Brand-building is not just about attracting customers. It's also about attracting the right staff (Employer Branding) and in today's cutthroat talent market, slapping up a "Jobs" or "Join Us" page won't cut it. Top-tier talent craves more-they're hunting for workplaces that vibe with their values, ambitions, and lifestyle. But how should businesses manage and then communicate an enticing and compelling offering to potential new colleagues?
Enter the 'Employee Value Proposition' (EVP): your golden ticket to attracting and keeping the crème de la crème.
A killer EVP doesn't just lure in star players - it slashes recruitment costs, amplifies your employer brand, and supercharges your company culture. Yet, I see many businesses fumble by communicating poorly, fixating on themselves instead of tuning into what candidates truly desire and failing to present thier Employer brand in the best possible light.
Let's dive into crafting and showcasing an EVP that not only resonates with your employees of the future but also syncs seamlessly with your brand strategy.
What Is an evp & Why You Need One
Your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is the unique cocktail of benefits, culture, and experiences you offer in exchange for your team's time, skills, and passion.
A standout EVP operates on two fronts:
Externally: Positions your company as the go-to employer, magnetising top talent.
Internally: Fuels engagement, loyalty, and advocacy, curbing turnover and fortifying culture.
Without a robust EVP, you can be left competing on salary alone - a costly and unsustainable game. Instead, ponder what truly sets your workplace apart. Why should someone choose you over the competition? What's on offer for staff?
An EVP is not simply a statement or veneer. Its the articulation of the component part s of your offering and should include all the reasons why someone should join your company as an employee - employee perks, a sense of the company culture, an understanding of your ways of working, growth opportunities etc. This needs to be as authentic and truthful as possible for obvious reasons.
How to go about building your EVP
One thing I've learnt from my consulting work is that every business is different and so how you go about crafting your EVP might be slightly different to another business. There is no one size fits all. However typically if I'm asked to get involved in helping a client with an EVP project I'd recommend going through the following three steps:
Step 1: Discover
Before crafting a new EVP, audit what's already happening. Chances are, you have stellar cultural and workplace perks - you just haven't spotlighted them yet.
Actions:
Run employee surveys and focus groups to grasp what they cherish (and what needs a tweak).
Gather all the perks and offerings available to staff and document them. A good way to do this is to map out your full recruitment and onboarding process and speak with the relevant members of staff responsible for each section.
Seek to understand the formal and informal activities and routines that are happening in the business.
Chat with new hires about why they joined you and departing employees about why they're moving on.
Scope out your competitors' EVPs - where do you shine? Where do you need a boost?
Example:
Unilever wanted to refine its EVP to attract purpose-driven talent. Instead of guessing, they surveyed thousands of employees across different roles, regions, and career stages to pinpoint what truly mattered. It turned out that employees cared deeply about sustainability, career growth, and flexible working, but this wasn’t clearly communicated in their recruitment messaging and so they repositioned their EVP around purpose-driven careers, leadership development, and flexible working, reinforcing its commitment to making a positive impact on the world. (For more info on this see this interview with Anuradha Razdan is Vice President HR, Home Care and Head of Global Talent Attraction and Employer Brand at Unilever.)
Step 2: Define
An EVP isn't just a perks list—it needs a big idea at its core, aligning with your company's purpose, values, and brand ethos.
If you've worked hard on a brand strategy and defined how you are positioned in the market place for customers, then typically you'll find that at the highest level your EVP will be a version of this - but instead of being for customers it will be focused within for your people.
Actions:
Pinpoint your core EVP message (e.g., "Cultivate your career").
Categorise your current EVP into digestible chunks (e.g., Wellbeing, Growth, Culture, Recognition) - see this post where I outline the shape of a typical EVP.
Review any gaps in what might be needed for the future commercial plans of the business and create a plan to fill the gaps.
Create an overall big idea, message or theme related to your brand ethos
Tailor level-specific messaging and content (e.g., a dedicated section for Early Careers).
Examples:
Step 3: Deliver
With your EVP defined, it's time to weave it across multiple touchpoints - from your careers page (pages?!) to job postings to onboarding kits and employee handbooks. Get creative with this. Nobody likes to engage with boring or legalistic content that is dry and dull.
Actions:
Leverage storytelling - Spotlight employee success tales, day-in-the-life videos, and team narratives.
Highlight real benefits - Use clear checklists of perks (e.g., remote work, personal development funds).
Infuse creativity: Why should your EVP be stiff and corporate? Could it revolve around a theme (e.g., a "career passport" symbolising global opportunities)?
Ensure consistency across channels: Align your LinkedIn, careers page, and job ads.
Create materials, guides and training for your people and hiring managers to enhance consistency.
Engage the leadership and launch at a company event. The key to success is aligning your people around the EVP so that it becomes part of the vocabulary and culture.
Examples:
7 Power Moves to Showcase Your EVP
Here are some of my top tips to help you create a compelling EVP:
Speak to candidates in your messaging, not just about your company. Too many businesses drone on about themselves. Flip the script - make your EVP candidate-centric.
Anchor your EVP in a big idea. A singular, memorable theme should flow through everything - from job ads to onboarding to internal culture.
Segment your offering. Break it down into bite-sized sections like:
Career Growth: Mentorship programs, promotions, learning budgets
Wellbeing: Mental health days, fitness perks, flexible working
Culture & Inclusion: DEI initiatives, team events, social impact
Showcase tangible benefits. Ditch vague claims like "we offer great perks." Be specific:
30 days annual leave + birthday off
£1,000 personal development fund
3 volunteer days per year
Develop level-specific EVP messaging. Recognise that new grads and senior leaders have different needs—address them accordingly.
Show, don't just tell. Utilise videos, testimonials, and case studies. Let employees share their own stories. Create a clear application map for recruitment. Make things clear and simple.
Get creative with your presentation.
Could your EVP be framed around a core idea - e.g. as a “Career Bootcamp” that molds future leaders or as a "Rocket Ship" that takes your people to the next level?!
A "Career Passport" symbolising international mobility?
An interactive journey guiding candidates through your culture?
Pro Tip: Make Your EVP a Collaborative Effort
A stellar EVP isn't static - it evolves as your business and employees' needs shift.
I always advise my clients to engage a diverse steering group of employees to co-create and refine your EVP, ensuring it remains authentic, engaging, and aligned with reality.
Remember, you're likely already doing fantastic things for your team. The key is to broadcast that to the world - creatively, compellingly, and with crystal clarity - and align your teams around it.
Ready to craft an EVP that magnetises and retains top talent? Start by listening to your people - they'll reveal what makes your company truly special.
I do hope you have found this helpful - all the best in creating a powerful EVP for your brand!