During my summer with Stories Inc., I spent my time learning about employer branding, recruitment marketing and the power of storytelling. While researching trends to write about for our blog, I was searching companies social media presence. 

Check out my post on Employer Branding Hashtags that are Killing it at Social Recruiting! 

And, with every heartfelt tweet from an employee who loves their job, I found myself loving them too. As I was wrapping up with the article, I was convinced that I should switch my phone service because of the way T-mobile interacts with its employees.

Employee Empowerment and the Customer Experience

Coincidentally, my dad was thinking the same thing. Well, almost the same thing. He had other reasons, but nonetheless, I encouraged the switch. A few days later, my dad enters a T-mobile shop looking to switch plans. He begins talking to an employee about coverage and weighing the options of switching. Since I am still on my parent’s phone plan, he also asked about the coverage in my college town, which is nestled in the mountains.

The T-mobile employee spoke honestly about his coverage experience in the area, and suggested that the switch might not be right for me while I am in the area. I was shocked. I have never had an employee tell me that their product might not be right for me. 

Before I started my internship at Stories, I only saw recruiting and employer branding through the eyes of the candidate. I would scour job sites and LinkedIn looking for job descriptions and companies that caught my eye. Once I found something interesting, I would go to the career page and read, listen or watch everything I could find.  

I never thought about how flexibility, dress code, or office culture would one day affect me. The more and more I learn about company culture and employee empowerment, I think about how T-mobile must support their employees for him to care about the service he was providing more than making a sale.

Employer branding, marketing, and empowerment

While my internship focused on the marketing side of business, I also had to learn how employer branding and recruitment marketing changed the hiring process. Employer branding is more than just benefits and job descriptions. It focuses on the culture within the company, and hiring for culture add as well as fit.

I used to think of branding and recruiting as two completely different things. Now I realize how much employer branding also affects the overall company brand. First, happier employees represent the company better, and they are the first person-to-person interaction a consumer has with the brand. Further, the culture a company creates may not be directly seen through the brand, but can positively or negatively influence the consumer’s opinion of the brand.

Companies who hire with culture in mind, end up with happier employees and longer retention rates. While the employee may not have made a sale right now, the customer service left us speaking highly of the company, rather than being angry at the lack of service I would have received.

And, while they might not have my business right now, they are top of my mind for if and when I move.