Branding: It's Not Just for Cattle Anymore

The New York Times recently highlighted an ad inviting software engineers to join a company whose recruiting brand included a signing bonus of "a years supply of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer” and a pair of “skinny jeans.”

According to the Times, the hiring managers crowed at their results: Number of resumes submitted doubled. It's seems to me all this celebrating might have been a little premature. 

While this ad generated more leads, the underlying message could be “Only Skinny Drinkers Need Apply.”  My questions about this brand:

• Did new hires arrive with a track record of producing results? 
• What about hidden costs?—Downtime as new hires calculate how many beers they could drink and still fit into their skinny jeans?)
• Were highly qualified candidates put off by the tone of the brand?

Although I was dragged kicking and screaming into developing my own brand —“A savvy HR pro who Brings Practical Insights to the Workplace” —I am now a believer. As a recruiter, I coach companies and candidates that adopting a distinctive brand is key to hiring and being hired in the age of social media.

I helped a Silicon Valley biotech company develop their recruiting brand —“Working with Smart People, Doing Cutting-Edge Work,” The brand grew out of interviews with top performers who said the draw of the company was:

1.     Smart colleagues

2.     Challenging work

3.     No politics and no (what they called) “organizational BS.”

To avoid having this brand backfire by being read  “Prima Donnas and Curmudgeons Encouraged to Apply,” I cautioned the company to include job requirements such as proven ability to work with teams and skill sets associated with product development in its job descriptions.  

Tip: Be Sure Key Job Requirements for Success on the Job Match Your Company Brand!