The Employer Value Proposition (EVP) answers the question of what makes you unique as an employer. Use your EVP to make a value proposition to your employees, to visualize to them why you are the right employer. A key benefit your company brings to your employees is how you define your EVP in one sentence.
But what actually is an Employer Value Proposition and what is the best way to build such a unique selling proposition? We have the answers in this article.
What is an Employer Value Proposition?
As a clearly defined positioning, the EVP is the strategic foundation of all employer branding measures and ensures credibility, sustainability and differentiation. In doing so, it is important not only to let every employee know that they are very important to you. EVPs provide employers with a branding overview and clarify what their goals and values are. All of these aspects will determine whether you can convince a potential candidate that you are the right employer.
So think of it as an exchange between you and a top talent. What can your company culture offer people and their skills? How important is it to develop your talent? These are questions to which you should always have an optimal answer available in any case.
How to? 6 steps to become unique
It is important to keep one thing in mind: No employer's value proposition is the same! The challenge is to identify your unique strengths. Ask yourself what arguments you can use to convince potential applicants of your merits.
In doing so, you should keep a few important factors in mind. Here are 6 steps that can help you build your EVP in the best possible way:
1. Analysis of target group
Before you start convincing potential talents about your company, you first have to define who you want to address. We recommend developing a general employer value proposition and then tailoring it to specific groups of employees based on the position for which new employees are being recruited - a kind of target group-specific branding. Whether you're targeting apprenticeship seekers, entry-level employees, or experienced professionals, be sure to spell out your target group description in detail so that you can publish it on selected communication channels.
Remember, however, that the more precisely you describe your candidate persona with the help of a target group analysis, the easier it will be to work out important content and suitable communication tools for you as a company.
2. Analysis of competition
Be sure to use a competitive analysis to measure where you stand in the market compared to your competitors. Uncover your strengths and weaknesses and ask yourself the following questions:
What benefits are offered to potential talent by your competition?
Who is focusing on the same candidates as you?
Orient yourself here, for example, on various career channels such as LinkedIn or Xing, where you can get a better picture in this regard.
3. Analysis of Value
The task now is to define your company values and your unique selling proposition. Before you start with this, you should be clear about the ACTUAL and TARGET perspectives of your company. The ACTUAL perspective is nothing other than your status quo, i.e. the current state in which you find yourself. Where does your company currently stand and what makes you stand out? These questions are to be formulated here. The TARGET perspective, as the name suggests, provides an overview of where you want to go as a company. Take a look into the future and clarify what your long-term vision is. The main focus should be your corporate culture, because this is what your future employees will identify with.
Prosupo recommends creating a culture of belonging in your company that stands for diversity and inclusion. After all, all your employees want to feel accepted and motivated to go to work every day. Brainstorming can help you come up with strategic answers for this. Don't make it too complicated for yourself; at the end of the day, this isn't witchcraft. You know exactly what your goal is.
4. The claim
Now that your values and corporate culture are clearly defined, it is important to differentiate yourself from the competition with the help of the optimal claim. A mission statement, which should bring your overall philosophy to light. Your benefits and image are summarized here in a few words and you convey to future talents briefly but expressively enough what you stand for as a company - a crucial point for your employer branding.
5. Career development
If your company offers good career and training opportunities, you should definitely not omit this from your EVP. If employees are supported and motivated to develop their skills, this increases productivity and above all job satisfaction, an important aspect for long-term employee retention.
In addition, give your employees the opportunity to shape their work independently and freely. With the laissez-faire principle, you enable your talents to contribute personal experiences and ideas and thus not only promote a certain independence, at the same time you also give them a convincing value proposition.
6. Working environment
Most employees pay attention to an appealing work environment. Stylish furniture or the provision of fruit or a high-quality coffee machine for employees have become merely incidental here. Applicants place much greater value on a healthy work-life balance. Flexibility in working life is becoming increasingly important.
With today's challenge of attracting new employees and retaining them, companies known for promoting work-life balance have become increasingly attractive. A balance not only supports your employee's engagement, it reduces the risk of workaholics unknowingly falling into a deep hole and being prone to burnout. So you're doing something good for your employees, and at the same time, you as a company benefit from highly motivated top talent.
Conclusion
The more personalized your employer value proposition is, the more credible and, above all, effective it will be. Therefore, avoid phrases such as "We offer good career opportunities" or "A wide range of tasks awaits you". These phrases are a dime a dozen, and they are boring and unappealing. Remember: Simple compliments do not seem nearly as attractive as a detailed description of main arguments.
Prosupo supports you as an employer to become a Love Brand for future employees. From leadership, HR to internal communication - Depending on your positioning, we develop employer branding measures together with you and ensure a consistent employee experience.
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