What is an Employer Value Proposition (EVP)?

An employer value proposition (EVP) is a strategic statement developed by a company to define how it wishes to be perceived by current and future employees.

Not only does it embody your company’s vision, mission, values, and ideals, it is also the first step you have to take before you can start working on employer branding (which is said to be one of the best talent attraction and acquisition strategies). It should take into account practical benefits for employees, such as learning, development, and growth opportunities within your organizational structure.

The vast majority of well-known companies (especially the ones that rely heavily on employer branding such as Google, Facebook, and other tech powerhouse companies) have one thing in common: a well-defined, unique, and clear employer value proposition.

Employer Value Proposition defined

An EVP’s greater goal is to clearly let people know what it expects from their employees and what it has to offer them in return. It’s because of a well defined EVP that people can assert they want to work for a company without having actually worked there before.

Defining an EVP requires your company to have a targeted approach. Having one strengthens your corporate brand, helps establish your company as a desirable employer and, therefore, drives talent attraction and acquisition efforts.

Why should your company have an Employer Value Proposition?

In the past, the “hiring game” was controlled by the employers. Ten or twenty years ago, companies were in a highly privileged position: candidates would line up to be scrutinized during long, tiresome recruiting processes.

Not only would they do that, but they also did it with little to no knowledge about the employer itself. That meant that, once a suitable candidate was selected to be hired, the employer knew more about the candidate than the candidate knew about their new place of employment.

That employer/applicant balance has changed significantly throughout the years and the COVID-19 crisis has taken it to a whole new level.

In the pandemic/post-pandemic world, a large number of companies have decided to go remote/remote-hybrid and have taken steps to facilitate remote hiring and onboarding.

Applicants are now less concerned about a key factor in job selection - commute time. For many, work is now only a keyboard and internet connection away. This cultural shift has put even more control and opportunities into the hands of the applicant.

Right now employers are fighting a “war for talent.” Competition in the recruiting market has increased dramatically as any company with a recruiting tool can now reach out to a global talent pool.

Instead of opening positions and waiting for candidates to apply, companies are now actively hunting for qualified professionals and offering positions to them. Depending on the segment - software development, for example - candidates are now in a position to be very selective about where they want to accept employment.

If you know about the law of supply and demand, you know that when there is a short supply and a high demand (more companies looking to hire than there are qualified candidates), your company can achieve competitive advantage by either offering the highest salaries and benefits or differentiating yourself from your competitors in some other way.

Many companies (especially smaller ones) don’t have the necessary resources to rely on paying the highest salary as a long-term strategy. That's where your EVP can help you stand out from the crowd.

It’s no longer only up to the candidate to market themselves. Companies have to do the same. This is why employer branding has become increasingly popular.

Negative impacts of not having a Employer Value Proposition

Employers that don’t invest in EVP end up having a poorly defined identity or, even worse, a negative employer image, which makes recruiting even harder than it already is.

You can think of your Employer Value Proposition as your company’s application to get a candidate for a job. Instead of presenting your CV, cover letter and references, you rely on your attractive, well-developed EVP to serve as a “talent magnet”, luring strong, skilled individuals from the market into your company.

Just like it would be wrong to falsely advertise your skills in your CV, it is also wrong to use lies or half-truths in your employee value proposition.

What to consider when starting to build your EVP?

Employer value propositions are unique and it’s definitely worth the time and investment to credibly identify your strengths as an employer.

When you’re ready to embark on the journey of creating an EVP for your company, start by asking yourself this question:

If you were making a job offer for a candidate, what arguments would you make to convince them to choose your company over another?

Take your time to consider everything that could be factored into a decision, such as working environment/conditions, corporate culture and values, career opportunities within the company, and so on. I’m sure you can think of a few very good reasons, and that should be your starting point.

*Head of Customer Support @Pipefy. Isabelle Wuilleumier Salemme uses her extensive Pipefy knowledge to help users make the best of Pipefy via support and writing informative content pieces. Besides being in charge of support, she’s an avid reader, a coffee lover, and a professional photographer.

What is an Employer Value Proposition?

Employer Value Proposition defined

Why should your company have an Employer Value Proposition?

Negative impacts of not having a Employer Value Proposition

What to consider when starting to build your EVP?

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Employer Value Proposition defined

Why should your company have an Employer Value Proposition?

Negative impacts of not having a Employer Value Proposition

What to consider when starting to build your EVP?

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