Employer Branding

What is employer branding research about?

Organizations today operate in a highly competitive labor market. In many sectors, attracting and retaining employees has become increasingly difficult. As a result, organizations need to think strategically about what they offer as an employer and how they differentiate themselves from other employers. Employer branding research studies how organizations can position themselves as attractive and distinctive employers.

  Employer branding is about understanding what makes an organization attractive as an employer — and how it can stand out in a competitive labor market. – Professor Greet Van Hoye

Employer branding is not only about external communication towards potential employees. Organizations also need to deliver on their employer promise internally. When employees experience this promise in their daily work, they are more likely to feel engaged and become ambassadors for the organization.

Employee ambassadors play an increasingly important role because job seekers gather information from many different sources. They do not rely solely on official company communication such as websites or social media channels. Independent sources including word-of-mouth, employer review platforms and employer labels such as Great Place to Work also shape how organizations are perceived as employers.

For this reason, our research examines two perspectives. On the one hand, we study how organizations can build and communicate a strong employer brand. On the other hand, we study how job seekers and employees search for information and evaluate employers.

Why is employer branding research relevant for organizations and society?

Employer branding research has strong practical relevance. Organizations need effective strategies to attract the right talent, retain employees and strengthen employee engagement. Strong employer branding helps organizations attract the right people and build sustainable employment relationships.

 Organizations that clearly communicate what they stand for as an employer are more likely to attract employees who truly fit their culture and values. – Professor Eveline Schollaert

At the same time, the topic also has an important societal dimension. An important focus is the effective use of the entire labor market. In times of labor shortages, organizations need to look beyond traditional talent pools. Our research therefore also explores how employer branding can help organizations reach underrepresented groups and how minority talent can find a better match with organizations. In this way, employer branding can also contribute to more inclusive labor markets.

Moreover, as a research group we look at current trends within the employee pool and one of those is the importance of well-being, especially after COVID.

 Ideally, people find jobs that suit their skills and values, feel supported in their work environment and want to stay with their employer. That is why recent research also examines the link between employer branding and employee well-being. – Professor Greet Van Hoye

What courses do you teach on recruitment and employer branding?

In the course Staffing and Employer Branding, students explore both the latest academic research, and the ways organizations apply these ideas in practice.

The goal of the course is to connect scientific insights with real organizational challenges.

 Students should not only understand the theory of employer branding — they should also learn how to apply it in real organizations. – Professor Greet Van Hoye

Students therefore complete a practical assignment in which they conduct a scientifically grounded employer branding audit. Using frameworks from the course, they analyze how a real organization positions itself as an employer. This includes interviewing the person responsible for employer branding, reviewing the organization’s website and analyzing communication materials.

Guest speakers also play an important role in the course. Professionals from organizations such as United Petfood, Lidl and UZ Gent share their experiences, alongside specialized communication agencies and relevant organizations such as Great Place to Work. This allows students to see how employer branding strategies are implemented in practice.

The course is part of the master’s in business business administration with a focus on HRM, Strategy and Organization. Previously, it was not part of the curriculum, we really created it ourselves. Employer branding is still a relatively new topic in academic education, which makes it particularly rewarding to integrate ongoing research directly into teaching. – Professor Greet Van Hoye

How do digitalization and AI influence employer branding research and teaching?

Digitalization has fundamentally changed how employer branding works. Today, large amounts of information about organizations are available online — not only through official company communication but also through employees and external platforms. Digitalization has reduced organizations’ control over how their employer brand is perceived.

 Organizations are no longer the only ones telling their employer story — employees, platforms and algorithms all contribute to that story. – Professor Greet Van Hoye

This development has created new research questions. For example, we study employer review platforms and how these reviews influence employer reputation. We also investigate how organizations can respond to online feedback in a constructive and transparent way.

Digital technologies also allow organizations to tailor employer branding communication to specific target groups. For example, organizations often need different messaging to attract shortage profiles such as STEM professionals (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

Artificial intelligence is now starting to shape how job seekers gather information about employers. Increasingly, people use AI tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini to explore organizations and evaluate potential employers. This means employer branding content, especially career websites, needs to be structured and informative so that AI systems can easily interpret it.

As a result, employer branding communication is gradually evolving from inspirational marketing text towards clear, structured and information-rich content that explains what organizations offer as employers. If that content is authentic, organizations will be better positioned to retain new recruits.

More information on the master-of-science-in-business-administration-hrm-and-organizational-management and professors Greet Van Hoye and Eveline Schollaert