more diverse talent,” Peacock says.
    Prioritizing the “Why”
    Every year, Peacock’s employer brand team sits down for a “gut check.” They reevaluate their priorities and check their efforts against their larger relevance to the company. “It’s allowed us to be nimble, learn, and evolve our employer brand strategy,” Peacock says.
    VMware’s internal EVP reflects this commitment to employees’ development: Own your future. Its employer brand team also maintains a close relationship with the corporate brand team to ensure the message they promote internally stays aligned with the values VMware professes externally.
    Centering the Employee Perspective
    One of the most direct, meaningful ways to keep your employer brand messaging aligned with employee perspectives is to center those perspectives in your content. “Employee referrals today are our number one source of hire. Knowing that, we recognize the importance of our people’s perspectives and voices,” Peacock says. “We actively partner with the 33,000+ employees that work at VMware to create, share, and participate in the content and experiences we’re creating for prospective employees.”
    In foregrounding employee storytelling, Peacock is allowing VMware’s culture to speak for itself. “VMware’s brand is the sum of the emotions and attitudes that people have with us, whether it be our employees, our customers, or the broader community,” she says.

    To follow Price Peacock’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help identifying the values and culture you want to create in your company, get in touch.
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