An Employer Branding Specialist is a professional responsible for enhancing a company’s reputation as an employer to attract, engage, and retain top talent. Bridging the divide between marketing and human resources (HR), this role focuses on developing and executing employer branding strategies—rather than direct hiring—to shape how potential employees perceive the company.
Key responsibilities of the employer branding specialist
Developing and executing employer branding strategies
Employer branding specialists develop comprehensive strategies that showcase an organization’s unique identity as an employer. They collaborate with business leaders to identify core values and workplace attributes that attract potential employees. Then, they transform these insights into cohesive messaging across job postings, career pages, and recruitment marketing materials that resonate with the target talent market.
These specialists work closely with HR and marketing teams to integrate employer branding into the company’s brand strategy. Ideally, this will create a consistent and seamless candidate experience that mirrors the brand messaging throughout recruitment.
Content creation for career pages and social media
Employer branding specialists collaborate with marketing and HR teams to review and optimize job postings, career websites, social media channels, and other materials to ensure they reflect the employer brand. They may also create or partner with an in-house or third-party creative team to develop employee spotlight videos, blog posts, and social media campaigns highlighting company culture.
Through strategic content creation, employer branding specialists transform abstract company values into tangible stories that help potential candidates envision themselves as part of the organization. For example, the Swedish company Oatly, which manufactures oat milk beverages, uses its career page and social media platforms to post off-beat and fun content to attract talent who align with its progressive values. The Academy to Innovate HR noted that Oatly’s “career page aligns neatly with who they present to consumers: cheeky and pushing boundaries.”
Required skills and qualifications
- Content creation and social media management. Experience in writing and video production (or ability to direct internal or external creative teams) and managing employer branding campaigns.
Managing online presence and reputation
Employer branding specialists help determine how potential employees perceive their company online. This is a crucial part of their role, as a potential employer’s reputation matters to most job seekers. According to a Glassdoor poll, 86% of job seekers are “likely to research company reviews and ratings when deciding where to apply for a job.”
Managing a company’s online reputation involves curating its presence on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, and other employer review sites. Employer branding specialists respond to employees’ comments about and reviews of their experience working at the company and engage with candidates on social platforms. They may answer candidates’ questions or respond to complaints in ways that showcase the company’s values.
Required skills and qualifications
- Marketing and branding expertise. Knowledge of brand positioning and storytelling, as well as digital marketing skills.
Organizing and promoting recruitment events
Employer branding specialists also plan career fairs, networking events, and campus recruiting initiatives to spread awareness of the employer brand. In some industries, partnering with universities (including university alumni associations) to increase employer brand awareness is a key element of the job.
For companies that seek recent college graduates for entry-level positions, developing a meaningful, long-term presence on campus is essential. “Employers damage their talent pipeline at colleges and universities when they don’t maintain their reputation with students or their connections to the schools,” according to an article on Gen Z recruiting by the Society of Human Resources Management.
Regardless of where the recruitment event takes place, employer branding specialists maintain consistency across all recruitment touchpoints—whether a job application portal or a career fair—to create a unified candidate experience.
Required skills and qualifications
- Recruitment and HR strategy. Understanding of hiring trends, talent acquisition strategies, and candidate engagement.
Collaborating with HR and marketing teams
Employer branding specialists work closely with HR and marketing departments to create unified recruitment strategies and present a cohesive image to customers and potential employees.
- Human resources. Employer branding specialists meet regularly with HR teams to understand hiring needs, candidate profiles, and recruitment challenges to ensure that employer branding efforts support talent acquisition goals.
- Marketing. Specialists also partner with marketing colleagues to maintain consistency between the company’s consumer and employer brands, sharing resources and expertise to strengthen both. They participate in cross-departmental planning sessions to coordinate messaging across recruitment campaigns, company announcements, and external communications.
Required skills and qualifications
- Strong communication and collaboration skills. Ability to work cross-functionally with HR and marketing teams.
Analyzing employer perception and industry trends
Employer branding specialists regularly assess how the company is perceived as an employer, stay informed about industry trends, and plan for the future. They design and conduct surveys to gather feedback from current employees, job candidates, and sometimes even former employees. This information helps them understand what people like about working for the company and what could be improved.
They also monitor key hiring metrics, such as the number of job applicants and the time it takes to fill positions. Additionally, these specialists track the performance of the company’s recruitment-related social media posts, focusing on the number of likes, shares, and comments.
By analyzing this data, employer branding specialists can identify areas where the company’s image as an employer is strong and where it needs work. This ongoing analysis allows them to adjust their employer brand strategies to better attract and retain talent in an ever-changing job market.
Required skills and qualifications
- Data analysis and performance metrics. Ability to track employer brand performance, engagement rates, and recruitment marketing return on investment (ROI).
Employer branding specialist vs. other HR recruiting roles
Employer branding specialists are not recruiters or talent acquisition managers, although they can work closely with them.
- Recruiters. Recruiters focus on filling job vacancies, while employer branding specialists work on long-term brand positioning to attract top talent.
- Talent acquisition managers. These managers develop hiring strategies and manage recruitment teams, while employer branding specialists focus on enhancing employer reputation and candidate engagement.
FAQs
What does an employer branding specialist do?
They enhance a company’s reputation as an employer through content creation, social media management, and recruitment marketing.
What skills are needed to be an employer branding specialist?
Marketing, content creation, recruitment strategy, social media management, and data analysis.
What are the preferred certifications for employer branding specialists?
Certifications show employers a dedication to the HR profession and advanced knowledge and skills. Preferred certifications for employer branding specialists are the Society for Human Resource Management’s Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) or Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) and TalentView’s Employer Branding Professional (EBP).
How does employer branding impact hiring?
A strong employer brand attracts high-quality candidates, reduces hiring costs, and improves employee retention.
How is an employer branding specialist different from a recruiter?
Recruiters focus on filling open positions, while employer branding specialists work on long-term talent attraction strategies.
Which industries and organizations need employer branding specialists?
Strong employer branding benefits the tech, healthcare, and finance industries, as well as startups and multinational corporations.
Spend time where it counts
Organizations aiming to expand into foreign markets may focus on building an employer brand that resonates in the new market rather than sinking time into establishing a legal entity. To free up resources, they can collaborate with a global employer of record (EOR) to handle HR-related administrative and compliance tasks in over 185 countries. Contact Velocity Global to learn more.
