Employee Interviews Shift Company from 'We're Hiring' to Consistent Employer Brand
We had been working together for a couple of years when I introduced Chris Freeman at XPERTECHS to employee experience interviews as a recruitment marketing tactic. As someone involved in recruiting and hiring, Chris was open to trying a marketing approach to attract and engage potential job candidates. I explained that these interviews uncover employer value and create engagement in a way that job postings alone can't. Chris was all in.
The testimonials and insights that come from interviewing individual team members enable XPERTECHS to maintain a consistent employer brand presence. Chris uses the testimonials on one-pagers for career fairs and in recruiting communications. Every week I turn them into social posts that promote the company as an employer year-round, regardless of specific job openings. I also wrote a series of blog posts describing what it's like to work in different departments, giving candidates deeper insight into company culture and day-to-day work.
A Conversation with Chris Freeman, Operations Manager at XPERTECHS
How valuable have the employee testimonials and marketing assets been for you?
They continue to be very valuable, especially since we've been doing more career fairs each year. It provides a way for young professionals to find out what people are actually saying about working here, and I think that's crucial. It's great for prospective employees to hear from current employees about what the job is really like. I remember when I was coming out of school and looking, I wanted to hear what the people that work at a company had to say.
How have the blog posts about what it's like to work in different departments added value to your recruiting process?
I think the narratives take job candidates to the next step. You get a glance at what somebody's saying in a testimonial, but then you get to read about the day-to-day of what that person's doing and dive into the culture of the company. You get the full story versus just a quote about a single thing. That ties it all together and helps them make that final decision—yeah, I want to work with XPERTECHS.
What has stood out to you about the process of me talking with your employees?
Everybody enjoys talking to you. A lot of them have never met you before. You get some of these technicians that can be a little reluctant, but you help them feel more relaxed after a few minutes.
I tell our employees it's just a discussion, not an interview. You have a conversation with them, and I think that helps people loosen up.
Have you experienced any surprise benefits from the work we've done in recruitment marketing?
Leadership gets to see what employees are saying, and it gives them insight they wouldn't normally get. They'll read something and think, "Oh, I never thought so-and-so would say that." It's a form of feedback that's really valuable.
