Key Employer Branding Stats for 2023: What Candidates Want to See

Do you know what candidates think about your company? If you are unsure what your employer brand is, you could miss out on great hires.

An employer brand is a company’s reputation among current or potential employees. If you have a negative employer brand and a job seeker looks up your company, they may reconsider applying, especially in today’s candidate-centric job market. But how do you build a strong employer brand that resonates with the best candidates?

In iHire’s What Candidates Want: 2023 Job Seeker Report, we asked 600 candidates aged 18+ and of all types of employment statuses how and where they interact with a potential employer’s brand. Keep reading to see our findings and get employer branding strategies to make your business stand out.

How Candidates Interact With Your Employer Brand – A Snapshot

• 76.0% of candidates research the hiring company “always” or “most of the time” before applying
• 64.8% visit a company’s website to do research
• 64.7% said employee reviews/testimonials were critical in their research
• 37.5% said a company’s reputation as a good place to work/the company culture was important when looking for a job
• 69.5% would be or might be less likely to interact with a brand if they don’t hear back after applying

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How Job Seekers Are Researching Your Company

Are job seekers really researching your company before applying? If you read the bullet points above, you know the answer is a resounding “yes” most of the time. And as you can see in the chart below, only 5.7% of candidates said they “never” research a hiring company before applying. Or, to put it another way, 94.3% of job seekers research a hiring company at least some of the time. So, you need to be sure they come away with an accurate and positive impression of your company when they do look into you.

The best way to do that is to meet them where they’re looking. The most common place job seekers go to research a potential employer is the company’s website, and that space gives you the most freedom to express your brand. But you shouldn’t only be focusing on your website; many job seekers also want to interact with you on social media.

When asked what resources they use to research a company, LinkedIn was the second-most popular choice at 35.3%, followed by Facebook at 33.2%. YouTube (25.1%), Instagram (24.7%), TikTok (18.4%), and Twitter (14.7%) were also popular options. And if the job board you use lets you create a company profile, be sure to take advantage of it. 28.4% of job seekers said they check company profiles.

How to Build a Strong Employer Brand

So, what are the most influential ways to build a positive employer brand? According to job seekers, most want to see testimonials or reviews from current employees. And remember, 37.5% of candidates said a reputation as a good place to work and the company culture is important to them, so make sure those testimonials mention the culture.

50.0% of candidates also said customer reviews were important, along with positive new articles (35.5%) and awards recognizing the workplace culture (25.3%). If you can showcase those on your website or social channels, your brand will be in a great spot.

Don’t Forget to Communicate

Finally, a key aspect of your employer brand is how you communicate with candidates who have applied to your open positions. Almost 70% said they might not or would not interact with a brand at all if they applied to an open position and didn’t hear back. You don’t need to craft a personalized reply to every single candidate, but sending a templatized “thank you” can be enough in the initial stages. After that, you should consider a tailored response.

If you keep these stats in mind when trying to build a strong employer brand, you’re much more likely to attract the best candidates to your jobs. Head to our Employer Resource Center for more tips on employer branding, and download the full What Candidates Want: 2023 Job Seeker Report to get more insights into what job seekers expect when they apply to your company.