Aimed at attracting talent and, above all, retaining it, employer branding is now a major issue for law firms and other legal professions that want to expand but are struggling to recruit.
A well-established brand is not just designed to attract customers. Work on the brand must also, de facto, involve work on the employer brand, which, if well thought out, proves to be a key factor in competitiveness.
What is an employer brand?
Employer branding is about attracting and retaining employees. I insist on this last point, because it’s not just a question of recruiting talent, but also of making them want to stay! Of course, that means good human resources management, but it also means transparent communication on all the important issues
important to the life of the firm.
How do you work on your employer brand?
Typically, in law firms, we find that the expression of the brand is too often unilateral and emanates from one or a few founding partners. However, it is essential to give a voice to our staff and to listen to them. Genuine commitment only emerges if an organisation manages to demonstrate that the decision does not rest solely with the partners, that the employees really do have a say, and that they can express their feelings. Of course, the success of this approach depends on how open the partners are to criticism.
En ouvrant la parole, en promouvant une ambiance de travail saine, nous créons dès lors un sentiment d’appartenance et de fierté qui donne envie aux gens non seulement de rester, mais d’être partie prenante, de promouvoir la marque spontanément auprès de leurs amis, confrères, journalistes. L’effet concret peut être important, sur le recrutement par exemple.
How do you showcase this employer brand on the site?
The “Join us/Careers” page all too often contains stodgy, uniform text that looks the same from one firm to the next. From an employer branding perspective, this page needs to be tailor-made, since it’s the first expression of the firm’s identity. It must be a standard-bearer for what a candidate will experience at the firm, a positive first contact with any potential employee. If an employee is faced with several choices, on equal terms, he or she will more naturally gravitate towards the structure where the corporate culture seems most attractive. So don’t hesitate to enrich this page, for example with video formats featuring employees talking about the working atmosphere, the interest of the projects they’re working on, etc.
What channels do prospects use to find out more about a law firm?
These channels are quite disparate: they include platforms such as Glassdoor, Welcome to the Jungle or LinkedIn, but also a lot of word-of-mouth, particularly via existing employees. They are the best brand ambassadors!
Some people might ask: why get so involved in attracting people, when so many of our school-leavers are looking for their first job?
First of all, the reality is that lawyers today are finding it very difficult to recruit. The biggest firms can afford to offer salaries that defy all competition, but what about the others? This is where employer branding comes into play, enabling the firm to develop its attractiveness and, well beyond that, its ability to retain talent. There’s certainly less turnover in structures that have a flexible organization, where every employee can be valued, where they can contribute to the evolution of the brand and put forward their ideas. We need to show people that their initiatives can have an impact, that they’re not just numbers, but unique and complementary talents.
Does employer branding also apply to associates?
It’s aimed at all the brand’s internal stakeholders, as well as potential recruits. Young profiles will certainly be more attracted by the way the brand sells itself, while associate profiles may be more sensitive to other considerations. When there’s a lot of brand equity, an associate who wants to join a firm looks at its potential and considers it at its true value.
How do you repair a brand image internally when it has been damaged?
(ethical scandals, harassment, etc.)?
Obviously, when there’s a scandal or proven misconduct, what’s immediately expected is a rethink and reorganization, not a communication exercise that might seem artificial. On the other hand, collective reflection and work on the brand can pave the way for inclusive discussions on internal needs, recruitment processes, governance and so on.
Involving as many internal employees as possible, and getting them to express their feelings and desires for change, can be a highly beneficial way out of a crisis situation: after all, they are in the best position to give an account of the situation, and enable everyone to take the necessary distance to remedy the dysfunction.
In professional services firms, there is a tendency to display the same “values” (availability, listening, empathy…). But how can we make a real commitment that goes beyond words?
There are, of course, strong values to be found just about everywhere, but these need to be nuanced, refined and adapted. If you don’t first ask yourself the question of who you really are, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of platitudes and use generic expressions and values that in no way reflect the reality and ambition of the firm. Don’t hesitate to be challenged on your ideas, in order to move towards an expression with strong added value. To achieve this effectively, there’s nothing better than to be supported by communications experts who can ask the right questions, help the company to reflect on its identity, vision, ambitions and values, and then put forward the precise, high-impact words that will serve the company in the long term, both to attract customers and to recruit and retain talent.
Ilias Meslohi is Head of Strategy at eliott & markus.
To find out more
Why do you need to take care of your employer brand?
