Batman leads the way in Employer Branding 2.0

employer branding

By Amber Smeulders, SAP SuccessFactors

I like to be inspired by superheroes in the HR field. Not only because I think HR should behave more like a superhero within the organisation, but also because they can truly inspire us.

When I look at employer branding. I see a strong balance between increasingly dominant technology and the need for real contact in the recruitment process. High tech versus high touch.

Consequently, the trend is developing from candidates just looking for a nice job with good employment terms to candidates looking for a “purposeful” company they can commit to. Therefore, the social contract that is made between employee and employer is changing. People’s attitudes have shifted from “I work to support myself, do fun things and buy stuff” to “I work because it makes me happy”

In the old contract, things could be clearly negotiated. For the new contract this is much less the case. The connection with purpose is central and Employer Branding has been given the task of shaping this. The rise of the Employer Value Proposition (EVP) where the values of the organisation give the company a true identity, has led to the redesigning of career websites and job descriptions.

Employer Branding 2.0

But employer branding is more than that. This is where we can be inspired by a true superhero: Batman. He knows how to create Employer Branding 2.0 like no other. Starting with giving his brand a clear identity: the bat. Because as Batman says: “I wear a mask. And that mask, it’s not to hide who I am, but to create what I am.”

The bat was deliberately chosen by Batman and symbolizes intuition, insight and virtue. Three important core values for Employer Branding 2.0. With the help of technological gadgets, he is able to give substance to his greatest virtue: making the world a little better by protecting Gotham City.

Then, with the Batman symbol that reaches far above the city, he knows how to show everyone that he is there. But no one would be attracted to this symbol without a clear link to his purpose. And that brings you to the core of Employer Branding 2.0: don’t just say it, do it. Again, as Batman would say: It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.”