Workers are 40% more likely to apply for a job with a company brand they know

New survey shows

New data released today by Glassdoor suggests employers with low brand awareness will get overlooked by job seekers. In fact, candidates are 40 percent more likely to apply for a job at a company in which they recognise the brand compared to a company they have not heard of.

The survey, conducted among 750 hiring decision makers (those in recruitment, HR and responsible for hiring) in the U.S. and UK, also finds six in ten (60 percent) of those surveyed  said that their employer brand awareness is either a challenge or a significant barrier when it comes to attracting and hiring candidates. Three quarters (75 percent) of those surveyed agreed that if a candidate is aware of their brand name and products/ services, it makes the recruiting process easier.

“If a company is facing a recruiting hurdle because it lacks consumer brand awareness or if candidates are confused about what the company does, these are common reasons why companies need to cultivate and nurture their reputation as an employer. Job seekers today are more informed than ever, researching the ins and outs of specific jobs and companies, so employers should take advantage of this by engaging with prospective talent and showcasing what they have to offer,” said Julie Coucoules, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Glassdoor. “With one third of hiring managers reporting that employer brand is one of the factors that influences people most when weighing a job offer, it is worth getting right. By actively managing and promoting your employer brand, it can mean the difference between attracting quality talent or allowing them to pass you by.”

Employers could have a more data-driven approach

Despite brand awareness having such a significant impact on recruiting, survey data also suggests that HR and recruiting teams may want to adopt more data-driven approaches to finding and hiring quality talent. Only one quarter (25 percent) of hiring decision makers report that they track “conversion of job seeker to applicant” as a priority metric. In addition, only 23 percent of organisations consider the source of job applicants as important, while 21 percent consider what influences a job applicant’s decision as important.

“Recruiting still has room to improve to take on a more data-driven approach, giving recruiters and hiring managers added layers of detail into questions like where candidates are coming from and how candidates are converting into employees.  Glassdoor offers a variety of metrics for employers on who is interested in your jobs and the type of people researching your company and much of this is free. The very best recruiters today are those who have evolved into part-sourcer, part-marketer and part-technologist who knows how to use data to understand and generate quality leads for open roles,” added Coucoules.

Recruiting passive candidates now less effective

Regardless of whether brand awareness is strong or weak, when it comes to reaching passive candidates, the majority (78 percent) of hiring decision makers find it more challenging, with candidates responding to recruiter emails at a much lower rate than in the past. Three in four (76 percent) say candidates have grown wary of contact through networking sites (e.g. LinkedIn) and respond at a much lower rate. Two thirds (67 percent) of those surveyed also said candidates do not like being contacted through social media platforms.

With tactics to recruit passive candidates now less effective than in the past, this survey suggests that hiring decision makers may want to prioritise informed candidates above other types of candidates, whether active or passive. When asked what type of candidate is preferred, the survey shows the highest rated is ‘employed and active, but informed’, followed by ‘passive, but informed’.