Let's be clear. You don't create an employer brand.
You already have one. It lives in the minds of your employees, ex-employees, and those applying to work with you. It's what they say about your company when you're not in the room.
So the real question isn't whether you've built one, but whether you're managing it or letting Glassdoor do it for you.
Too often, employer brand is mistaken for a recruitment marketing campaign. A few lines of aspirational copy on a careers site, a short video, a stock photo of someone pretending to laugh on a beanbag—the list goes on. Then the box is ticked, and everyone moves on.
But here's the issue. If your internal reality doesn't match the external message, it doesn't matter how well-crafted your creative is. People will see right through it as their BS filter is strong and well-tuned. And when that happens, you don't just lose credibility- you lose trust.
You can usually spot the disconnect a mile off. The EVP sounds like it was written by a corporate comms team, not something your employees would ever say. The careers page promises flexibility while employees gripe about always being on and the guilt it brings. The glowing LinkedIn post from leadership doesn't hold truck with the tidal wave of negative reviews online.
Then there's the silence. When the people who know your company best, your employees, aren't willing to share your content or refer a friend, that tells its own bleak story.
This isn't about blaming companies. It's about shifting how we think about employer brand entirely.
A strong employer brand doesn't start with messaging. It begins with listening. What do people experience inside the business? What do they value? What would they change? You have to go inward before you can look outward.
That's the diagnosis. From there, you build a strategy. One that aligns the reality with the ambition. One that defines who you are as an employer and what you want to be known for — not just internally but in the broader talent market.
Only then do you start to shape the creative—not before. Great employer branding isn't about a catchy strapline. It's about consistency. The story you tell has to match the experience people have once they walk through the door.
And here's the kicker: you don't need to shout when you get that alignment right. Your people will do the talking for you. Authentically.
So, no, you don't create an employer brand. You live it, earn it, and manage it.
And if you don't, someone else will.
