The job market is behaving like a real market: There is a lot of information available and since the Consumer ─ millennial looking for work ─ has many options to choose from, he decides! That is why companies must learn to “market” our employer brand to a very demanding consumer.
To do this, we will use a simple marketing model: WHO, WHAT & HOW:
In WHO we must know our three 'C's' (3C):
Our CONSUMER, the millennial car owner database professional looking for work , is: Optimistic, but pragmatic and very collectivist; ie he takes care of all his communities and worries about the planet. He builds relationships and is an equal partner to his parents. For the millennial , work is NOT the most important thing in life and, therefore, he has parallel careers; eg study, work, sport, art, etc.
The BUYER is the same as the Consumer, but when choosing a job, he considers “what the purpose of the company is.” Therefore, they demand coherence between saying, doing and being. In their relationship with the company, they seek constant change and learning ─through “experiences” rather than knowledge─. In their relationship with their boss, they seek equality and participation. They are more committed to their work team and, therefore, they need to know “with whom” they are going to work and they value the work environment. Finally, technology is a “need” –NOT a work tool─.
The CHANNEL, for this example, will be the UP, since it is where the supply (i.e. millennial professionals looking for work) and the demand (companies looking for talent) meet. The need for both (UP and companies) is to have professionals who: lead with solid values, make good decisions (based on in-depth analysis and risk management), and help generate value for the business and the organization.
In WHAT , we must work on our positioning ( Brand Equity ) and have a competitive Value Offer. Specifically:
Brand Equity: What do we want millennials (candidates) to say when we ask WHAT it means to work at our company? For example: Google could be “innovation with fun,” P&G, “marketing school with good pay,” and Gloria, “agility and participation in execution.”
Value Offer or Employer Brand Architecture:
Promise (benefit): Our point of difference could be, for example, empowerment and learning based on experiences ( on-the-job ), and our point of parity could be compensation ─which is not the most important thing for our Target─ .
Reason why: The most important thing here will be the testimonies and experiences of current and former employees, since Target investigates and believes its contacts more than published information. Therefore: We must prioritize Story-doing over Story-telling .
Personality: Today, Target demands that we know WHAT we believe in (e.g. values) and what our position is in society (e.g. diversity, inclusion, care for the environment, sustainability, etc.).
In HOW we will review the purchasing process of our Target in the UP in five steps:
See: When we present our brand to candidates we must ensure Presence (eg visibility on career opportunities) and Relevance (eg case studies in courses with professors aligned with our Brand Equity ).
Research: We must make our value proposition Logical and Easy to buy; eg show the positions of interest with clear expectations about WHAT
Identify: Once the Target has identified us as a valid option, we must ensure the Visibility and Impact of our brand, associated with our promise and Brand Equity . For example: Sponsor projects, events or talks.
Show interest: At this stage, it is key that the candidate has access to the areas, available positions and challenges in each of them ─in line with the needs mentioned in point 1─.
Select: Just like in a traditional point of sale, a good balance between Price and Promotion is needed to close the transaction. In this case, the job offer must promote a “life project” and the compensation must be fair; i.e. what the person is worth and what the work to be done is worth.
Therefore, we are facing a change of era and we must “seduce” millennials who are looking for job opportunities: Understanding WHO they are, WHAT they expect from our project and, in the HOW, doing ( story-doing ) more than saying ( storytelling .
