Introduction:
Employing the right talent for an organization is a task that when not properly carried out can cost
an organization immensely. In contrast, when talent recruitment is carried out properly and
successfully, the benefits for the organization is quite profitable. Employer branding, recruiting
talent, and processes for the selection of the right talent are therefore, very important components
of employing new and suitable talents to move any organization forward. Talent, according to CIPD
(CIPD, 2015), consists of those individuals who can make a difference to organizational performance
through their immediate contribution or, in the long term, by demonstrating the highest levels of
potentials. Furthermore, Professor Adrian Furnham defines a talented employee as one with the
ability to perform exceptionally well at work for their own benefit and that of the organization.
This essay therefore, aims at exploring how these components of proper recruitment namely
employer branding, recruitment and selection processes can be employed to attract the best talents
to work for Heston Blumenthal at Dinner by Heston restaurant. Dinner by Heston is one of the
biggest restaurants in the UK, it uses the French system of Brigade de Cuisine which is designed to
ensure the smooth running of the restaurant. Furthermore, due to the demand for high quality
chefs, and for the benefit of the restaurant remaining one of the best, it is very important that they
hire the very best chefs. This essay, therefore, highlights the importance of getting the very best chef
talents for Heston Blumenthal and gives recommendations on how talent attraction and recruitment
may be optimized.
Employer Brand, Definition:
It is very important for a business to stand out and be remarkable if it must attract the best possible
talents, businesses and organizations must, therefore, take proactive steps to attract and retain the
best personnel (Godin, 2004). Every organization, whether consciously or unconsciously, has an
employer brand. It is how organizations distinguish themselves in the labor market, allowing them to
recruit, retain, and engage the right personnel. A strong employer brand enables firms to compete
for top talent while also establishing reputation. It should be compatible with an organization's
approach to people management and should link with its values.
Every firm should be aware of what its workers, stakeholders, and consumers think of them.
Marketing experts have devised strategies to assist attract customers, effectively interact with them,
and keep their devotion to a consumer brand. Employer branding is comparable to people
management in that it defines how an organization advertises what it has to offer to potential and
current workers (CIPD Factsheet, 2021).
Employer branding is defined in a 2008 CIPD report – Employer Branding: A No-Nonsense Approach
– as 'a collection of attributes and qualities, often intangible, that distinguish an organization,
promise a particular type of employment experience, and appeal to the people who will thrive and
perform best in its culture'. (CIPD Factsheet, 2021). A successful employer brand should be linked to
the company brand and should connect an organization's values, people strategy, and policies. The
ethical standards that the employer upholds through the practice of its workers are an important
aspect of an organization's culture and values. As a result, prospective and present workers' ethical
perspectives, as well as the business activities of the organization, have an impact on the employer
brand (CIPD Factsheet, 2021)
Importance and Relevance of Employer Brands
The concept of employer branding has become prominent in recent years. Housley (2007) in the
CIPD report: Employer branding: the latest fad or the future of HR? identified four main reasons for
this: brand power, credibility, employee engagement, and the prevailing labor market conditions
(Housley, 2007).
'Branding' has become a major idea in organizational and social life over the past two decades.
Numerous experts in the human resources field have adopted the language and tactics of branding
in order to increase their strategic impact and reputation. While they are likely to begin with the
recruiting offer, many organizations increasingly recognize the benefits of a branding strategy across
the employee lifecycle in order to foster engagement and assure a great work experience (CIPD
Factsheet, 2021).
Employer branding is still important, especially in these uncertain economic times and in a market
where there are skill shortages and firms compete aggressively for talent. Recently, the COVID-19
epidemic has highlighted the need for employer response. Employers, for example, incur
reputational harm if they mistreat their staff, which may have a negative influence on prospective
recruits' perceptions of the firm. Furthermore, the popularity of social media as emphasized in a
CIPD report: " Social business, or social technology?" suggests that the usage of social media will
only rise, emphasizing the significance of continuing to pay attention to the employer brand.
Although people were more likely to utilize social media in their personal lives than in their work-life
in the past, this has swiftly changed. Organizations must be particularly conscious of both good and
negative comments provided by former or current workers on social media. According to the CIPD
Resourcing and People Planning Survey, 2020, 73% of organizations had difficulty attracting talent;
nevertheless, having a corporate website and a professional networking site, such as LinkedIn, were
found to be the most efficient strategies of increasing recruitment. Out of 661 companies, 77% had
success with the former, while 68% had success with the latter. In 2021, the epidemic and Brexit in
the United Kingdom exacerbated the situation.
Components of Employer Branding
To be effective, the brand must not only be visible to applicants throughout the recruiting process,
but also inform the organization's people management strategy (SPARROW, P. and OTAYE, L. (2015)
Employer branding: from attraction to a core HR strategy. Lancaster: Lancaster University, Centre
for Performance-led HR.). It should be able to influence induction, performance management and
reward, internal communications management, the promotion of successful management
behaviours, and turnover (CIPD, 2021).
To offer benefits, it is critical that the employer brand isn't just mere words restating the company's
beliefs, but also represents workers' actual experiences. As the CIPD Employer Branding guide points
out, 'People who like the job they do and the environment they work in become champions for it,'.
Employee Value Proposition – EVP, Definition
The 'employee value proposition' (EVP) outlines what a company stands for, what it demands, and
what it gives as an employer. The psychological contract between employers and employees
discusses and establishes the employment relationship's expectations, beliefs, and duties (CIPD
2021). According to Housley, a good EVP can help companies recruit, retain, and get the most out of
their personnel. Furthermore, according to Housley, who quotes The Economist, successful EVP
management may result in real benefits such as a 20% rise in the pool of potential workers, a four-
fold increase in employee dedication, and a 10% reduction in payroll expenditures (Housley, ). It is
critical that an organization revisits its EVP on a regular basis to construct, re-build, or alter it to
meet the needs of the business environment.
Importance and Relevance of EVP
First and foremost, having a suitable EVP is critical because it allows a business to engage with the
appropriate recruiting goals. All recruiting communications are built on the foundation of a strong
Employee Value Proposition. It explains why individuals should work for a certain company.
However, in order to reach this sort of audience, a company must use new proactive tactics, since
this is the most effective way to find the appropriate individuals in the right location.
Again, without appropriate employer branding and an EVP, potential workers will have little
knowledge of a company. This is arguably the most important reason for having a good EVP. It helps
to place a company on the map. Due to a lack of EVP or employer brand, only a few high-quality
prospects are available.
Effective Employer Branding and EVP and the benefits for Heston’s organization?
An effective employer branding and EVP must be able to make an organization stand-out and be
remarkable. It must be able to stimulate people towards the organization.
One of the clear advantages of employer branding and EVP at Dinner by Heston, one of the top
restaurants in the UK, is that when correctly branded, Dinner by Heston will be able to lower the
cost of recruiting. With 21% of companies expecting a rise in their recruiting spend in 2021–2022,
and only 13% expecting a reduction (CIPD, 2021), it's evident that Heston might profit from strong
employer branding and EVP. Heston may be able to swing the scale in their favour if they can
strengthen their employer branding and EVP.
Heston also benefits from employer branding and EVP since it aids with staff retention. It is critical
for a great restaurant to retain its best-talented chefs. A good EVP affords Heston the leverage to
accomplish this. Further studies suggest that companies with strong employer branding have a lower
percentage of turnover rates and are able to save more than half of their hiring expenditures. While
those who do not, are more often than not turned down by potential candidates. As a result, Heston
may benefit from the increased employee retention that a strong employer brand provides, allowing
them to spend less money, keep more qualified personnel, and hire more quickly.
Recommendations for Heston to Improve Employer Branding and EVP
These are a few strategies Heston may use to create and improve his employer branding in order to
recruit top chef talent:
Heston should make the organization's core values, beliefs, and mission statement as plain and
transparent as possible. This also applies to the organization's culture. As a result, the types of
abilities the organisation seeks are focused down to the most important details.
Request feedback from potential recruits and current workers on how they feel about the company.
This will assist Heston in identifying gaps between the organization's ideals and how it is viewed,
providing a clear strategic direction to follow.
Heston should provide additional perks, benefits, and raise their EVPs, as well as create a nice
working atmosphere and encourage current workers to submit favourable testimonies about the
company. It has been found that 31% of the time, job searchers believe the opinions of present
workers (CIPD 2021).
Finally, Heston must be well and accurately represented on social media sites.
Recruitment, Definition:
According to Albright and Cluff (2005), recruitment is the process of searching for the right talents an
simulating them to apply for jobs in an organization thereby enabling the recruiting personnel of the
organization to select the right candidates from the pool of potential candidates who submit there
applications.
It is crucial to note that in recruitment, an organization must seek the best pools of candidates
possible. Without a strong candidate pool, it is much more difficult to choose the right talent for a
job. Thus, a strong recruitment pool is the essential starting point. Even the most sophisticated
selection methods will be useless with a strong pool of candidates to choose from. Put otherwise, an
effective selection is dependent on effective recruitment. It is equally important to note that beyond
hiring the right person for the job, candidate experience is a key part of resourcing. The recruitment
process is not just about employers identifying suitable employees, but candidates finding out more
about the organisation and considering if it’s where they would like to work.
Importance and Relevance of Recruitment:
It was Tom Peters who said in an interview: “at the end of the day, the brand is the quality of the
talent…whatever the question, the answer is always the same = put people first (Peters).” This goes
to show that recruitment is a very crucial part of any organization’s success, however, effective
recruitment in the past couple of years has become much harder, and that is according to a CIPD
survey report (CIPD, 2021).
However, recruitment is very important because it helps organizations attract employees who are
the right cultural fit for the organization. A candidate who is built according to the culture of an
organization makes a better employee than one who is not. In order to attract more candidates who
are fit the requirements of the organization, it is important to use targeted recruitment. Targeted
recruitment helps organizations narrow down recruitment requirements to specific audience based
on differentiating factors like geography, skills, or experience (Little, 2018, appcast.io).
Components of Effective Recruitment:
Candidate experience is an important component of recruitment, in addition to selecting the right
individual for the position. The recruiting process isn't only about companies discovering qualified
personnel; it is also about candidates learning more about the company and deciding whether they
want to work in the organization. Candidates are likely to prioritise flexibility and a healthy work-life
balance. First impressions are important, so the selection process should be transparent, timely, and
equitable to all applicants. In a digital era when applicants may share their experiences online,
sluggish, poorly structured recruiting processes can harm an employer's reputation and ability to
attract talent (CIPD, 2021).
Attracting a diverse pool of candidates is another crucial component of recruiting. Inclusion and
diversity should be a part of the process from the start, with practises and systems being reviewed
on a regular basis to ensure that recruitment methods are inclusive and hidden prejudice is
eliminated. Everyone involved in activities such as shortlisting and interviewing must be aware of
applicable recruiting laws and the need to avoid prejudice in recruitment and selection (CIPD, 2021).
Social Media Recruitment:
Organizations who leverage on social media platforms as medium for creative and innovative
recruitment practices no doubt have an edge over most of their competitors who are yet to explore
the possibilities offered by social media recruitment. Especially in the wake of the Brexit in the UK
and also following the impact of the covid pandemic. Thus, Social Media Recruitment uses social
media networking platforms such as LinkedIn as the medium for searching, identifying, engaging,
and selecting potential candidates for employment.
CIPD reports on Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey show that over the past few years, and in
2020 precisely, 68% of organizations in the UK reported that professional networking sites such as
LinkedIn are the most effective method of recruitment. To understand the significance of these
statistics, it is necessary to mention that as of 2017, professional networking sites were not
considered an effective method of recruiting talents (CIPD 2017). However, in recent years, it is one
of the most effective methods. From the foregoing, and based on the fact that almost every young
adult has at least one social media handle, it is clear that social media platforms have been essential
tools for recruiting for any organization because that is where the top talents can be found.
Relevance and Importance of Social Media Recruitment:
Social networking networks are being utilised to find and recruit talented people everywhere. Only a
few other channels reach as many people as social media, therefore an organisation is more than
likely to attract talent that other platforms cannot match (Ofcom, 2021).
Furthermore, many firms claim that when they use social networking sites to recruit, they get high-
quality candidates. One reason for this is that the majority of people on social media are tech-savvy,
which is a required ability in today's market. They are also likely to be aware of current business
trends, which adds to their skill set. Furthermore, if you use your employees to post job openings on
social media, the people you hire will likely stay longer and be more productive than those hired
through other means. As a result, having a complete social media presence benefits enterprises not
only in terms of recruiting competent people, but also in terms of building trust among potential
customers and positioning the firm as an attractive place to work.
