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The premise is that if you demonstrate your workplace ’ s culture and values , the best qualified applicants will self-select . Google is an illuminating case . The company thrives on what appears to be a hyper-casual environment , but a closer look reveals much more .
Google is a magnet employer for lots of reasons , but much of its drawing power derives from its expansive , high-concept notion of the work setting . Working at Google distinguishes you as a resident of a self-contained 24 / 7 workplace community , and an elite one at that .
This is a powerful attractor for many high achieving candidates . For the relatively tiny percentage of the million-plus yearly applicants who survive Google ’ s rigorous screening , the company ’ s on-thejob culture imparts a sense of belonging to an elite and prestigious team , and fosters deep personal connections to corporate values and strategy .
The ideal talent brand finds its power in the organization ’ s top-line business focus , its workplace culture , and ultimately in the shared values it embodies . In Google ’ s case , all this is entirely consonant with the company ’ s marketplace brand . Its inside and outside brands , if you will , have co-evolved in parallel , and as much intuitively as consciously .
Is there a better way to attract the candidates most qualified , inclined by their own values and temperaments , to contribute to an organization ’ s future ? To succeed in this pursuit , organizations have to take responsibility for defining their own distinctive talent brands .
This is rarely a simple and straightforward proposition in established organizations , and not always a painless one either . This collective discovery can emerge from many activities : interviews with leadership and staff , formal or informal focus groups , and online surveys of employees , to name a few .
n authentic talent brand has to emerge from honest discovery from within .
And while the perspectives of outside segments should not drive the effort , they can support it . Best practices among similar organizations can provide useful models too .
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