It's no new insight that having the right employees is key to a company's success. "Hiring the best is our most important task," Apple founder Steve Jobs once said. Bill Gates is attributed with the quote: "The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people."

However, the fact that this is not so easy has been discussed more and more intensively under the term skilled labor shortage for years. The problem is much larger and now extends to all areas of work, skills, and expertise. Companies in almost all industries are finding it difficult to even find enough employees to handle the work at hand - from administration to production.

The reasons for this are diverse and range from the increased demands of employees, to new expectations regarding work-life balance, to demographic development. Taking these societal changes seriously is the first task of employer branding.

The first two points have been and continue to be widely discussed and often led in connection with the generational debate - which makes sense. The understanding of what work is and its place in life has changed with younger people entering the workforce. The times when people were willing to "devote their lives to a company" or even "work themselves to the bone" are - fortunately - long gone. It's obvious that this is not solely an achievement of GenZ, who at best have been active in the job market for 10 years. The value and meaning of work in life are constantly changing - and will continue to do so, regardless of which generations currently dominate the job market.

The critical question is how a company or employer handles this change - finding an answer to this question is the second task of employer branding: establishing contemporary corporate structures for employees - from the recruiting process to everyday work.

The third point - demographic development in Europe - is too seldom discussed in connection with the current challenges in the employer market. The birth rate (= births per 1,000 people) fell constantly and rapidly from 1950 to 1995. This means: regardless of the new demands of employees, employers have a real problem with the scarcity of workers. The people who can do the available work are becoming fewer and fewer - much fewer.

Conversely, this means: The competition for workers is getting fiercer - which brings us to the third task of employer branding: Asserting oneself as an employer brand against others to retain and attract the right employees.

For this to succeed, just like in the marketing of services and products, the successful marketing of the employer brand requires a strategy based on the 3Vs -

1. the positioning of the company in the market and with its history,
2. the visions regarding the objectives and developments for the future, and
3. the values of the company

- as a brand in general and as an employer specifically.

Those who think of employer branding strategically have not only better chances of standing out from the competition but also of finding the right people - people who fit the company and stay with it. Especially if employer branding doesn’t stop at the visual results but can impact all areas of the company.

One of the biggest mistakes in today's marketing is making promises that the product or service cannot keep. This applies particularly to the marketing of jobs. "Wrong" job advertisements are very costly - as they bring the wrong people into the company, cause high turnover and, at worst, lower the motivation of all employees. Therefore, in employer branding, it's all the more important to communicate honestly and clearly.

Good employer branding is honest. This is precisely why existing employees play a very special role for us in the process. They are the first and most credible advocates for the company. Former employees, in particular, can convince from experience and inspire new people to join a company as an employer. Thus, the idea that employer branding is "just" about designing a job ad is significantly shortened. Serious employer branding engages structurally and communicatively with the entire employee journey.

Engagement with the employer brand begins at the first contact before the application and ideally never ends - not even with leaving the company.

Employer branding at BREITETIEFE begins inside - with getting to know you, your challenges, and your company. Important for us is the answer to how a company ticks as a whole and as an employer specifically, so that we can develop a strategy that's grounded in history and expectations, not plucked from thin air.

On this basis, we develop a joint plan for the elaboration and implementation of the employer brand. A plan where all relevant stakeholders within the company are involved, leading to an employer brand that inspires both inside and out.