Speaking The Right Language For Your Employees

// September 18th, 2009 // Internal Communications

Finding the right match means using the right language

Imagine you’re at a coffee shop on your own on Saturday morning. You’re in a relationship that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. You don’t feel that you’re ready to break up and leave the relationship yet, but you’re keeping a weather eye out, just in case. You’re enjoying some alone time.

While reading the paper, you see an ad that describes you as the person who is perfect for the author. The ad makes them sound attractive, rewarding and fun. Like your partner used to be. You’re intrigued. You want to know more.

You recognize the name from somewhere. Maybe someone you know has had a relationship with them before. Maybe one of your friends knows them. You know there’s a connection somewhere.

Do you:

1. Call the number on the ad and talk to them, knowing that they’re on the market and possibly desperate?
2. Look them up on Facebook, Twitter, wikipedia, or the web, to try and find out about them quietly?
3. Ask your friends if anyone knows them and whether it’s a good opportunity?
4. Wait and hope that one of your friends will introduce the two of you out of the blue?
5. Call a dating agency to see if they can introduce you?

The way you address this is no different to the ways you can look at engaging a company to find a job. There’s no right way – there are only different levels of directness. When you identify an opportunity, you have the control over how you approach the company. And in fact, a company that is closely aligned with you spiritually will have made itself contactable in your preferred method deliberately. They’ll have done this for two reasons – to put you at ease, and prove they can speak your language.

If you’re an employer, part of your employer brand includes where you choose to be seen, and how to be contacted. Your brand isn’t just about broadcasting a message. It’s also about designing mechanisms for conversation that make your target market feel comfortable to engage in. Understanding how your employees want to get in contact with you, and preparing a response or strategy for enhancing this first contact is crucial to beginning engagement.

Five questions worth asking of your brand conversation strategy are;

1. How do the bulk of candidates respond to an advertised opportunity?
2. Can your current contact plan ensure a consistent, brand-rich experience across all your contact mediums?
3. Where could your brand currently be that candidates would be looking for you? Note – this isn’t an excuse to leap onto Twitter, LinkedIn or any other social platforms. Research first, action second.
4. What isn’t working? Where are the holes in the process? What could you re-engineer to make more representative of your brand?
5. What is in place to ensure consistency? What guidelines are there about brand-rich communication for new staff, external recruitment agencies and your successors?

Just like the phone call after a first date, the immediate contact you have with someone who is interested in you as an employer is key. Make it brand-rich, honest and meaningful, and you drastically improve your chances of getting the right people on board.