Talent acquisition leaders recognize the importance of employer branding but many companies lack strategic focus and measurement. While awareness of employer branding's impact on hiring is high globally, and most companies are increasing investment, nearly half do not have a proactive strategy. Few regularly measure employer brand health in a quantifiable way. Effective employer brand delivery occurs both through company-controlled channels like career sites as well as uncontrolled viral channels. Overall, many companies have work to do in listening to key audiences, assessing their brand versus competitors, and prioritizing spend where needed most.

1. The State of
Employer Branding
A global report on the hottest topic in talent acquisition

2. Introduction & Big Picture Findings 03
Executive Summary 05
Global Results 10
Conclusion 21
Appendix I: Results by Country 23
Appendix II: Results by Industry 30
Appendix III: Results by Company Size 31
Contents

3. Employer branding is the new black. Articles, white papers, and
conference panels are popping up everywhere while discussions
and debates take place daily in the hallways, conference rooms,
and executive suites of companies around the world. Strong
competition for knowledge workers in particular and the
proliferation of social media have augmented the importance of
employer reputations in acquiring talent, particularly for the 80
percent of the labor market who are passive candidates1
. Whether
or not a company is considered a great place to work can make all
the difference in attracting and retaining this top talent.
The hype isn’t just fueled by large corporations or household name
brands: employer branding is a hot topic among companies with
100 employees or 100,000, from Canada to India and everywhere
in between, and regardless of industry. So what’s really going on,
and what are companies doing about it? We took a closer look at
employer branding as part of our third annual Global Recruiting
Trends Survey. Our large and diverse sample of over 3,000 talent
acquisition leaders means our results are packed with powerful
data points and interesting insights for just about everyone.
Introduction

4. Employer branding is seen as important everywhere; 83
percent of global recruiting leaders agree it’s a critical
driver of their ability to hire top talent.
Over half (51 percent) of companies have increased their
employer brand investment in 2012 and a further 40
percent have maintained their spend.
Talent Acquisition is often at the helm, leading or co-
leading employer branding 61 percent of the time.
While career sites are viewed as a most effective employer
branding vehicle, viral channels – including word of mouth
and online professional networks – play a significant role in
building a company’s talent brand.
Despite the importance of employer brand, almost half do
not have a proactive strategy, and only one-third say they
regularly measure employer brand in a quantifiable way.
The Big Picture
4

5. Executive Summary
TA leaders know employer branding is important and are investing more –
but strategy, listening and metrics are often missing
1. AWARENESS 2. INVESTMENT &
ORGANIZATION
3. DELIVERY 4. STRATEGY &
MEASUREMENT
 83% agree that an
employer brand
significantly impacts their
ability to hire top talent,
and 69% consider it a top
priority for their
organization.
 The #1 action that TA
leaders are afraid
competitors will do is invest
in employer brand, and
lack of employer brand
awareness is considered
one of the top three
obstacles in recruiting.
 Globally, upgrading
employer branding is
considered the second
most essential and long-
term trend in the industry.
 A whopping 91% of
companies are investing
more or the same in 2012
compared to 2011,
primarily due to a greater
awareness about employer
branding’s impact.
 While the increase is a
step in the right direction, it
hasn’t been enough to
date: only 39% of TA
leaders report that they
have the resources needed
for success.
 61% of TA leaders have a
primary or shared
employer brand
responsibility with
Marketing or Corporate
Communications, with co-
ownership (39%) the most
common structure.
 78% of TA leaders view
their company website as
their most effective channel
for employer brand.
 Of the remaining highly
effective channels, only
one – traditional job boards
– is fully controlled by the
company.
 Instead, employer brand is
coming to life in channels
that companies influence
without controlling: word of
mouth, social professional
networks and general
social media.
 These channels have the
benefit of touching passive
candidates in ways that
company-controlled
channels usually do not.
 Only 54% of respondents
have a proactive employer
brand strategy.
 53% claim to have a good
understanding of how their
employer brand varies by
different talent populations.
 Most companies are not
listening to the appropriate
stakeholder mix: only 37%
regularly survey new hires
and even fewer (32%)
regularly survey
candidates.
 Measurement is the key
area of weakness. Only
38% measure their brand
relative to the competition,
and just 35% prioritize
their spend to shore up
key weaknesses.
TA leaders say employer
branding is key to hiring
success and an important
long-term trend.
Companies are starting to
invest more in employer
branding, with TA leaders
often directly responsible.
Effective employer brand
delivery occurs as much
through viral channels as via
company-controlled ones..
Many companies are not
adopting a strategic
approach and even fewer
are measuring for success.

6. Methodology
All respondents:
 work in a corporate HR/recruiting setting
 represent an even mix of small, midsize and large enterprises
 have at least some budget authority
 focus solely or primarily on recruitment
Surveyed 3,028 recruiting professionals globally with a LinkedIn profile
UNITED STATES 755 CANADA 299 BRAZIL 226 SPAIN 100 UK 334 ITALY 99 GERMANY 97 NETHERLANDS 226 NORDICS 113 INDIA 255 AUSTRALIA 280
6
Respondents by country:

7. High awareness of employer brand’s impact

8. Talent acquisition (TA) leaders are highly aware that employer branding is
critical to hiring success
83%Agree that employer brand
has significant impact on
ability to hire great talent
8

9. 1. Utilizing social and professional networks
2. Finding better ways to source passive candidates
3. Upgrading employer branding
< 1,000 Employees
> 1,000 Employees
9
Prioritization of employer brand
(by company size)
69%
Agree that employer
brand is a top priority
for their organization
67%
70%
67%
78%
< 500 Employees
501-1,000 Employees
1,000-10,000 Employees
> 10,000 Employees
Top 3 long-term trends in recruiting
professionals (by company size)
Large organizations lead the way in prioritizing
employer brand, but smaller companies are catching on
1. Utilizing social and professional networks
2. Upgrading employer branding
3. Finding better ways to source passive candidates

10. Employer branding is a top priority for companies worldwide
TA leaders who agree employer brand is a top priority (by country)
Significantly more INDIAN
organizations prioritize employer brand
Significantly fewer GERMAN
organizations prioritize employer brand
10
77% 75% 75% 74% 73% 71% 70% 69% 68% 64% 61% 47%
GLOBAL AVERAGE
69%
INDIA
UNITEDKINGDOM
CANADA
BRAZIL
AUSTRALIA
FRANCE
ITALY
SPAIN
UNITEDSTATES
NORDICS
NETHERLANDS
GERMANY

11. 1 Competition 1 Invest in their employer brand 1
Utilizing social and professional
networks
2 Compensation 2
Build and nurture strong talent
pools or pipelines
2 Upgrading employer branding
3
Lack of awareness or interest
in our employer brand
3
Learn to use social networking and
social media more effectively
3
Finding better ways to source
passive candidates
4 Location 4 Improve their candidate experience 4 Boosting referral programs
5 Recruiting team too small 5 Improve their referral program 5
Training recruiters and hiring
managers
6
Recruiting team doesn't have the
right tools/systems
6
Further invest in their existing
recruiting tools
6 Recruiting globally
7
Lack of awareness that we're
hiring
7 Invest in new recruiting tools 7 Optimizing your career site
8
Inability to effectively use data to
improve our approach
8
Hire recruiters to strengthen their
team
8
Measuring quality of hire more
consistently
9
Quality of talent currently at our
company
9
Negotiate better pricing with
vendors
9 Reducing spend on staffing firms
10 Company performance 10
Improve ways to track quality of
hire
10
Using CRM technology to manage
talent leads
In fact, employer branding rises to the top, regardless of the question
11
Top choices to attracting
the best talent
Biggest concern is that
competitors will… Top long-lasting trends

12. Investing more, with Talent Acquisition often leading

13. Employer brand investment is rising in 2012, primarily due to a greater
awareness of its impact
91%
Companies that are spending
more or the same on employer
brand in 2012 compared to 2011
51% 40% 9%
Spending More Spending Same Spending Less
1. Increased belief in the impact of employer brand 49%
2. Need to raise general awareness 48%
3. Difficulty recruiting quality candidates 47%
4. Increased competition 37%
5. Difficulty recruiting candidates in specific sectors 32%
Why spend more on employer brand?
13

14. TA leaders are organizing for success by partnering with Marketing and
Communications
39% 22%
TA shares ownership TA has primary
ownership
15%
TA has no
ownership
14%
TA is a
contributor
10%
Company doesn’t
think about EB
Most common departments that own employer
brand outside of Talent Acquisition
1. Marketing
2. Corporate Communications
Who owns employer brand?
14

15. Viral channels thought to be highly effective
for employer brand delivery

16. While websites are seen as most effective, viral channels play important
role in promoting employer brand
Five channels seen as most effective to promote employer brand
78% 56% 46%
38% 34%
Company website Word of mouth Social professional
networks
Social media Traditional job boards
16

17. Almost half already find social professional networks highly effective for
employer branding
58% 57% 53% 48% 47% 47% 45% 44% 43% 40% 37% 35%
Organizations that find social professional networks highly effective for promoting employer brand (by country)
FRANCE
CANADA
INDIA
NETHERLANDS
UNITEDSTATES
UNITEDKINGDOM
AUSTRALIA
ITALY*
SPAIN
BRAZIL
NORDICS
GERMANY*
More organizations in FRANCE and
CANADA consider social professional
networks to be highly effective
Fewer organizations in GERMANY and the
NORDICS consider social professional
networks to be highly effective
17 * Low base size (< 80 respondents)
GLOBAL AVERAGE
46%

18. Disconnect between awareness and action

19. Despite recognizing its power, many companies don’t take a strategic approach
to employer brand
Recognize employer brand impact
Have a proactive employer brand strategy
Understand employer brand strength across different populations
Feel they have the resources to succeed
Measure employer brand strength relative to competitors for talent
Regularly survey new hires to understand employer brand perceptions
Prioritize spend on audiences where employer brand relatively weak
Regularly survey candidates to understand perceptions
54%
53%
39%
38%
37%
35%
32%
83%
19

20. Not many say they regularly measure their employer brand in a quantifiable way
20
only one out of three

21. We know that talent acquisition leaders around the world understand the importance of
employer branding. They're increasing investment—even at a time when doing more with
less is the norm—because they see it as a critical foundation for attracting the best hires.
However, two-thirds of talent acquisition leaders today admit that they don't consistently
and quantifiably measure the health of their employer brands, and almost half say they
lack a proactive strategy. Management can't succeed without measurement and focus.
In the end, the key opportunity isn't simply to improve awareness of your company as a
great place to work, it's to upgrade your strategy: by listening to key audiences and
observing how they interact with your employer brand; by assessing how you fare versus
your competitors for talent; and by investing differentially in engaging candidate
populations where you have the most to gain.
This is particularly true in an era in which social platforms have changed the game for
where and how identities – both corporate and personal – form and evolve. There was a
time when your employer brand consisted of the messaging that your company delivered
out into the marketplace and periodically refreshed. Today your messaging is being
consumed, supplemented and amplified – or questioned aloud – in real time based on
talent’s actual experience with your brand across multiple touch points, including social
platforms where prospective talent engages with you on a daily basis. And what often
rises to the top now, louder and clearer than your own messaging, is your talent brand –
your employer brand as seen through the social lens, incorporating what prospective
talent thinks, feels and says about your company as a place to work.
The good news is that, thanks to the reams of Big Data that are generated through billions
of interactions on social platforms like LinkedIn, it’s easier than previously to assess how
you’re really doing . And the companies that effectively assess their talent brands will be
able to prioritize spend, shore up areas of weakness, build out competitive advantage,
and ultimately engage target talent to greatest effect.
Conclusion
21

22. “Today your messaging is being consumed,
supplemented and amplified – or
questioned aloud – in real time based on
talent’s actual experience with your brand
across multiple touch points.
“

23. Appendix

24. Appendix I: Findings by Country
AMERICAS EMEA ASIA PACIFIC
 45% of Brazilian TA leaders
measure their brands (vs.
33% globally,), which is likely
why they claim to understand
employer brand strength
across populations more often
(67% vs. 53% globally).
 Canada ranks second in citing
effectiveness of professional
social networks for employer
branding (57% vs. 46%
overall), otherwise they are in
the middle of the pack in
investment and organization.
 US TA leaders report above
average employer brand
investment, yet they are
significantly below average on
measurement (21% survey
candidates vs. 32% overall;
31% survey new hires vs.
37% overall).
 France leads the way in gauging stakeholders:
surveying new hires (46%) and candidates (45%)
are well above the global averages (37% and
32%, respectively).
 UK Employer brand prioritization is well above
average, as is investment, yet UK TA leaders are
average or worse in measuring for success.
 Germany has the fewest percentage of TA leaders
who consider employer branding a top priority
(47% vs. 69% globally); TA leads most often (66%
co-own or own employer brand vs. 61% globally).
 Spanish TA leaders set a high bar for other
countries in calling the employer brand shots, with
72% of TA leaders owning or co-owning employer
brand, far above the 61% global average.
 In Italy, acknowledgment of employer brand
significance is on par with other countries, yet its
investment and measurement tend to be well
behind most other countries.
 Netherlands TA leaders are well below average in
terms of investing in employer brand and TA
owning it, yet they are more likely to measure
employer brand and use viral channels such as
online professional networks effectively.
 TA leaders in the Nordics lag on most dimensions,
except in measuring the health of employer brand
(42% vs. 33% globally).
 India is the sole country that
ranks consistently well above
average on employer brand
prioritization, strategic action,
and measurement.
 Australia is investing in
employer branding more
aggressively than any other
region (61% citing spend
increase versus 51% globally),
yet on all measurement
metrics, Australia is either
average or below average
compared to other countries.
Employer branding winner
across the board: INDIA
24

25. Australia and the emerging markets lead the way in doubling down on
employer brand
61% 58% 57% 57% 56% 53% 53% 48% 45% 45% 43% 38%
Organizations spending more on employer brand in 2012 vs. 2011 (by country)
AUSTRALIA
INDIA
BRAZIL
UNITEDKINGDOM
UNITEDSTATES
FRANCE
CANADA
GERMANY*
NORDICS
SPAIN*
NETHERLANDS
ITALY*
Organizations in AUSTRALIA and
INDIA increasing spend more
often than the global average
Organizations in ITALY and the
NETHERLANDS increasing spend
less often than the global average
25 * Low base size (< 80 respondents)
GLOBAL AVERAGE
51%

26. 26
72% 70% 66% 65% 61% 59% 58% 57% 56% 56% 56% 51%
SPAIN
INDIA
GERMANY
BRAZIL
AUSTRALIA
CANADA
FRANCE
ITALY
NORDICS
UNITEDSTATES
UNITEDKINGDOM
NETHERLANDS
TA leaders most empowered to
drive employer brand in SPAIN
and INDIA
TA leaders significantly less likely to
own or co-own employer brand in the
UK and the NETHERLANDS
There is significant geographic variation in Talent Acquisition’s role in
employer branding
Organizations where TA has total or shared control of employer brand (by country)
GLOBAL AVERAGE
61%

27. 27
67% 62% 57% 54% 54% 52% 52% 51% 50% 46% 44% 41%
BRAZIL
INDIA
NETHERLANDS
FRANCE
CANADA
NORDICS
UNITEDKINGDOM
SPAIN
AUSTRALIA
UNITEDSTATES
GERMANY
ITALY
INDIA and BRAZIL significantly more likely to
understand their employer brand strength
across different talent populations
Emerging markets lead the pack with the most understanding of employer
brand strength by population
Percentage understanding employer brand strength across different talent populations (by country)
GLOBAL AVERAGE
53%

28. 28
50% 45% 42% 35% 33% 32% 32% 30% 29% 23% 22% 20%
INDIA
BRAZIL
NORDICS
CANADA
AUSTRALIA
NETHERLANDS
UNITEDKINGDOM
FRANCE
UNITEDSTATES
SPAIN
ITALY
GERMANY
INDIA and BRAZIL more likely to
consistently measure employer brand
There is wide geographic variation in measuring the health of employer brands
Quantifiable measurement of employer brand (by country)
GERMANY, ITALY, and SPAIN less likely
to consistently measure employer brand
GLOBAL AVERAGE
33%

29. Most don’t survey new hires to understand employer brand perceptions;
wide geographic differences
29
52% 46% 45% 39% 36% 35% 34% 34% 33% 31% 30% 23%
INDIA
FRANCE
GERMANY
BRAZIL
AUSTRALIA
SPAIN
NETHERLANDS
CANADA
UNITEDKINGDOM
UNITEDSTATES
NORDICS
ITALY
More organizations survey new
hires in INDIA and FRANCE
Fewer organizations survey new hires
in the NORDICS and ITALY
Organizations that regularly survey new hires to understand brand position (by country)
GLOBAL AVERAGE
37%

30. Even fewer organizations survey candidates; again, wide geographic variance
30
More organizations survey new
hires in FRANCE and INDIA
Fewer organizations survey candidates in
AUSTRALIA and the UNITED STATES
Organizations that regularly survey candidates to understand brand position (by country)
45% 45% 39% 36% 34% 32% 31% 28% 26% 25% 25% 21%
FRANCE
INDIA
GERMANY
SPAIN
BRAZIL
NORDICS
ITALY
NETHERLANDS
UNITEDKINGDOM
CANADA
AUSTRALIA
UNITEDSTATES
GLOBAL AVERAGE
32%

31. Appendix II: Findings by Industry
CONSUMER
GOODS
 Consumer Goods TA
leaders are ahead of the
curve, with 72% having
primary or shared
ownership of employer
brand compared to 61%
overall. They are also more
likely to feel they have the
resources needed for
success (48% vs. 39%
overall).
 Finance appears to be
one of the more strategic
industries as more
respondents (61% vs. 53%
overall) report a good
understanding of their
employer brand across
talent populations, likely due
to better measurement: 46%
of Finance TA leaders
quantifiably measure their
employer brands versus
33% overall.
 Marketing/PR/Consulting
are much more likely to
have a proactive employer
brand strategy (64% vs.
54% overall), and more
likely to leverage online
professional channels such
as LinkedIn (64% of this
group cite effectiveness, vs.
46% overall).
 Manufacturing TA leaders
are just as aware of employer
branding’s importance as
other industries, yet they are
much less likely to make it a
top organization priority (59%
vs. 69% overall).
 High-tech TA leaders
(59% vs. 46% overall) are
also more likely to use
newer communication
channels such as online
professional networks and
social media, and they are
above average when it
comes to regularly
surveying new hires (41%
vs. 37% overall).
 Non-profit TA leaders cite
the effectiveness of social
media more than other
industries (47% vs. 38%
overall), but they are not yet
capitalizing on other low-
cost ‘passive candidate’
channels such as online
professional networks (34%
vs. 46% overall).
 More than all other
industries, Medical and
Healthcare TA leaders have
increased investment in
employer brand due to
higher awareness of its
impact. Yet, the industry is
below average in surveying
new hires (29% vs. 37%
overall) and surveying
candidates (24% vs. 32%
overall).
 Education TA leaders
consider investing in employer
branding to be the #1
competitive threat, more than
any other industry. At the same
time, they tend to over-rely on
company websites (84%) to
communicate their brands,
resulting in missed
opportunities to engage with
passive talent. Education TA
leaders in particular have not
yet fully realized the potential of
professional and social
networks.
MARKETING/PR/
CONSULTING
HIGH TECH MANUFACTURING
FINANCEMEDICAL/
HEALTHCARE
NON-PROFIT
EDUCATION
31

32. Appendix III: Findings by Company Size
 Employer brand is more
top of mind as
organizations grow in size;
78% of TA leaders at large
companies consider
employer branding a top
priority (vs. 67% for the
smallest companies and
69% overall).
 TA leaders at smaller
companies recognize
employer brand’s long-term
importance; they rank it
one of the most essential
and long-term trends in the
industry, even higher than
TA leaders at larger
companies.
 TA leaders are larger
companies are more
involved in employer
brand, with 67% owning or
co-owning it compared to
51% for the smallest
companies and 61%
overall.
 Those from smaller
companies report investing
more in 2012 due to the an
increase in hiring, while
those from larger
companies are investing
more due to a greater
awareness of employer
branding’s impact.
 54% of larger companies
consider channels such as
LinkedIn effective (vs. 47%
smaller) and 47% cite
social media as effective
(vs. 38% smaller).
 Smaller companies still
tend to rely more heavily
on word-of-mouth (62%
small vs. 49% large), likely
due to more limited
resources.
 Larger companies are
much likelier to have an
employer branding
strategy (68% vs. 54%
overall and 49% for small
companies.)
 Larger companies (51%)
regularly measure
employer brand relative to
competitors, significantly
more than smaller
companies do (34%).
 Larger companies (45%)
prioritize employer brand
spend on audiences where
their brand is weaker,
significantly more than
smaller companies do
(29%).
Large companies are ahead, but
SMALLER ORGANIZATIONS
are not far behind
1. AWARENESS 2. INVESTMENT &
ORGANIZATION
3. DELIVERY 4. STRATEGY &
MEASUREMENT
32

33. The third annual LinkedIn Global Recruiting Trends Survey
was conducted online between May 2012 and July 2012.
Recruiting professionals with a LinkedIn profile who opted in
to participate in research studies were sent an email
invitation to participate. In order to qualify, respondents had
to focus solely or primarily on recruitment in a corporate
HR/recruiting setting, and have at least some budget
authority. Respondents represented an even mix of small,
mid-size and large companies. 3,028 corporate respondents
qualified and successfully completed the questionnaire.
Global statistics are reported as un-weighted averages of
corporate recruiter responses from the following countries:
Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy,
Netherlands, Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland),
Spain, UK, & US.
For more information about this survey, please email:
research@linkedin.com
1. 2011 research on job-seeking behavior. For more
details see lnkd.in/jobseeker-research
Founded in 2003, LinkedIn connects the world’s
professionals to make them more productive and successful.
With more than 175 million members worldwide, including
executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the
world’s largest professional network on the Internet. LinkedIn
offers a full range of solutions to help organizations of all
sizes find, engage and attract the best talent. 85 percent of
the Fortune 100 use LinkedIn Talent Solutions.
For employer branding best practices from industry leaders,
go to: talent.linkedin.com/employer-brand
For a new way to measure your talent brand, see
talent.linkedin.com/talentbrandindex
To stay up to date on the latest research and insights from
LinkedIn, follow @hireonlinkedin on Twitter and subscribe
to our blog: talent.linkedin.com/blog
About This Survey About LinkedIn
Additional Resources
33
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