Quality candidates know what they want from employers, and companies who don’t define and market their value risk losing them to competitors.

It’s no secret that top-quality candidates are more savvy than ever before, and with the majority being passive candidates, companies are realizing the value in communicating through advertising and targeted social media campaigns to vocalize why candidates want to work there. This has led many companies to reevaluate the criteria that attracts quality talent to the workplace. Spoiler: it’s more than just a great paycheck.

Today’s job candidates stress the importance of company culture, social initiative, and work-life balance more than previous generations, motivating companies to double-down on their candidate-facing strategies, namely their Employer Branding and Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Where Employer Branding speaks to the company’s reputation as an employer, the function of an EVP is to make a company or role more attractive, unique, and meaningful to candidates. Both concepts revolve around the qualities that make a company a great place to work, as well as the benefits, career growth opportunities, work-life balance, and company culture that attract top talent.

The Basic Elements of a Strong EVP

How can companies demonstrate their value as employers? Candidates who are open to new opportunities want to see the measurable value of another company, and according to the Corporate Executive Board Company, the criteria candidates find most important are:

Rewards: Salary, benefits, and vacation

Work: Job-interest alignment and work-life balance

Organization: Market position, product/service quality, and social responsibility

Opportunity: Career growth opportunities, development and training opportunities, and organization growth rate

People: Company culture, Manager and coworker quality, senior leadership reputation, and camaraderie

Employee Value Propositions are particularly important in today’s job market, as a majority of candidates heavily evaluate companies before they even consider applying for open positions. Knowing what makes a strong EVP and why it matters in recruiter marketing tactics such as job advertising is crucial to attracting and hiring great employees.

It might be tempting for organizations to list off job features and perks, slap an EVP sticker on it and call it done, but a truly successful value proposition tells candidates what an organization stands for, and the reasons employees are motivated to work there. But defining these criteria are only useful if they can be communicated to candidates through intelligent marketing efforts.

Job Advertising Gets the Message to the Right Place and the Right Time
Recruiter marketing campaigns are designed to attract candidates before they even apply, and methods like paid media advertising are ideal for appealing to passive job seekers. Candidates value transparency, so showing a look at what a day in the life of that particular role looks like is one of the easiest ways to highlight the work experience.

Job ads are many candidates’ first impression of a company, making them an ideal opportunity to communicate an organization’s EVP. While it’s all too common that companies copy-paste the same, boring job descriptions, including an accurate and compelling Employee Value Proposition can make a job ad stand out, and is far more likely to attract candidates than a template.

Alternatively, an increasing number of companies are turning to video. According to Hubspot, over half of all marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI, with one digital marketing expert claiming that one minute of video equals 1.8 million words. Video content typically holds viewer attention longer than text alone, and with social video generating 1200% more shares than text and images combined, companies need no other excuse to tap into the internet’s preferred medium of consumption.

When EVPs Fail to Attract

Even with the most airtight marketing strategies, a poorly-constructed employee value proposition can break the hiring process. Some of the ways EVPs fall short are when they don’t differentiate from competitors, the wrong attributes, or fail to deliver on their promise to employees. Before prominently featuring a company’s Employee Value Proposition in recruiter marketing efforts, it’s imperative that companies spend time researching, designing, and implementing an EVP that accurately represents the company’s value to employees.

Research, Design, Implement, Hire

Modern recruiting strategies have adapted to pace the changes in today’s job market, and with the rise of social recruiting, larger skill gaps among tech workers, and unemployment at a record low, companies require new strategies. Additionally, candidates have resources like Glassdoor to find out what employees think of an organization. Successful companies know what candidates care about, build a culture around it, and publicize it. Defining an authentic EVP is an important step to bringing that talent to the company’s doorstep; knowing how to sell it to candidates ensures that they choose your company over a competitor.

We’ve cringed over some of the most gut-wrenching depictions of interviews gone wrong. Now we’re tackling the best-case scenario, and addressing four things recruiters can do to create the smoothest possible interview process.

Interviews are a recruiter’s bread and butter, but conduct enough of them and the shine wears away to expose a mundane and repetitive process. And that has a direct effect on a recruiter’s ability to fill positions. A recent survey found that 83 percent of candidates felt a poorly conducted interview can change their opinion of a role. Conversely, 87 percent of candidates said a positive interview experience could sway their opinion towards accepting a job.

To place the best candidate in the right role, recruiters rely on insights and information gained from the interview process, so a positive experience should be top priority. Here are four ways that recruiters can conduct a more efficient interview.

1. Do the Homework

It’s no secret that recruiters manage extremely busy schedules, but preparing for an interview should be the recruiter’s main focus, especially with the expectation that candidates will conduct their own research before coming in. Proper interview preparation includes:

• Having a clear understanding of the position, its responsibilities, and where the role fits in the larger team structure.
• Gathering a set of open-ended interview questions.
• Reviewing the candidate’s documents and credentials—resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letter, application.
• Preparing for candidate questions about the role—financial compensation, metrics for success, and expectations.
• Providing an assignment, assessment, or task for after the interview (if applicable).
• Knowing the next steps to advance the candidate to the next stage of the hiring process.

2. Ask the Right Questions

Questions asked during an interview should reveal information about the candidate’s experience, their motivation for applying, and what skills they offer. Open-ended enquiries that allow for creative responses are the best way to discover what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for. Examples of good open-ended questions are:

• What made you decide to apply for this job?
• Where have you interviewed recently? What opportunities have you had?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• Can you describe your most significant career accomplishment?
• What duties or responsibilities do you want more of in your next role?

The role may also influence the types of questions being asked. When hiring for entry-level jobs, hiring managers often have to read between the lines and evaluate a candidate’s potential based on limited work experience and how they present themselves in the interview process.

3. Have a Positive Attitude and Be Engaged

For many candidates, a recruiter may be their first interaction with a company, so it’s crucial to foster a positive experience for the candidate. Recruiters should be passionate about their company, the role they are hiring for, and the interview process. Demonstrating a professional and enthusiastic attitude will calm nervous candidates and allow for a more meaningful exchange.

Actively listening to a candidate’s responses and asking thoughtful follow-up questions demonstrate a recruiter’s attentiveness, and reflect positively on the company. As an ambassador, it falls on the recruiter to convey the company’s principles, employer brand, Employee Value Proposition, and other unique values.

4. Follow Up and Provide Feedback

Candidates value transparency in the hiring process, so creating a feedback loop that informs them of their status after the interview greatly contributes to the candidate experience. If possible, recruiters should offer candidates feedback on their interview, regardless of whether they will advance to the next stage. Maintaining communication means that when it comes time to extend a job offer, the candidate is more likely to accept, and faster, because of this rapport.