How to build an employer brand of choice

If your roles are getting fewer quality applications or your offers are being declined at the last minute, it is rarely ‘just the market’. In professional services, where skills are niche and competition is real, a strong employer brand is often the difference between making your hire and starting again.

At NW Professional Services, we see this daily. As our Business Manager, Melissa Allison puts it, “a lot of our clients try themselves first and when they struggle with these niche roles they throw it to us.” Strong brand signals shorten that struggle because candidates already know who you are, what you stand for and why your offer stacks up.

Below is a practical playbook to lift your employer brand so you can attract, secure and retain top talent in today’s market.

Why employer brand matters right now

A clear, lived employer value proposition (EVP) improves hiring efficiency and retention. Gartner groups an EVP into five areas candidates weigh up before and after they join: rewards, opportunity, organisation, people and work. When you know what you offer across those five and you communicate it consistently, you make it easier for the right people to say yes.

The Australian market data backs this up:

• AHRI’s Quarterly Australian Work Outlook reports that recruitment has eased a touch, yet skills gaps and turnover remain real issues. In late 2024, a third of organisations reported annual turnover of 20 percent or more, which hurts brand perception and productivity.
  
• Hybrid remains sticky. ABS-linked analysis shows more than a third of Australians still work from home regularly and managers and professionals are the most likely to do so. If your brand signals ‘office only’, you risk shrinking your pool.
  
• Candidates actively research you. Reviews and employee stories influence apply and accept rates, which means your digital footprint and staff advocacy are part of your brand whether you curate them or not.

Melissa sees the same trend on the ground. “Salary, growth and development and flexibility are the top three usually,” she says, and candidates ask directly about all three during screening. If you cannot compete on one lever, you need to be clear and compelling on the others.

The small and mid-size challenge

SMEs often feel overshadowed by big names with bigger budgets. But that’s fixable.

“Small to medium businesses seem to be struggling a little more,” Melissa says. “Sometimes candidates say they have not heard of the company, or they choose the brand they know. That’s where brand recognition comes in.”

You don’t need a stadium sponsorship. What matters is consistently showing the real benefits of working with you and making them easy to find. Do that well and your size becomes a strength. Candidates often tell us they want to be known, developed and trusted and smaller employers are well placed to offer faster growth, broader exposure and closer access to leadership.

Build your employer brand in 5 focused moves

1) Nail your EVP and publish it

Map your offer across Gartner’s five EVP categories, then stress-test it with recent hires. Turn that into a simple “Why work with us” page and a one-pager your hiring managers can use in every conversation. Keep it human and specific. Perks matter, but so do practicals like clear progression paths and regular salary reviews, which candidates now expect.

2) Be visible where candidates actually look

Melissa is clear: “Leverage the channels where talent are looking. LinkedIn is my bread and butter.” Your posts should showcase real work, team moments, client impact and learning opportunities. Aim for two to three signals a week that say ‘this is how it feels to work here’.

Encourage leaders and team members to post as well. Candidates trust people over logos, and consistent posting builds familiarity long before you approach them for a role.

3) Compete on flexibility, not only salary

There is a clear expectation gap on flexibility. In Australia, hybrid patterns have stayed stable over the past two years and professionals value that balance. If a role truly must be on-site, consider flexible start and finish times, compressed fortnights or occasional remote days to widen your pool without compromising delivery.

Melissa sees this every week: “I have candidates saying no to roles that are office only. They want hybrid or at least flexible hours.” Even a modest policy shift, written into your ad and confirmed in interviews, can lift apply and accept rates.

4) Show the growth

Growth beats generic perks. Spell out what new hires will learn in the first six months, which systems they will master and how progression works. If you run leadership pathways, rotations or paid certifications, say so. It signals confidence and reduces churn.

We coach clients to replace ‘career progression available’ with a short pathway: role A → senior A → team lead, with typical timelines and support. Melissa’s advice:

“Candidates ask about growth in almost every interview. If you can answer clearly, you stand out.”

5) Treat every touchpoint as part of your brand

From the first message to the first 90 days, your process is your brand. Keep comms tidy and transparent, set timelines, give feedback and make onboarding structured. Even small wins like clear interview packs and a quick ‘what to expect’ note reduce anxiety and improve acceptance.

Candidates will talk about that experience. The data shows positive experiences get shared with networks and negative reviews discourage more than half of candidates from applying.

Tackle niche roles with a proactive story

Professional services hiring often means very specific skills or systems. That is where brand plus proactive search works best.

“We don’t just throw an ad on Seek and hope for the best,” Melissa says. “For niche roles you need to tap the passive market, headhunt and then sell the role because those people are not actively looking.”

Your brand makes that sell easier. When the cold outreach lands on a profile that already knows your reputation, you move to conversation faster.

It also helps when you are flexible on ‘exact match’ requirements. If a candidate has similar systems and a track record of learning, train them. Melissa’s tip: “When they tick everything else, it is worth putting them on and training the system rather than waiting months for a unicorn.”

Protect your brand with retention basics

Turnover erodes brand trust. Candidates notice repeat ads and draw conclusions about culture and stability. AHRI’s data links skills gaps to productivity and persistent churn is expensive in time and reputation. Close the loop with regular check-ins, structured development and manager coaching to keep your new hires engaged beyond probation.

Melissa’s team focuses on fit and follow-through. “In the last year and a half we have had only two permanent placements in NSW that haven’t stuck. That is rare in recruitment,” she notes. The lesson is simple. Hire well, onboard well, keep your promises.

Quick checklist to lift your employer brand this quarter

• Publish and socialise your EVP, then thread it through ads and interviews.
• Put a clear stance on flexibility in writing. Back it with real options.
• Replace vague ‘career growth’ with a 6-month development plan and review cadence.
• Activate leaders and team voices on LinkedIn with weekly proof points.
• For niche hires, loosen ‘exact system’ requirements and invest in training.
• Tighten candidate experience from outreach to onboarding because reviews travel.
  

Ready to become a brand of choice?

If you want a hand building the EVP, tightening your process or taking a tough brief to market, we would love to help. “We have the time to invest in proactive headhunting and we know how to sell your story,” Melissa says. That story, consistently told, is your employer brand.

Ready to brief a role or sharpen your EVP? Talk to us at NW Professional Services today.