Find out how a corporate alumni program can boost your talent and employer branding, helping you attract the top talent to your business.
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In today's business landscape, the idea of a lifelong bond between employer and employee has evolved into something different. Rather than just indicating ongoing employment, it now signals a lifetime relationship that benefits both parties.
The durable relationship that runs from employee to corporate alumni does wonders for the business’s talent and employment branding. That’s because it shows a commitment on the organization’s part to continue investing in employees, even once they’ve left.
Ultimately, every organization aims to attract the best talent to its doors. We’re here to tell you that a formal alumni program has a part to play in bringing these workers to the threshold.
Having a formal alumni program as part of your employer brand strategy means that every employee, freelancer, contract, or contingent worker knows that you invest in lifelong relationships and have their best interests close. This results in sincere and authentic voices from the inside that spread the word about your organization being an excellent place to work and do business with.
Ask an employee if they would recommend your company to a friend or customer, and you’ll have your answer as to what talent brand is.
It’s how the people who work for an organization think and feel about it - and ultimately share their perceptions with the world. They might post their thoughts on review sites and their social media. They might also speak to their friends, colleagues, and business associates about their experience working with you.
The information they put out there is worth paying attention to because it can weigh on people’s willingness to engage with your brand.
Unlike talent branding, which is a highly social, public version of your brand, you control your employer branding.
This is the business’s strategy to promote itself as a great place to work. It’s the story you tell to influence how potential and current employees, as well as the public, see the company.
Employers are increasingly under pressure to put their best foot forward to attract top talent, as employees and customers alike now lean toward brands that walk the talk of being more ethically and socially aware. So, this type of branding involves specific messaging to impress potential candidates with the business’s vision, values, strategies, and perks.
By considering talent and employer branding together, businesses can make meaningful progress towards defining their brand identity and effectively engaging with top-tier talent. In short, they need to consider ways to ensure that what they say about being employed there aligns with what the employees who work there think.
Today, few workers plan to stay with a company for life, and that reality should not be a negative for anyone. Change is inevitable, turnover can bring fresh talent into the business, and it gives the departing employee a chance at gaining more skills and experience before returning at a point in the future.
Throughout this interval, it’s critical for businesses to continue engaging with their former employees through a value-adding alumni program. By providing valuable resources and support to your alumni network, you can expect to receive their reciprocation in return. It’s a leg up for your talent and employment branding, and puts you firmly in a place where you can connect with the best in the business.
Past employees (assuming they left on good terms) can be your most powerful influencers and brand ambassadors. They control dozens of avenues through which your brand is shaped and communicated, including social media, personal perceptions, job review boards such as Glassdoor, and public messaging.
By engaging with them sincerely, and continuing to do so from the minute they walk in and after they resign, you can be confident they will advocate for your brand across platforms and in person.
It says a lot about your organization’s work environment if, even after leaving, former employees refer candidates and clients to your company.
When they leave your business and go on to expand their networks and establish new work relationships, alumni can introduce you to powerful new connections. Or they could start their own enterprise and choose to partner with you: in all cases adding to your bottom line.
Mentorship opportunities are enormous drawcards for potential employees who want to carve out a career path for themselves.
In the same vein, mentoring programs should be at the center of any great alumni engagement strategy; research shows that volunteering and mentoring are among the things alumni miss most about working for your company when they no longer take part in it.
So it’s a win for all to have your corporate alumni serve as mentors. Expect improved job outcomes, improved stakeholder support, and a targeted sharing of resources and expertise.
The business landscape is evolving, and at times this can leave your company with a gaping hole in its workforce – one that needs to be filled promptly to avoid putting undue pressure on the existing team.
As key members of your talent pool, corporate alumni are uniquely positioned to jump back into the business and become productive in a short amount of time. When you’re counting on providing the best support and keeping your team sane, this can count toward your talent brand.
To ensure your business attracts the best talent and retains its reputation, it's essential to align your talent and employer branding. By implementing a well-managed corporate alumni program, you can actively support your brand and attract the right individuals to carry your business forward, regardless of their current employment status.
For more information on how an alumni program can work for you, get in touch with the EnterpriseAlumni team today.
