Create a standout employee value proposition (EVP) to attract top talent

Why is EVP important?

If you want to attract the best candidates to your business, you need to create an EVP that truly sets you apart from the rest. In today’s fast paced, ever-evolving job market, quality talent is spoiled for choice. Professionals are no longer looking for just a job with a good enough salary. Workplace culture, personal development, career progression, work life balance, wellbeing and other factors have come into play. Want to attract talent to your business? You need to focus on your EVP.

How good is your current EVP?

Ask your current employees of course! There is nothing better than finding out what current employees like and dislike about their experience in your business. You can do this through your internal comms annual employee feedback surveys. Identify what it is that your current employees would like to have from the business. Covid 19 ripped up the traditional working rule book, employees have had a taste of working from home, dropping the commute and they like it. If you want to bring a talented candidate onside, you need to be able to offer flexible working with remote days off site, as part of the deal.

Health and wellbeing is a sought after EVP policy

Intrinsically interlinked, health and wellbeing is a priority focus for many candidates. The whole experience during lockdown 1.0 was a mixed bag across the board. Some employees were furloughed, others were given a leave of absence and a number had to work extremely long hours to get everything done (think front line staff, retail employees and head office staff, supply chain) whilst adjusting to the new working environment. Those businesses that prioritised team wellbeing are being rewarded for their efforts.

Future proof your business

Your EVP should not be designed for the short term. Sure, it will help you attract high quality candidates, but it should also be focused on longevity and retaining talent. This will solidify your employer brand and help to build loyalty among your talented employees. Those employees then recommend your business, share their insights into working for your organisation and so it goes on. Take a step further than this and identify what challenges your applicants have in their working lives. Deliver training and experiences that they can enjoy and start to become an advocate of your business. Make it memorable and you will win hearts and minds.

Build your strong employer brand

You need to communicate your EVP clearly to both your internal employees and your prospective candidates. Don’t forget to be creative with how you share these experiences, to make it memorable. Your approach should always be, what do my candidates want to know? What do my employees need to understand, how does this EVP help them? You want to look at ways you can build out your employer brand too. If you have a fabulous approach to flexible working and wellbeing, then your employees are sure to thank you and share this and their downtime information with their social followers. Think about what the added value things look like too. If you can identify ways you can help your future candidates as outlined above, you’ll create a long lasting impression of your employer brand and find you’ve got an active audience ready to apply for your hiring roles.

What does the competition look like?

To narrow down your unique EVP, carry out some research among current and past employees and find out what they enjoy about working for you. Then, research what your competitors have to offer and what sets you apart from them. Think of how you can stand out in your industry. If you can’t offer the corporate benefits of private healthcare and multiple promotion opportunities, perhaps you can focus on creating a close-knit team, flexible hours or the option for variety and personal development across many sectors of the company. At the moment working flexibly is a high priority on the ‘must have’ list.

Be specific when you create your EVP

Your EVP should be specific, honest and cover employees at all levels. Instead of segmenting or differentiating your EVP, think of how the same core values apply to all talent. For example, if your EVP is focused on personal development opportunities, this could mean more emphasis on training for interns, more autonomy for managers and executives who remain flexible to industry changes. This will create a cohesive employer brand, maintaining a sense of prosperity and longevity throughout someone’s career.

EVP – key areas to consider

When developing your EVP, here are a few areas you could look at:

• Salary – while money isn’t everything, it’s still an important factor for potential employees. Ensure yours meets or exceeds the market value.

• Workplace culture – everyone wants to work in a welcoming team and feel they are a valued part of it. Perhaps you could offer team activities, events, and other perks?

• Work environment – consider creating an environment that inspires your workforce. From interior design to recreational areas, don’t forget to also make it accessible for people with special needs.

• Flexibility and work life balance - flexible working hours and hybrid working are high demand benefits. Offer those and you can make yourself appeal to talent in the market place.

• Career progression – what training opportunities and promotions can you offer potential employees? How will you provide a stimulating and engaging career for years to come?

• Job security – in today’s volatile job market, how will you ensure job security for potential candidates? Is your company consistently offering up to date training and keeping up with industry trends?

• Wellbeing policies – Health and wellbeing is another in demand policy. What’s something that you do differently? Perhaps you offer help with childcare, mental health policies and wellbeing support. Think of those benefits and strengths that really set you apart.

Auxeris is an ethical recruiter. We work in partnership with businesses to find you matched talent to your roles and cultural fit. We're working with organisations across a number of sectors including tech, life science, retail, media and finance to name a few. Find out more here.