What are the best practices for creating a compelling employer value proposition (EVP)?

We've found that the following is incredibly important: Authentic Leadership Competitive compensation Market leading benefits Trust and honesty Positive working environment

Employees want to work for an organisation whose core values align with their own. Sharing your story and the initiatives you have in place both externally and internally demonstrate what makes your organisation unique.

Your EVP should demonstrate your integrity, intent and willingness to commit to your employees. For employees, it's more important than ever to align their personal values with any organisation they might consider working for. Your EVP is your chance to demonstrate your commitment to the community and sustainability in the wider world.

💙 To define an employer value proposition, you need to consider the following factors: Your target audience: Who are you trying to attract with your EVP? What are their needs and wants? Your company's unique selling proposition (USP): What makes your company different from the competition? Your company culture: What kind of work environment do you want to create? Your company's values: What are the things that are most important to your company?

Too often, it becomes about ticking the boxes for the HR leadership and C-suite and not about the core function of an Employer Value Proposition - and calling it by its acronym is a pretty good sign that it is off-target. Potential new team members seldom make a choice of employer as their primary criteria - once past the basics of role, location, and income, then it becomes about a compelling story, not a bullet point list - yes, outline the core three to five messages that you want to convey, and then hand it over to marketing to create a message that will resonate...and then choose where to insert this into the talent acquisition process to gain the maximum benefit for both the employer and the candidate.

I can't stress this enough: by embracing the principles of hyper-personalised recruitment marketing and integrating them into your EVP development, you're not just attracting talent; you're engaging them on a deeply personal level. This future-forward approach positions your company as a leader in talent attraction, ready to meet the expectations of today's and tomorrow's workforce! 👋

An EVP defines the essence of your company — it’s what your organization stands for in the eyes of your employees. It encompasses the benefits, opportunities, and culture that your company offers in exchange for the skills, capabilities, and experiences employees bring. An effective EVP should reflect the unique aspects of your culture and what differentiates you from competitors. It includes aspects like career development opportunities, work-life balance, company values, and the overall work environment. Clear and consistent communication of your EVP is crucial for it to resonate with both current employees and prospective candidates.

Emphasis on career development Strong company culture, trust and support. Competitive compensation and benefits. Work-life balance.

Think of an EVP as a salesperson's USP (unique selling proposition). It should be unique and not something everyone else could say. An EVP is a differentiator. It is the value for the employee that sets you apart from other employers. It should not be vague. "Making an impact" is a common bad EVP because not only is it vague but also everyone else could say this. It comes down to why should someone work for your specific company or department as opposed to anyone else who is also posting similar roles. Each department could have their own EVPs. For example, an IT department could give employees experience with new cutting-edge technology. Don't think that there are only corporate-level EVPs that everyone must use.

Creating an EVP is a process that cannot be done by a few HR or marketing people sitting in a room trying to toot the company's horn and embellish a slogan or a tagline from the boardroom. It is extremely important to have an executive team buy-in to do this. It starts with understanding your current state. What do existing employees like most about the company through internal assessments, surveys, and interviews? What are the 'not-so-good' parts of the company offering? Quantify so the executive team can make conscious business decisions. Create EVP based on the differentiations you identified for the different audience segments. EVP cannot be just words but something that defines and differentiates the organization from its competitors.

Conduct surveys, with internal employees and employees of your competitors. Understand what employees value int he workplace and also how your competitor's employees view your organisation. Define your brand, not by buzzwords, but what your company really stands for. Offer unique benefits - what makes your company stand out in the market from the lens of an employee. Align that with your company strategy - your people drive your goals, so they must align. Segment your target audience by what drives them. Some value flexible work, some value extra leave, some value further education opportunities or career advancement. Design an effective communication strategy that then delivers a compelling EVP to the right people.

To create an EVP for your organisation you need to determine the company goals,collect feedback from current employees through questionnaires etc,draft your EVP and discuss,align your current practices with the EVP,communicate your EVP to the rest of the organisation,embed your EVP in your corporate culture and assess your EVP for success.

Having a framework that looks at all of your HR strategies and practices will allow you to see where you are as an organisation, not where you think you are. This will allow you to focus on areas of strength and growth and define the areas where you need to focus your resources.

Asking others!! It's an important step in defining your EVP because it helps you get a different perspective on your company. Your employees, customers, and other stakeholders can tell you what they value about your company and what they would like to see more of. This feedback can help you to create an EVP that is truly valuable to your target audience. Here are some specific questions that you can ask others to help you define your EVP: What do you value most about working for our company? What could we do to make our company a better place to work? What are your expectations of our company? What do you think our company stands for? What kind of impact do you want our company to have on the world?

I've found that the strongest EVPs are built around 6 core values: 1. Care: Prioritise the well-being of employees and clients. 2. Interest: Offer stimulating and meaningful roles. Candidates seek purpose in their work. 3. Social: Balance professional focus with social events and charitable activities. 4. Economic: Competitive pay and additional benefits like bonuses, work discounts, and job security. Economic value extends beyond base salary. 5. Development: Invest in employee growth through training and career advancement opportunities. Testimonials from current staff can underscore this value. 6. Application: Allow employees to apply their skills and knowledge meaningfully. Offer avenues for them to mentor and coach others.

I recommend going to the people in the department which you are hiring. If I was hiring a Java programmer, I would go to the other developers and ask them "Why did you come to work for us?" and "What makes you stay?" I would also ask, "If a highly regarded peer in your profession reached out to you and asked 'Why should I work for your company/manager/department?' – what would you say?" You could ask, "What do you like most about your job?" or "What have you found here that you haven't found in your past employment?" Your own employees are an excellent source of some of the best selling points of the company, department, and job. They will tell you what value you are providing as an employer to employees.

One approach to create an effective EVP is to conduct focus group interviews with employees at different levels and depts. By engaging in open and honest conversations, these interviews can provide valuable insights into what employees value most about working for the organization. This feedback can then be used to shape the EVP, ensuring it resonates with the target audience. In addition to focus group interviews, it is essential to consider the perspectives of the C-Suite executives. Their insights and vision for the company can contribute to crafting an EVP that aligns with the overall business strategy and goals. However, it is crucial to highlight the key differentiators that set the company apart from competitors.

Can you create an EVP? Or can you only communicate the reality of EVP is? I think its the later surely we should only be amplifying the existing culture and if that doesn't attract the right candidates we need to look at changing how we do things internally

I think it's important that people creating an EVP don't confuse what they want their EVP to be versus what it actually is. Don't start making things up because it sounds good. You want people to join your company and think 'wow, this company does exactly what it says on the tin'. Be honest, talk about where you are, what you're working on, and what your goals are. You'll soon be found out if you don't tell the truth. It's also really valuable for you as a business to see where the growth opportunities are, after a deep analysis.

Here are 2 good examples of an EVP! Google: "We are a company that grows fast by helping our people grow fast." This EVP highlights Google's commitment to employee development and growth. This EVP is likely to appeal to candidates who are looking for a company that will help them grow both professionally and personally. Amazon: "We are working to be Earth's most customer-centric company." This EVP highlights Amazon's commitment to customer service. This EVP is likely to appeal to candidates who are passionate about customer service and who want to work for a company that is making a difference in the world.

Building trust with employees through being honest and sharing the business objectives and investing in internal relationships will drive the organisation forward and support employees by creating a sense of loyalty, belonging and engagement. Your business has a story to tell and your employees are of vital importance to this story and its journey.

Having a document that is continuously updated is a great place to start. You could use a tool like Notion to create a playbook which is easy to share with, not only colleagues and stakeholders, but future candidates within recruitment processes too. Make it part of every process - send out the link to everyone you deal with. Put it at the bottom of your email signature so that people can browse what you're all about. Make sure the link is in the bio of your company social media pages. And make sure you review it regularly and hold yourself accountable for upholding your values.

The best way to communicate an EVP is to embody it every day internally and then ask your employees about it. Capture this is written and video form and include the in job descriptions, LinkedIn posts and on the careers website. Refresh regularly

EVP is a branding tool. It means that external usage is always a priority (without diminishing the importance of using these values within the company). Every external campaign not only needs to broadcast the pillars but it also should be built on them. ➔ Post on social media? Be sure that it supports the values or at least doesn’t contradict them. ➔ Video interview or promotional video about the company? Don’t forget to spotlight the values in your script. ➔ Meetup or a conference? Integrate activities that could show your company’s values. Long story short, the EVP must be used in your work daily. Such an approach will help you to strengthen the company’s image and hire people that will match your culture.

Communicating our EVP effectively is key to attracting and retaining top talent. Here's how we can ensure our EVP shines through at every touchpoint: Incorporate our EVP messaging into job postings and recruitment campaigns to showcase what sets us apart. Feature our EVP prominently on our career website and across social media platforms to reach a wider audience and engage potential candidates. Infuse job descriptions with elements of our EVP to give candidates a clear understanding of the unique benefits of working with us. Encourage employees to share their experiences authentically, highlighting how our EVP aligns with their own career journeys.

Strengthening your EVP can lead to these 8 things ✨ 1. Increase employee engagement 2. Create a peak employee experience that employees will always remember 3. Build a work environment of belonging, inclusion, and community 4. Foster a sense of accomplishment and success for all employees 5. Encourage employees to innovate Improve morale and decrease conflict 6. Strengthen your organization’s bonds, values, and vision 7. Boost productivity 8. Build a positive workplace culture where employees thrive Credit: OC Tanner

What gets measured gets managed - is that the saying? There's 3 key areas to look at: 1. Employee engagement: This is a measure of how engaged employees are in their work. It can be measured by surveys, interviews, and focus groups. 2. Employee turnover: This is a measure of how many employees leave the company each year. It can be calculated by dividing the number of employees who leave by the total number of employees. 3. Employee absenteeism: This is a measure of how many days employees are absent from work each year. It can be calculated by dividing the number of days employees are absent by the total number of days worked.

Unfortunately, there isn't a single metric to demonstrate EVP success. However, tracking effectiveness is possible! Measure it throughout the candidate and employee journey with various approaches. You can use surveys at different stages: 🔸 Company awareness research: Large external surveys every 1-2 years to estimate awareness and candidate perceptions. 🔸 Candidate survey: After job interviews, candidates are surveyed about their associations with Semrush. 🔸 New hire survey: Given to newcomers in their first week for associations with the company. 🔸 Employee survey: Created for those working with us for 3-6-12 months, focusing on associations.

Having measurable and actionable benchmarking data, allows you to assess, evolve and succeed when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. Comparing your HR practices year on year and being able to measure your people strategy with your peers and competitors provides a path from best practices to future practices.

We host focus groups with candidates and ask them what they think. If they can't explain what your EVP is then its not clear enough. We also like to find out what they think of careers pages, job descriptions and job titles

Couple of ideas below: Metrics to Measure EVP Success: Employee Engagement: Track engagement scores and feedback through surveys and regular pulse checks. Employee Retention: Monitor turnover rates and exit interview data to understand why employees leave. Candidate Attraction: Measure the quality and volume of applicants, and analyze the conversion rate from application to hire. Employer Brand Perception: Conduct brand perception surveys and monitor social media sentiment to gauge how your EVP is perceived externally. Internal Mobility: Track the rate of internal promotions and lateral moves to understand how well your EVP supports career growth.

You can save time and leverage AI! Here’s an example prompt: “Based on X company glassdoor reviews, company LinkedIn profile, and X websites, how would you describe and improve our EVP?” Its crazy how much time you can save by effective prompting. What a great skill to develop!

Purpose-built employee recognition practices mean that employees can choose from a range of benefits which work best for them. Employers need to personalise the employee experience and embrace conversations with employees and allow them to choose and shape their experiences.

Improving our EVP is an ongoing task, along with keeping it relevant to our employees and potential hires. Here's how we can do it: Keep track of what's happening inside and outside our organization, such as our goals, what our employees and candidates want, and what our competitors are doing. Listen to feedback from our employees and candidates and use it to ensure our EVP is engaging and unique.