How to build an effective employer branding strategy

What is employer branding (and why it matters for technical hiring)

Employer branding is how current and potential employees perceive your company as a place to work. It’s your reputation in the talent market, shaped by everything from your career page and job postings to Glassdoor reviews and what your employees say on LinkedIn.

For technical hiring, employer branding matters even more. Engineers and AI professionals are in high demand, and they have options. Universum’s 2025 research found that 73% of U.S. talent leaders rank engineers as their most challenging profile to hire, a steep jump from 31% the year before. When competition is this fierce, your brand can be the deciding factor.

Define your employer value proposition (EVP)

Your employer value proposition is the foundation of your employer brand. It’s the answer to a simple question: why should someone want to work here?

A strong EVP goes beyond salary and benefits. Gartner’s research shows that an effective EVP addresses what candidates and employees actually value: career development opportunities, company culture, work-life balance, and alignment with organizational mission and values.

For technical talent specifically, think about what makes your engineering environment distinctive. Do you work on interesting problems? Is there room to grow into technical leadership without moving into management? What’s your approach to learning and development? These are the details that resonate with AI and engineering candidates.

To build your EVP, start by talking to your current employees. Ask them why they joined, why they stay, and what they’d tell a friend about working at your company. Look for patterns — those recurring themes become the core of your value proposition.

Audit your current employer brand

Before you can improve your employer brand, you need to understand how it’s currently perceived. The gap between what you think your brand communicates and what candidates actually experience can be significant.

Start with Glassdoor. Glassdoor’s research shows that 83% of job seekers research company reviews and ratings before deciding where to apply. They read an average of six reviews before forming an opinion. What are candidates seeing when they look you up?

Then check your LinkedIn presence, your career page, and your job postings. Look at them through a candidate’s eyes. Is your messaging clear and consistent? Does it reflect your actual culture, or does it sound like generic corporate speak? Are there obvious gaps — like a career page that hasn’t been updated in years?

Build a consistent brand presence across channels

Your employer brand shows up everywhere: your career site, job postings, LinkedIn company page, and even how your recruiters communicate with candidates. Consistency across these touchpoints builds trust.

Your career page deserves special attention. According to HR.com’s State of Employer Branding 2025 report, 44% of companies say their career site is their top source of hire. Candidates who apply through your career page are often more aligned with your culture and more likely to stay.

Make your job postings count, too. For technical roles, be specific about the work, the tech stack, and what growth looks like. Generic descriptions blend into the noise. And don’t skip salary information. Transparency builds trust and attracts candidates who are genuinely interested.

On social media, share content that gives candidates a real sense of what it’s like to work at your company. Behind-the-scenes looks at projects, employee spotlights, and leadership perspectives all help humanize your brand.

Engage employees as brand ambassadors

Your employees are your most credible recruiters. LinkedIn’s research shows that candidates trust employees three times more than the company itself when it comes to information about what it’s like to work there.

Employee advocacy doesn’t require a formal program, though those can help. It starts with creating an environment where employees genuinely want to share their experiences. When your engineers post about interesting projects, when your team members share company news, when employees refer friends for open roles. That’s your employer brand in action.

The impact is measurable. Companies with socially engaged employees are 58% more likely to attract talent and 20% more likely to retain them. Content shared by employees also gets about twice the engagement of content shared by company accounts.

To encourage employee advocacy, make it easy. Share content that employees can reshare with a click. Celebrate team wins publicly. And make sure your employee experience actually matches what you’re putting out there. Authenticity matters.

Measure and refine your employer brand

Employer branding requires ongoing attention and adjustment based on what’s working.

Track metrics that tie directly to your hiring goals. The most common ones include application volume and quality, cost-per-hire, time-to-fill, offer acceptance rate, and retention rate. Glassdoor ratings and review sentiment can also serve as useful indicators of brand health.

Pay attention to candidate feedback throughout your hiring process. Are candidates mentioning your employer brand as a reason they applied? Are they surprised by anything once they join? Positively or negatively? These insights can reveal gaps between your external messaging and internal reality.

Revisit your EVP regularly. As your company grows and your culture evolves, your employer brand should evolve with it. What attracted candidates two years ago may not resonate the same way today.

How PowerToFly helps you build an employer brand that attracts top talent

Building a strong employer brand takes time, but you don’t have to do it alone. PowerToFly helps companies connect with high-impact AI and technical talent through authentic employer branding, targeted content, and access to a community of skilled professionals actively seeking their next opportunity.

Learn how PowerToFly helps companies build employer brands that attract high-impact talent.

FAQs

How long does it take to build an employer brand?

Employer branding is an ongoing effort, not a one-time campaign. You can start seeing results within a few months by improving your career page, responding to reviews, and encouraging employee advocacy. But building a strong, recognizable brand typically takes 12 to 18 months of consistent effort.

What’s the difference between employer brand and company culture?

Company culture is your internal reality — how people actually experience working at your organization. Employer brand is the external perception of that reality. A strong employer brand reflects your culture authentically. When there’s a gap between the two, candidates notice — and so do new hires.

Can small companies compete with big tech on employer branding?

Absolutely. Smaller companies often have advantages that large enterprises can’t match, like faster growth opportunities, more direct impact, closer-knit teams, and less bureaucracy. The key is to be clear about what makes you different and communicate that consistently. You don’t need a massive budget to build a strong employer brand. You need authenticity and focus.