For some HR professionals, it may be a hard pill to swallow that employer reputation is increasingly being shaped online – often by forces they fear they have little control over.

However, hesitation or denial is no solution. Faced with new marketplace dynamics, employers require innovative strategies for monitoring and building brand reputations online.

Gareth Vale, Head of Marketing for ManpowerGroup UK, said: “Building an emotional connection with candidates is more important than ever; it’s what separates one employer from another among today’s job seekers.

“Job seekers can spot contrived contributions that seem inauthentic, and this can do more harm than good to your employer brand. Instead, employees should be encouraged to speak freely about their employer – and rather than try to control their messaging, organisations should clearly steer them on what is expected in terms of tone, content and appropriateness.”

At ManpowerGroup, #RelationshipsMatter extends digital innovation across our organisation. Gareth continued: “We recognise that we are both advocates and guardians of our clients’ employer brands.

“Encompassing web, digital, social, mobile, and our global Enterprise Partnership with Google, – #RelationshipsMatter allows ManpowerGroup to deliver competitive advantage and enhanced employer branding and quality on behalf of our clients.

“Through a bespoke advanced social media training programme, our employees have been equipped with the tools, time, training, and trust required to become expert social recruiters. Our partnership with Google gives us a unique ability to share best practice and build virtual work teams, driving better solutions and better outcomes for our clients. And our multi-channel approach to candidate attraction underpins our ability to reach talent and build compelling employer brands.

“It’s all about harnessing social and mobile technologies – to not only attract and retain the talent our clients need right now, but to also build an employer brand that will truly inspire talent to engage with the company’s mission.”