A buoyant brand will attract top talent

Make your company irresistible to fantastic employees

I was pleasantly amused by the news recently when sandwich shop Pret A Manger and recruitment consultancy Grad Touch both hit the headlines for expressing their unique brands.

Generally, I find most news stories that relate to social media are negative. But Pret came up top trumps when they turned a customer complaint tweet into a friendly fish-themed exchange. For example, one of Pret’s replies used Jay-Z’s song 99 Problems, “I’ve got 99 problems but the fish ain’t one.”

The story not only came in HR Grapevine but also featured in the national press including the Telegraph. All of this positive attention is going to help create a great reputation for Pret which is bound to make it appealing to potential new recruits. Everyone needs something to smile about in blue January.

Pret really have garnered themselves a great reputation for adding the human touch to their social media. I stumbled across this story where Pret are used as an example of a brand that responds instantly to queries. They are taking part in a conversation with customers and effectively making themselves not only a place to pick up sandwiches but are now a company with a personality.

Now, it may seem easy for a big chain to invest in social media but regional recruitment consultancy Grad Touch also found a fun way to reach out to millennials. Grad Touch parodied Adele’s video to her recent pop hit Hello. I think this really works well as they are talking to millennials using their language. To me it shows a company that understands the frustrations of its candidates. Empathy being a truly important emotion when it comes to highs and lows of job wins and losses.

But one story did have me frowning slightly although I think it’s partly due to cultural differences. A recruitment firm in Korea has its employees stage their own funerals in a bid to make them appreciate their lives. I’m not quite sure if this is the type of exercise that will encourage people to apply to work with this firm but I can see that there intention is to help employees.

So, when it comes to brand personalities make yours an appealing one so that when it comes to filling positions you can take your pick of the best candidates.

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