James Ellis

Businesses value those who create business value. Simple as that. That means knowing your value, not to TA or HR, but to the company, and then communicating such.

The only goal of a strong employer value proposition is: How do we help the right people choose us over millions of other companies. There are many many ways to answer that question, but the goal remains constant.

This is putting the cart before the horse. Your brand is who you are as an employer. The only reason you research your audience is to understand their world so that you can speak to them in their language and connect your brand to them. Putting the "audience research" phase so early suggests that you are deciding who you are based n what others want. Are you suddenly going to offer WFH because "everyone wants it?" Probably not. So don't be led around by the nose based on audience research.

This is a trap. Trying to be a "great place to work" in a world where EVERY single company has a claim to that title (I mean, is there a company who says to the world: We aren't a great place to work?), you will get stuck in the messy (and forgotten) middle. Don't try to appeal to everyone. Know how you are different, what you offer to employees and candidates alike, and then spent 5 times more energy than you'd expect proving it. Turn that idea from a claim (everyone makes those) to a certainty (everyone knows that).

Strategy is focus. It seperates opportunity from distraction. So don't see your strategy as "a plan," but how you are different from others, how you offer something they don't, to people who can't get it anywhere else, and how you will communicate it to the world. Everything else is a distraction.

Sadly, when most people "assess" their EVP, the question they ask is, "do people like it?" Wrong question. First: Define what you want your brand to achieve. Better talent? Faster hires? People more aligned to the mission? Second: How well is your current EVP accomplishing THAT goal? Not if the C-Suite likes it, or if MRKTG thinks its clever or if lots of people share it. Only the pre-defined goal. (The dog chasing two rabbits catches none, so pick your target.) Third: Is there room for improvement? Or are you pulling the wrong lever to achieve your goal? Otherwise, you'll be arguing over meaningless word choice instead of focusing on what moves the needle.