Defining your Employer Value Proposition
If you work with us to define your Employer Value Proposition (EVP), we’ll leave you:
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Immediately able to attract candidates better
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With a solid foundation to grow your reputation as an employer
We see an EVP as a narrative that spells out the perception of your organisation, as an employer, that you want to influence people towards.
And we will define an EVP for you that is:
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Distinctive – you have something to say that is different, from the competition
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Attractive – you have something to say that is relevant to the needs of your audience
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Realistic – you aren’t making promises you can’t keep, and giving useful context
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Consistent – you won’t be sending scattergun, or potentially confusing messages
That means that, from Day 1 with your new EVP, every job listing, every job description, every setting the scene discussion can focus on the topics that you know will be the right ones for the right people.
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And it means that as you think about your careers site, your social media presence, each part of your candidate experience, you have the messaging, the evidence and the language to draw on that you know will influence people towards you.
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Your EVP is a hugely powerful tool, and we will help you get maximum value from it.
EVP Definition:
How we find what's Distinctive, Attractive, Realistic and Consistent
Employers find it ever harder to attract the right people and skills to their organisation.
By working with us to define your employer value proposition, you will feel confident in your clear position in the market. You will have a point of difference that reflects your reality. Your EVP won't be samey. It won't be detached from the exisiting brand, mission or values of your organisation. It will be all about the the real experiences of the people that work for you.
You will therefore be able to recruit more easily, more quickly or more cheaply.
Instead of… A disconnected brand.
We’ll ensure…your EVP is congruent with your overall brand
Instead of… Lack of true insight.
We’ll ensure…you show what is most meaningful to your people
Instead of… Lack of relevance.
We’ll ensure…you talk in the terms that your target audience responds to
Instead of… A boring brand.
We’ll ensure… you avoid cliché, fluff and sameness
What we'll do
Every employer is different in existing insight and issues they face – so the programme is different for everyone.
Our conversations are likely to include, stakeholder involvement, review of existing material, focus groups, interviews, and survey.
What we will uncover
•how strategy, vision, values and culture influence your employer brand
•what’s truly different about working for you
•what your candidates think about you; what they do and don’t know
•the language and terms that are unique to your organisation
What it might cost
As an example prices, for our planning, listening, reporting, by size of organisation
Up to 250 people: £2,000 - £3,000
Up to 1,000 people: c£4,000
Up to 2,500 people: c£6,000
What you'll get:
Your EVP in summary:
A statement and brand model demonstrating uniqueness
Your EVP in long-form:
A structured narrative that brings together your points of difference
Your evidence pool:
The sources, data and sentiment to draw on to prove difference
Your audience priorities:
Demonstrating what should be emphasised for different segments
EVP CASE STUDY: Active Care Group
"It's not what I expected ... but I recognise our organisation in it. It feels balanced, it's the reality, it's honest"
"There's so much positive messaging in this"
"This IS what our people say"
"There's some lovely language, it picks up on the small things we do too"
Active Care Group wanted to develop their Employer Value Proposition.
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Care is a hard sector in which to recruit and retain staff. Society hugely values the work carers do. It is hard, demanding, relentless, and important, yet often less well-paid than more menial roles.
So, ACG wanted to give people the real insight into their organisation, and strong reasons why people should consider them, and then commit to them.
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It wasn’t the most straightforward project – this is a busy organisation. They had to work this in amongst other priorities, and that meant the work took longer than it might, and it meant we didn’t get to speak to as many, or as varied groups of, people as we would have liked.
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That made good research design even more important, and methods – like chat rooms rather than video groups – to ensure we got the most from every piece of listening.
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We listened hard to every insight we got, we drew on previous experiences within and without the sector, and we added a testing phase to enable us to move more quickly to final delivery.
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That all got us to a brand model, pillars and a narrative – to which we received the above comments.
And it’s not just some abstract strapline. It’s clear direction on messaging to candidates about what it's like to be here, what you can gain, the reason why you should (and shouldn't) consider this job – all linked to the behaviours that ACG expect from every employee.
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That proposition is now being developed by ACG’s creative agency. We can’t wait to see what this looks like when it goes live.
What should you invest in defining your EVP?
And why?
Let’s not beat around the bush – creating an EVP is going to cost time and money.
It’s going to need the involvement of your staff, potentially quite a lot of them.
So, you’ll want to know that investment is worth it, that the outputs improve your ability to attract, hire, engage and retain the best people for your organisation.
You’ve got four choices:
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Continue as you are
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Do it yourself
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Bring in a pro
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Go large
If you continue as you are, you’ll get the same results. If it’s tough to recruit, if you don’t get the right people coming through, if you’re not finding a good cultural fit when people start, then it’ll remain so.
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So, let’s look at your other options:
Do It Yourself - A Functional EVP
COST
None!
TIME
A good chunk – and seeing as it’s probably your first rodeo, it’s going to take longer
OTHER STAFF TIME
As much or as little as you like – but given that you haven’t done this often you’ll probably involve more people to ensure belt and braces.
EFFECTIVENESS
One of the hardest things to do for yourself is ensure objectivity: “You can’t read the label if you’re in the jar”.
There’s a risk that you won’t get to the most distinctive, attractive, realistic or consistent expression of who you are.
Bring in a Pro - An Expertly Researched EVP
COST
Some!
But it might not be as much as you think.
For an organisation of up to £250 people, prices start from £2000.
TIME
As the price suggests, we’re not spending weeks with you, and neither are we keeping you waiting for weeks either.
There’s no reason why you can’t activate your new EVP within a few weeks
OTHER STAFF TIME
Again, as much or as little as you like. The more people we can speak to the more robust the findings will be. But that’s not always easy, or necessary.
You’ll already have a lot of the insights and data we may need, we’ll work that hard!
EFFECTIVENESS
We’ve created EVPs for dozens of organisations – giving them the evidenced narrative and language that they can immediately take to their target audiences.
They can begin improving their employer marketing the next day.
Go Large - An Expertly Researched and Segmented EVP
COST
More!
You’re going to take this option if you’re bigger or more complex as an organisation. That means that there are more facets to understand, and that naturally means more cost.
TIME
It's going to take longer to understand all the different sides of you, but we can still move rapidly.
It may take more than a month, but there’s no reason we can’t get to a great place in 2-3 months.
OTHER STAFF TIME
It's likely we’ll need to hear directly from many people to understand all of the nuances that apply in different roles or territories or functions.
We’ll work with you to find the right balance of investment of time vs value of the outputs.
EFFECTIVENESS
As well as the evidenced narrative for the entire organisation, we can also show how to best communicate with all of your segments too. And we can show ways to activate and continually evidence your brand too.
It's the foundation of a complete employer marketing plan.