Moving from Appeal to Influence: How Employment Branding Must Evolve

CEB Recruiting Leadership Council
Branding for Influence
Keynote on Employment Branding
2014

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iii
© 2014 CEB. All rights reserved. RR9635214SYN
Moving from Appeal to Influence p. 1
Focus Branding on Critical Talent p. 12
Create Messages That Consult p. 17
Build a Network of Brand Influencers p. 25
CONTENTS

iv
AGENDA
Objectives
In this session, you will learn how to:
■■ Articulate the transition organizations need to make today
from branding for appeal to branding for influence
■■ Shift from targeting a wider array of talent segments to
customizing more deeply to your most important talent segments.
■■ Use messages that challenge applicants’ thinking, rather than
highlight the organization’s selling points.
■■ Focus less on managing a channel strategy and more on managing
internal and external influencers.
Timing
Moving from Appeal to Influence . 10 minutes
Focus Branding on Critical Talent . 10 minutes
Create Messages that Consult . 10 minutes
Build a Network of Brand Influencers . 10 minutes
Q&A . 10 minutes
Contact
If you’ would like more informaiton on how you can Brand for Influence
within your organisation, please contact:
Mitchell Wong
T: 61-2-9321-7588
E: mwong@executiveboard.com
,
Credit
This program, 202527, has been approved for one (General)
recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR
recertification through the HR Certification Institute.
Please be sure to note the program ID number on your recertification
application form. For more information about certification or
recertification, please visit the HR Certification Institute Website at
www.hrci.org.
Credit is only available for members joining us live.

v
WELCOME TO WHAT THE BEST COMPANIES DO
2014 Employment Branding Survey
Partial List of Participants
Employment Branding Topic Support Center

1
Moving from
Appeal to Influence

In the past three years, HIGHER APPLICANT VOLUME, POOR QUALITY APPLICANTS
applicant volume has
risen by 33%, while
applicant quality
remains low.
2
Poor quality applicants lead to…
…poor quality of shortlist
…low quality of hire
…more new hire turnover
…reduced new hire productivity
…lower business unit profitability
Trend in Application Volume
Median Number of Applicants per Open Position
Average Quality of Applicant Pool
Percentage of Applicants for a Given
Position Who Are Considered High-Quality
(Likely to Become High-Performing Employees)
by the Recruiter
30
40
2011 2014
n = 572 (2011); 977 (2014).
Source: CEB 2011 Candidate Rules of Engagement Survey;
CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness Survey.
Source: CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness Survey.
28%
High-Quality Applicants
The Corporate Brand Effect
Organizations with well-known
corporate brands have 43%
higher application volume than
those with lesser-known brands,
but applicant quality is virtually
identical.
Source: CEB 2014 Employment Branding
Effectiveness Survey.

3
Organizations are under NEW TALENT NEEDS DRIVE BRANDING URGENCY
increasing pressure to
attract new types of
talent, and employment
brands are struggling to
keep up.
■■ As organizations globalize
at an unprecedented rate,
they enter labor markets
where they are unknown
or perceived differently
than in core markets.
■■ As more organizations
diversify their products
and services, Recruiting
must hire people with skills
their brands were never
meant to attract.
■■ Even when talent needs
are not changing, Recruiting
must still evolve its
employment brand to attract
new generations or people
who can help drive a culture
change.
New Types of Talent Needed Employment Branding Challenge
New Locations
New Skills
New Generations
New Mindsets
Percentage of Recruiters Attracting Candidates
in New or Different Labor Markets
Compared to Three Years Ago
Projected Percentage Growth
in US Employment, 2008–2018
Occupations 19%
Percentage of Organizations Forecasting
an Increase in Hiring Volume from Universities “ Most of our workforce will retire soon,
49%
66%
Percentage of Organizations
Undergoing a Cultural Shift “ Our business has been underperforming
for years, and the brand is a big driver of
our shift to a culture of innovation.”
Head of Recruiting,
Technology
36%
n = 90.
Source: CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness Survey; CEB analysis.
but millennials don’t know who we are.”
Head of Recruiting,
Insurance
2011 2014
n=45 (2011); 47 (2014).
Source: CEB analysis; CEB 2011 Recruiting Forecast Survey; CEB 2014 Recruiting Forecast Survey.
“ The talent we need for our biggest
growth area isn’t attracted to our
corporate brand.”
Employment Branding Director,
Consumer Products
All
Occupations
STEMa
10%
Source: Robert D. Atkinson and Merrilea Mayo, “Refueling the U.S. Innovation Economy,”
The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, December 2010.
a STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“ Since our business is still emerging in
India, it is hard to find candidates who
are proud to work here.”
Employment Brand Manager,
Retail 67%
n = 1,044.
Source: CEB analysis; CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness Survey.

4
YOUR CURRENT GOAL: A MORE APPEALING BRAND
Elements of Today’s Typical Employment Branding Approach
Most organizations focus
employment branding
efforts on becoming
better known as a great
place to work.
■■ Many organizations have
applied marketing principles
to their employment brands
to be as appealing as
possible.
■■ The typical organization
creates a core brand with
universally appealing
messages that sell the
most compelling aspects
of the organization, and
communicates those
messages through the most
popular channels.
■■ Taken together, these
elements lead to a “branding
for appeal” strategy.
Core Brand Focus Messages That Sell Channel-Driven Outreach
Core Brand
Customized Brands
“See our career
opportunities.”
“Be challenged
every day.”
“Our culture is very
collaborative.”
Choosing the appropriate overall brand
theme is rated the #1 most important
branding activity by recruiting and
employment branding leaders.
The average organization expects
to increase usage of 6 different
brand channels this year alone.
64% of organizations focus their
brand messages on positive aspects of
the organization’s EVP.a
Branding for Appeal
Promoting the organization as a great place to work
Employment Brand: The
perceptions that the labor
market has about an
organization as an employer
Employment Branding: The
efforts undertaken by employers
to manage labor market
perceptions of the organization
n = 74 (Core Brand Focus); 1,044 Recruiters (Messages That Sell); 31 (Channel-Driven Outreach).
Source: CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness Survey; CEB 2014 Recruiting Forecast Survey.
a Sixty-four percent includes respondents who strongly disagreed, disagreed, or somewhat disagreed that their employment branding messages emphasized the negative aspects
of working at their organizations.

5
2014 EMPLOYMENT BRANDING SURVEY
Organization Survey
Objective: to assess the impact of branding activities on quality
of applicant pool
■■ 80+ recruiting and branding executives and thought leaders
■■ 2,000 recruiting staff
■■ 100+ organizations globally
Labor Market Survey
Objective: to assess the impact of branding activities on high-quality
and low-quality potential applicants’ likelihood to apply.
■■ 4,700 passive and active labor market participants
■■ 15 countries globally
Participating Organizations
Partial List

6
BRANDING FOR APPEAL ADDS TO INFORMATION
OVERLOAD
How Applicants Learn About Employers Today
Relative Influence of Information on Applicants’ Decision to Applya
In today’s information-rich
labor market,
appealing employment
branding adds to the
amount of unhelpful
information applicants
receive.
■■ Potential applicants have
access to an unprecedented
amount of information to
inform application decisions.
■■ When applicants look
to organizational
communications to decide
where to apply, appealing
branding tells them that
many organizations are great
places to work.
80%
Information from
Other Sources
Rise in Amount of (Low Quality)
Information from Other Sources
20%
Organizational
Communications
Impact When Organizational
Communications Brand for Appeal
Core Brand Focus
Universally appealing branding themes go unnoticed
when experienced en masse.
Messages That Sell
Similar selling points across employers make them
indistinguishable from each other.
Channel-Driven Outreach
Broader presence multiplies the same unhelpful
information for applicants to consider.
130% Growth in number of contacts
available to the average applicant since 2006
35x Growth of LinkedIn users since 2006
22x Growth in Glassdoor membership since
2011
45% Employees who admit to being less than
honest when telling friends and family what it is
like to work at their organization
n = 708 (Top); 5,410 (Honesty).
Source: CEB Q3 2013 Global Labor Market Survey; R. Dunbar, “The Social Brain Hypothesis,” ; Stephen Wolfram, “Data Science of the Facebook World,” 24 April 2013, http://blog.
stephenwolfram.com/2013/04/data-science-of-the-facebook-world/; LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com; Glassdoor, http://www.glassdoor.com; CEB Q4 2013 Global Labor
Market Survey.
a Organizational communications includes the organization’s careers website, social media presence, and job postings. Information from other sources includes friends and family,
current and former employees, news stories, etc.

7
MORE INFORMATION MORE INFORMED
Applicant Uncertainty About Where to Apply
More Skepticism
Applicants struggle to
make the right decisions
based on the information
available to them about
and from potential
employers.
■■ Applicants are more
skeptical about the
appealing things employers
say about themselves and
consequently less confident
in where they should apply.
■■ Applicants in high-demand
segments are even more
skeptical of employers, yet
they are more likely to know
which employers to consider,
suggesting they are being
heavily targeted.
“Compared to three years ago, I am more
skeptical of what employers say about
themselves.”
Less Confidence
“If I wanted to leave my current employer,
I know which other employers I would
consider applying to.”
61%
Agree or
Strongly Agree
31%
Agree or
Strongly Agree
n = 4,663.
a STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
n = 5,412.
Source: CEB Q4 2013 Global Labor Market Survey.
b STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
■■ Applicants in Emerging Markets: 66%
■■ STEMa Talent: 61%
■■ Millennials: 65%
■■ Applicants in Emerging Markets: 43%
■■ STEMb Talent: 31%
■■ Millennials: 35%

8
PERSUADE THE BEST, DEFLECT THE REST
Strategic Employment Branding Shift Required Today
Branding for influence
gives applicants the
trusted guidance
they need in today’s
information-rich labor
market.
Branding for
Appeal
Promoting the
organization as a
great place to work
Branding for
Influence
Guiding potential
applicants to
make better decisions
about whether to apply
Key Trade-Offs of a Branding for Influence Strategy
Influential Brands Help Applicants Make Better Decisions By…
Awareness of
the Employer
Attention to
the Employer
Perception of
the Employer
Consideration
of the Employer
Application
Submission
…focusing their attention, rather than
increasing awareness, in an environment in
which it is easy to identify potential employers.
…driving consideration of fit instead of
improving perceptions, because employers
want the highest quality candidates to apply
while dissuading poor-quality candidates.
Source: CEB analysis.

9
THREE STEPS TO BRANDING FOR INFLUENCE
Branding for Appeal
Promoting the
organization as a great
place to work
Branding for Influence
Guiding potential
applicants to make
better decisions about
whether to apply
1
Customized
Brands Focus
2
Messages
That Consult
3
Messenger-Driven
Outreach
Customized Brands
“Check out
this company
that I didn’t know
hires for…”
“Your work helps
achieve our mission
by…”
“Given your
interests, I think
the right job for
you will be…”
Core Brand
Focus
Messages
That Sell
Channel-Driven
Outreach
Customized Brands
“See our career
opportunities.”
“Be challenged
every day.”
“Our culture is very
collaborative.”

1. Branding for Appeal 2. Branding for Influence
10
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LARGE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF INFLUENTIAL BRANDING
Quality of Applicant Pool, by Organizationa
In Ascending Order
70%
70
43%
40
28%
24%
10%
10
Shifting from appealing
branding to influential
branding brings you
almost four-times more
improvement in applicant
quality than you
receive by moving from
unmanaged to appealing
branding.
■■ An average of 43% of
applicants are high-quality at
organizations that brand for
influence, compared to just
28% at organizations that
brand for appeal and 24%
at organizations that do not
manage their brands.
Quality of Applicant Pool
On average, branding for appeal increases
applicant quality only slightly, from 24% to 28%.
Branding for influence drives a much
bigger increase in applicant quality, to 43%
on average.
n = 1,044 Recruiters.
a The percentage of applicants for a given position who are considered high-quality (likely to become high-performing employees) by the recruiter.
Average
Organization with
an Influential Brand
How to Read This Chart
The blue line represents each
of the 100+ organizations we
surveyed, ordered from left
to right based on its average
quality of applicant pool.
The three labels along the
bottom represent the average
organization that does not
manage its brand, the one that
brands for appeal, and the
one that brands for influence,
respectively.
Average
Organization with
an Unmanaged Brand Average
Organization with
an Appealing Brand
2
1

The downstream and BUSINESS IMPLICATIONS OF BRANDING FOR INFLUENCE
monetary returns from
branding for influence are
significant.
11
■■ By moving from branding
for appeal to branding for
influence, the percentage
of your applicants who are
high-quality can increase by
54% (from 28% of applicants
being high-quality to 43%
being high-quality).
■■ This increase in applicant
quality translates to 22%
higher quality of shortlist
and 9% higher quality of
hire, holding everything else
constant.
■■ Higher quality hires are
higher performing and less
likely to leave, leading to
returns in terms of business
unit profitability and
turnover cost savings, which
reach the millions at a typical
organization.
By Shifting from Branding for Appeal to Branding for Influence, the Typical Organization Can See…
54%
Greater quality
of applicant
poola from a 3%
average increase in
branding costsb
22%
Higher
quality
of shortlistc
9%
Higher
quality
of hired
More high-performing
new hires
2.5x
US$2.7
million
23% US$1.4
Lower
new hire
turnover
Increased
business unit
profitability
million
Turnover
cost savings
Source: CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness Survey; CEB 2013 Selection Effectiveness Diagnostic; CEB 2012 Global Recruiting Effectiveness Survey; CEB analysis.
a The percentage of applicants for a given position who are considered high-quality (likely to become high performing employees) by the recruiter.
b Organizations with influential brands spend an average of USD $1,509,211 annually, whereas organizations with appealing brands spend an average of USD $1,467,725.
c Quality of shortlist is measured based on hiring managers’ responses to the following question: Thinking of the most recent position that you filled, on a scale
from 1 to 10 (10 being best), how would you rate the quality of the candidates you interviewed?
d Quality of hire is defined as the new hire’s current and likely future effectiveness at completing his or her individual tasks, contributing to others’ performance, and using others’
contributions to improve his or her own performance. See the Appendix for more detail on CEB’s quality of hire definition.
Note: See the Appendix for details regarding all calculations.

12
Create Messages
That Consult
Focus Branding on
Critical Talent
Build a Network of
Brand Influencers
ROADMAP FOR THE PRESENTATION

13
DEEPER CUSTOMIZATION NEEDED TO INFLUENCE
Applicant Perception of Brand Influencea by Degree of Brand Customization
Deeper customization of
branding to each talent
segment is needed to
influence better applicant
decisions.
■■ Surface-level branding
customization is insufficient
to help applicants make
better decisions about
where to apply.
■■ Potential applicants need
to experience deeply
customized employment
branding that is clearly
related to their background,
skills, and values.
100
Applicant Perception of Brand Influence
Surface-Level Customization Deep Customization
Degree of Brand Customization
50
0
Less customized employment branding recycles standard
branding initiatives across the organization.
Sample Initiatives:
■■ Dialing up messages from the core brand that align with
each segment’s EVP preferences
■■ Pushing out segment-specific content to central career
channels
■■ Including profiles of employees from different talent
segments on the central careers website
More deeply customized employment branding engages each
talent segment with relevant details about the employment
experience.
Sample Initiatives:
■■ Crafting new messages and content that reflects each
segment’s work experience
■■ Creating targeted microsites and social media profiles that
align with segment-specific channel usage
■■ Training different employees from within each talent segment
to champion the employment brand
n = 3,772.
Source: CEB analysis; CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness Survey.
a Applicant perception of brand influence is a measure of the extent to which applicants agreed that the information they learned prior to applying to an organization helped them
decide whether or not they would succeed there.

Brand Portfolio When Branding for Appeal Brand Portfolio When Branding for Influence
14
Instead of spreading CUSTOMIZE MORE DEEPLY TO THE CRITICAL FEW
resources thinly
over many talent
segments, focus brand
customization on sub-brands
for critical talent
segments.
■■ Most organizations focus
their brand portfolio on
identifying core brand
themes, then lightly
segmenting for different
levels, roles, geographies,
and/or business units.
■■ To influence potential
applicants, reorient your
brand portfolio to focus on
sub-brands for critical talent
segments.
■■ Organizations that
customize their brands for
critical talent segments see
higher quality applicants
in those segments, without
affecting applicant quality
for other segments.
Critical Talent Defined:
Critical talent are segments
identified as key to business
performance outcomes and
hard to fill. Critical talent can be
talent within a specific region,
level, business unit, etc.
Surface-level brand customization fails to
resonate with target segments to influence
them in today’s information-rich labor
market.
Source: CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness Survey; CEB analysis.
Deep brand customization resonates with
target segments to influence them in
today’s information-rich labor market.
Core Brand
Sub-
Brands
by Level
Sub-
Brands
by Role
Sub-
Brands
by BU
Sub-
Brands by
Geography
Core Brand
Sub-Brand for
Critical Talent
Segment 1
Sub-Brand for
Critical Talent
Segment 2
Deprioritize the
core brand in
favor of fewer,
deeply customized
sub-brands,
creating little
cost differential
while maintaining
baseline
consistency.

15
MEETING TALENT NEEDS BY MANAGING
A PORTFOLIO OF CRITICAL TALENT BRANDS
Thomson Reuters’ Portfolio of Critical Talent Employment Brands
Instead of focusing
all efforts on its core
global employment
brand, Thomson Reuters
recognizes the need to
target brand messages
more intentionally at
critical talent segments.
■■ Thomson Reuters creates
a ‘brand blueprint’ based
on core EVP messages
rather than creative
attributes like logos and
taglines.
■■ Using the brand blueprint
as a guide, Thomson Reuters
creates sub-brands for
target segments, rather than
just ‘dialing up’ global brand
attributes.
■■ Thomson Reuters
determines which
communication channels
should carry which message
by assessing the audience
of the channel and the
current hiring needs of
the organization.
1. Create Brand Blueprint
Brand Blueprint
■■ Work that matters
■■ Careers without boundaries
■■ Flexibility to perform
Source: Thomson Reuters; CEB analysis.
2. Define Sub-Brands
for Critical Segments
Content
Sales
■■ xxxxxxxx
Campus
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
Diversity
■■ Diversity
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
Emerging Markets
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
Technology
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ Working on innovative
products
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ xxxxxxxx
■■ Perfecting technical
expertise and skills
■■ Using tools and
technology to find the
right work-life balance
3. Segment Communication
Messages
Job Fair

16
NOT JUST “DIALING UP”
Thomson Reuters’ Segment-Specific Brand Creation Activities
Thomson Reuters creates
sub-brands for target
segments, rather than
just “dialing up” global
brand attributes.
■■ Thomson Reuters creates
segment-specific sub-brands
for talent segments
that drive critical business
outcomes, and reviews HR
strategy and workforce plans
to determine them.
■■ There are six sub-brands
in Thomson Reuters’
employment brand portfolio:
content, sales, technology,
campus, emerging markets,
and diversity.
Define Detail Disseminate Double Check
What
Thomson
Reuters does
Define the brand
statements from the
target audience’s
perspective.
Augment the sub-brand
with additional
detail where necessary.
Ensure sub-brand is
communicated using
relevant channels.
Confirm there is a clear
relationship between
sub-brand and brand
blueprint.
Why it works Using original
brand blueprint as a
starting point avoids
unnecessary rework.
Adding segment-specific
detail
maximizes relevance
for target audience.
Aligning
communication
channels reinforces
audience perceptions
of the brand.
Validating the link
between global
brand and sub-brand
maintains overall
consistency.
Example for
Technology
Candidates
Work that matters:
Working on innovative
products
Careers without
boundaries: Perfecting
technical expertise and
skills
Flexibility to perform:
Using tools and
technology to find the
right work-life balance
Technology blog
includes in-depth
stories and profiles
of technology projects.
Create technology
careers app
Boost mobile-friendliness
of
global careers site
BRAND
BRAND
Drawbacks of Dialing up Global
Attributes
When organizations dial up
brand attributes, they generally
just insert a segment-specific
word to modify the attribute
(e.g. “Work that matters to
technology employees”) or
just emphasize the original
attribute in segment-specific
communications.
The message is generally not
specific-enough to resonate
with the intended audience.
Most organizations simply ‘dial up’ one or two
attributes from their global brand rather than
providing the definition and detail that niche,
in-demand candidates want and need.

17
Create Messages
That Consult
Focus Branding on
Critical Talent
Build a Network of
Brand Influencers

18
COMPETITIVE, EMOTIONAL, AND FIT-BASED MESSAGING
DRIVES INFLUENCE
Maximum Impact of Types of Employment Brand Messages on Quality of Applicant Poola
The most influential
brand messages are
competitively positioned,
emotionally resonant,
and drive reflection
about fit, but few
organizations use these
types of messages.
■■ Messages that are
competitively positioned
and emotionally resonant
increase quality of applicant
pool by 19%, and messages
that drive reflection about fit
increase quality of applicant
pool by 17%.
■■ However, these are the
least prevalent types
of employment brand
messages that organizations
use.
■■ Brand messages focusing
on authenticity to the
employment experience and
alignment with applicant
preferences have limited
impact on quality of
applicant pool, but are the
most prevalent.
0%
Aligned with
Applicant
Preferences
8%
Authentic to
Employment
Experience
17%
Driving
Reflection
About Fit
19% 19%
Emotionally
Resonant
Competitively
Positioned
20%
10%
0%
Percentage of
Organizations
Using Each Type
of Message

15% 26% 26% 35% 39%
n = 1,092 recruiters (Maximum Impact); 70 (Percentage of Organizations).
a Organizations using messages that are competitively positioned, emotionally resonant, and drive self-reflection have employment brands that are 28% more influential than
organizations that are not.

19
In an extremely tight
labor market for creative
technical talent, Huddle
used the acquisition of
a major rival by Microsoft
to brand around the
advantages of working
at a smaller organization. Huddle makes explicit reference to the
INFLUENTIAL POSITIONING IS SOMETIMES
EXPLICIT
Huddle’s Direct Competitor Brand Comparison
fact that its competitor has been acquired
by a large organization, and the informal,
playful tone helps differentiate it from the
multinational.
About Us Home Blogs Contact
…………
CEO Blog: “The Importance of People in Companies”, 19 July
The danger with moving from a small company to a large
enterprise is that the fostering of ideas and nurturing of creativity
often gets stifled in the workings of a larger organisation and
employees become just another number on the roll call.
…………
Source: http://www.huddle.com/blog/the-importance-of-people-in-companies/; CEB analysis
Huddle complements its
advertising boards with
messages that further
describe the benefits of
working at a smaller rather
than larger company.
COMPETITIVELY POSITIONED EMOTIONALLY RESONANT REFLECTION ABOUT FIT

20
POSITIONING ISN’T ALWAYS ABOUT
DIFFERENCES
Thomson Reuters’ Comparative Association Message in India
In a competitive talent
market where it is
relatively unknown,
Thomson Reuters India
makes explicit reference
to companies it compares
to, to help potential
applicants understand its
strengths.
■■ Thomson Reuters associates
itself with a mix of well-known
brands and industry
competitors.
Association with well-known brands and
other media and publishing companies
Financial Overview We Are Bigger or More Profitable Than…

21
EMOTIONAL CONNECTION REQUIRES
AN ACHIEVABLE PURPOSE
Johnson Johnson’s
employment brand
clearly communicates
an achievable purpose,
thereby fostering a
stronger emotional
connection.
■■ Johnson Johnson conveys
how to achieve its purpose
through its credo, which
comprises simple statements
written in clear language.
■■ Johnson Johnson
makes the achievability
of its purpose believable
by personalizing it
for candidates, and
demonstrating how
employees achieve it in their
day-to-day professional lives.
Employment
Brand
Challenges
Johnson
Johnson’s
Solutions
Desired labor market perception: “The organization has a
purpose and I can contribute to it.”
Show applicants
how to achieve your
purpose through clear
communication.
Johnson Johnson’s
credo
Make your purpose
personal by showing
employees achieve it.
Johnson Johnson’s
personalized purpose
Desired reaction among high-quality applicants: “The organization
has a purpose I care about, and I can contribute to it.”
Source: Johnson Johnson; CEB analysis.
Johnson Johnson’s New Employment Brand
“Be Vital” Attributes:
■■ Applicant-centered
■■ Experience-oriented
■■ Increased focus on Credo values
How do we help
potential applicants
understand how
they can achieve the
organization’s purpose?
How do we enable
potential applicants to
believe they can achieve
the organization’s
purpose?

22
POLARIZING MESSAGES CAN MAKE FIT (VERY)
CLEAR
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Career “Planning” Not for Us
■ ■Formalized don’t try development to do it
is rarely effective, and we
■ ■e.g., Mentor multi-year
career assignment, paths, etc.
rotation around a firm, Share Email Embed Like Save Share
22 126
22
Netflix’s Polarizing Culture Statements
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Our High Performance Culture
Not Right for Everyone
■■ Many people love our culture, and stay a long time
–– They thrive on excellence and candor and change
–– They would be disappointed if given a severance
package, but lots of mutual warmth and respect
■■ Some people, however, value job security and stability
over performance, and don’t like our culture
–– They feel fearful at Netflix
–– They are sometimes bitter if let go, and feel we are a
political place to work
■■ We’re getting better at attracting only the former, and
helping the latter realize we are not right for them
Netflix publishes
messages about
organizational culture
that will appeal to some
candidates and dissuade
others.
■■ Polarizing messages are
more effective than broadly
positive or appealing
messages in helping
applicants consider their fit
with the organization.
Sample Online Responses
from Potential Candidates
“I’m a Health and Safety
Advisor within Local
Government (UK). Those
first few slides have stirred
something in me and I’ve
never wanted to work
somewhere as much as
I do at Netflix!”
“Having read this, I wouldn’t
want to work at Netflix
though I’m a high-performer.”
Source: http://hbr.org/2014/01/how-netflix-reinvented-hr/ar/1; CEB analysis.
38 126
38
Unlike Many Companies,
We Practice:
■■ Adequate performance gets a generous severance
package
22 126
22

23
FIT CAN BE WITH, AND WITHIN, YOUR
ORGANIZATION
Goldman Sachs’s Career Quiz
Goldman Sachs’
short pre-application
diagnostic helps potential
applicants consider
where they will best fit
within the organization.
■■ Potential applicants respond
to a series of short questions
about what types of projects
or activities they would like
to work on.
■■ The diagnostic uses the
answers to inform potential
applicants about which
types of roles at Goldman
Sachs would be best for
them.
■■ The diagnostic is an
informational tool only and
is not part of the formal
assessment process.
Question 7 of 14
Tech Turnaround
Your management consulting firm has a new client—a
technology company which has been losing money for
several years. Pundits have written off the company, but
your team believes it can help bring the business back to
profitability. What part of this engagement would you most
like to work on?
Performing an analysis of the company’s business
and operations.
Researching its competitors to see how they operate
more efficiently.
Writing the final report to the client
Your Best Matches
View Top 3 Matches
Executive Office
Compliance
Internal Audit
Legal
Services
Human Capital Management
Operations
Finance
Global Investment Research
Investment Banking
Investment Management
Merchant Banking
Securities
Source: http://www.goldmansachs.com/careers/why-goldman-sachs/explore-goldman-sachs-careers-quiz/; CEB analysis.

24
Create Messages
That Consult
Focus Branding on
Critical Talent
Build a Network of
Brand Influencers

25
MESSENGERS MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN CHANNELS
Importance of Brand Channels and Messengers
Relative Impact on Quality of Applicant Pool, Irrespective of Message Contenta
Promoting your brand is
a function of where the
brand is communicated
(i.e., channel) and the
person promoting the
brand (i.e., messenger).
■■ Messengers have more than
twice the impact on quality
of applicant pool compared
to channels.
100%
50%
0%
32%
68%
Channels Messengers
Examples:
■■ Careers Website
■■ LinkedIn
■■ Facebook
■■ Twitter
■■ Career Fairs
■■ Recruiting
Collateral
Examples:
■■ Recruiters
■■ Senior Leaders
■■ New Hires
■■ Hiring Managers
■■ Former Employees
■■ Industry Experts
n = 1,044.
a Messengers have an 79% relative impact on influence compared to the 21% relative impact of channels on influence.

26
RECRUITING A SMALL PART OF THE BRAND INFLUENCER
ECOSYSTEM
Recruiting is an
influential messenger,
but it is part of a broader
ecosystem of potential
influencers who have a
much greater impact on
applicant quality.
■■ Recruiting’s maximum
impact as an influential
messenger is 8% compared
to the 33% impact of other
messengers.
■■ Recruiting must overcome
challenges associated
with empowering different
groups of messengers to
optimize quality of applicant
pool.
Importance of Different Types of
Messengers, Irrespective of Message
Content
Maximum Impact on Quality of Applicant
Poola
Brand Influencers
8%
33%
Recruiting Brand Influencers
The General
Employee
Population
Recruiting’s Challenge: How do we
better equip the general employee
population to influence potential
applicants?
Brand
Detractors Recruiting’s Challenge: How do we
mitigate the destructive influence of
brand detractors (e.g., disgruntled
former employees)?
Brand
Ambassadors Recruiting’s Challenge: How do we
get the most influence out of our brand
ambassadors (e.g., senior leaders, new
hires, formal brand ambassadors)?
External
Influencers Recruiting’s Challenge: How do we
get the most influence out of our brand
ambassadors?
n = 1,044.
Source: CEB 2014 Employment Branding Effectiveness
Survey.
a Recruiting has a 19% maximum impact on influence,
whereas other messengers have a 41% maximum impact
on influence.
Note: See the Appendix, Philips’ External Influencers, to see how Philips identifies and partners
with external influencers in target functional areas to shape labor market perceptions
of the organization.

27
RESPONSE PROTOCOL FOR BRAND DETRACTORS
Decision Tree to Optimize Influence When Responding to Brand Detractors
BRAND DETRACTORS BRAND AMBASSADORS
Assess the
Platform
Assess the
Source
Assess the
Content
Respond
Accordingly
Do Not Respond
Register and learn from
the comment, but at
this point there is little
value in responding.
Respond
Describe that the experience is untrue
for your employment brand.
Example: Thank you for taking the time
to provide feedback. Our development
programs are at the core of our
organization’s motto, “Keep Learning”,
and are central to everything we do. Our
previous 4 Academies have achieved high
scores with formal learning environments
achieving 98% employee satisfaction.
Respond
Describe that the experience is
inconsistent with your employment
brand.
to provide feedback. We are dedicated
to ensuring our employees receive valued
professional development opportunities
in formal learning environments and to
achieve this we always welcome feedback
to improve the employee development
plans currently in place.
Respond
Highlight why the experience
described is true for your employment
brand.
to provide feedback. Our company
culture encourages on-the-job and
independent learning and therefore our
development programs are deliberately
framed around these learning techniques.
Is comment on a valid, reputable,
and high-traffic site?
Is the source likely to be influential
(e.g., long tenure at organization,
senior role)?
Is the comment consistent with
other comments?
Is the comment about a broad
(i.e., not isolated) employment
experience?
Is the comment plausible in your
organization?
Does the comment accurately
reflect your employment
experience?
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
N
N
N

28
TURN BRAND ADVOCATES INTO BRAND
INFLUENCERS
How Suncor Enables Brand Influencers
Suncor provides a group
of employees with
action-oriented training
and greater visibility to
potential applicants so
they can act as brand
influencers, not just
brand advocates.
■■ To help employees make
the transition from brand
advocate to brand influencer,
Suncor has created a
training session focused on
three influencer abilities:
verify, consult, and navigate.
■■ Once training is complete,
Suncor provides influencers
with greater visibility to
applicants, thereby helping
them reach high-quality
potential applicants in all
channels.
■■ Training employees to be
effective communicators
enables them to bring the
Suncor brand experience to
life when interacting with
applicants.
Who are Suncor’s Brand
Influencers?
■■ 150 brand influencers
■■ Nominated by business units
■■ Usually high-performers and
highly engaged
■■ Spread across critical talent
segments
■■ Mix of job levels
Fit Verification Model
Provide actionable
information about talent
needs so influencers can
verify preliminary fit, even
for roles with which they
are not familiar.
A. Verify The Applicant Will Thrive in Suncor’s Culture
Talent Needs
Suncor’s Values
1. Safety above all else.
2. Respect.
3. Raise the bar.
4. Commitments that matter.
5. Do the right thing.
Action Steps
Surface Behaviors that Indicate this
Value Mentions interest in sustainability
Participates in community service Seeking
a long-term career
B. Verify Whether the Applicant Is in a Critical Talent Segment
Talent Needs
Strategy-Critical Talent Segments
6. Petroleum Geologist
7. Power Engineers in Alberta
8. Women in Leadership
Action Steps
Consider Key Questions about Each Potential
Applicant Is the individual interested in a role as
a petroleum geologist? Does the individual have
experience (work or education) working as a
petroleum geologist?
Consultative Conversation
Framework
Teach brand influencers a
sales-inspired conversation
framework so that they
can deliver tailored
information based on
applicant need.
Three Steps to
Consultation
Step 1:
Diagnose Applicant Needs
by Probing Intelligently
Step 2:
Deliver Customized
Messages by Addressing
Preferences and Concerns
Step 3:
Enact a Plan for Further
Engagement by Providing
Next Steps
Objective of Step Understand the potential
applicant’s career interests and
concerns by probing intelligently
and empathetically.
Connect with the potential
applicant by explaining how
Suncor delivers on their career
preferences and dispelling
inaccurate concerns.
Help potential applicants
create an action plan for future
engagement with Suncor.
What’s At Risk if You
Get the Step Wrong
Teeing up the wrong
topics for the rest of the
conversation
Wasted applicant time,
effort, and goodwill if
messages don’t apply
to them
Wasted applicant time,
effort, and goodwill if
messages don’t apply
to them
Information Provided
in Training to Prepare
Influencers
Guidelines on how to ask
probing questions instead of
closed questions.
Inventory of messages about
Suncor that match different
applicant preferences.
Application information for
good fit applicants and alternate
opportunities list for poor fits.
Consultation Role Playing
Ask brand influencers to
practice interacting with
applicants in different
situations to gain
confidence navigating
difficult conversation
scenarios.
ROI for Brand Influencers
With a day invested in training and other time commitments kept to a minimum, Suncor’s brand influencers:
■■ Feel more engaged in the organization given the opportunity to help Suncor achieve its goals
■■ Are recognized informally by their managers and leaders of their business units for participation
■■ Expand their networks by interacting with potential applicants within their industry
Online Applicant
Engagement
Make influencers “always-on”
through social media
to leverage the power of
employee influence in all
channels.
Action-Oriented
Training
Greater Visibility
to Applicants
1. Verify 2. Consult 3. Navigate 4. Reach
Source: Suncor Energy; CEB analysis.
BRAND DETRACTORS BRAND AMBASSADORS

29
DEVELOP EMPLOYEES’ ABILITY TO TAILOR
MESSAGES TO APPLICANT NEED
Three Steps to
Consultation
Step 1:
Diagnose Applicant Needs
by Probing Intelligently
Step 2:
Deliver Customized
Messages by Addressing
Preferences and Concerns
Step 3:
Enact a Plan for Further
Engagement by Providing
Next Steps
Objective of Step Understand the potential
applicant’s career interests
and concerns by probing
intelligently and
empathetically.
Bring the Suncor brand to
life by explaining how
Suncor delivers on applicants’
career preferences and
dispelling inaccurate concerns.
Help potential applicants
create an action plan for future
engagement with Suncor.
Information Provided
in Training to Prepare
Influencers
Guidelines on how to ask
probing questions instead of
closed questions.
Inventory of messages about
Suncor that match different
Application information for
good fit applicants and alternate
opportunities list for poor fits.
Suncor’s Consultative Conversation Framework
Suncor teaches
influencers a sales-inspired
conversation
framework so that they
can deliver tailored
information based on
■■ Conducting a consultative
conversation that influences
potential applicants towards
their best career options
requires three main steps:
–– diagnosing need,
–– delivering customized
messages, and
–– enacting a plan for
further engagement.
■■ Suncor outlines the
process in a framework and
provides information to
support influencers in their
conversations.
Excerpt of Question Guidelines
■■ Always start questions with
wh- words.
■■ Use hypotheticals (if…then) to learn
about preferences.
■■ Don’t be afraid to talk about yourself
to gauge reactions.
Excerpt of Alternate Opportunities List
Applicants who need more experience
before applying should consider:
■■ Working for one of our contractors
(contact details below)
■■ Further education through a partner
institution
Excerpt of Message Inventory
If the applicant seems interested in
development opportunities, mention:
■■ Our Educational Assistance Plan
helps pay for the cost of courses.
■■ Our career roadmaps show
employees how to upgrade
their skills on the job.
■■ [INSERT YOUR OWN STORY]
Source: Suncor Energy; CEB analysis.
Teaching employees the
consultative conversation
framework represents a majority
of the brand influencer training. BRAND DETRACTORS BRAND AMBASSADORS

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