Employer branding isn’t what a company claims in a job ad. It’s what candidates, employees and the market perceive.
It always present … even without a strategy, a campaign, or a modern careers page.
So the real question isn’t “do we have an employer brand?” The real question is: “are we shaping it, or enduring it?”
What is employer branding?
Employer branding refers to how a company is perceived as an employer. Generally, it rests on two dimensions. First, there is internal experience, meaning what employees live day to day. Second, there is external image, meaning how candidates, former employees, schools and the market see the company.
These two dimensions are closely linked. Indeed, a company can polish its image, but if the lived experience doesn’t match, the promise quickly loses credibility. That’s why employer branding isn’t built through a campaign. Instead, it’s built through practices: how the company recruits, welcomes, trains, manages, recognises and helps employees grow.
The EVP: the promise at the heart of it all
At the centre of employer branding sits the EVP, the Employee Value Proposition. According to Gartner, it is the set of attributes that employees and the labour market perceive as the value received from working for an organisation.
In short, the EVP answers a simple question: why work here rather than elsewhere? Certainly, the answer isn’t just about salary. It includes culture, management, flexibility, training, career growth, work-life balance and a sense of purpose.
A good EVP doesn’t promise everything. Instead, it chooses. It states what the company genuinely offers, and it owns what it isn’t. This is exactly where many organisations fail: they try to please everyone, and consequently, their promise becomes blurred.
Why employer branding matters in Switzerland
SECO publishes the state of the Swiss labour market every month. Currently, the latest available data show a market that is gradually normalising, yet it remains demanding for employers seeking qualified profiles. Meanwhile, The Adecco Group Switzerland tracks the shortage of skilled labour in Switzerland every year. Although the pressure has eased somewhat, difficulties still persist in several key professions, notably technical, IT and healthcare roles. This is precisely why employer branding in Switzerland has become a genuine strategic priority, not just an HR checkbox.
In Switzerland, SMEs make up more than 99% of businesses and generate two-thirds of jobs, according to the Confederation’s SME portal. Therefore, employer branding isn’t a concern reserved for large companies alone. Often, an SME has strengths that big groups lack: proximity, fast decision-making, autonomy, and a visible impact of one’s work. Still, it needs to state them clearly. Notably, an SME that owns its identity can attract candidates aligned with its reality, while one that copies the codes of large corporations risks losing what makes it distinctive.
Candidates check before they apply
Candidates no longer rely solely on job ads. Instead, they check review platforms, look at employees’ LinkedIn profiles, and analyse how clear the hiring process is. Above all, they look for proof.
Does a company promise flexibility? Then candidates want to understand how it works in practice. Does it talk about development? They expect concrete evidence: career paths, training programmes, internal mobility. Does it highlight a caring culture? Naturally, they look for signals in how people are managed and in employee testimonials.
Employer branding, then, plays out well before the first interview.
Who carries the employer brand?
HR structures recruitment, onboarding, training and retention. Leadership, meanwhile, sets the framework and priorities. However, it’s managers who embody the employer brand day to day. Often, it’s at their level that the promise is confirmed, or cracks. Specifically, a manager who gives feedback, supports progress and respects working conditions makes the promise credible, while one who ignores training needs or tolerates problematic behaviour undermines the official narrative.
Employees also play a key role. They talk about their company, recommend it or not, and sometimes become ambassadors. Still, you can’t decree an ambassador into existence. Rather, an employee recommends their employer when they live a coherent experience, not because a communication plan asks them to.
How do you build a credible employer brand?
It all starts with a diagnosis. Before communicating, a company needs to listen: internal surveys, qualitative interviews, exit interviews, analysis of online reviews, candidate feedback. Ultimately, the goal is to spot the gap between the narrative and reality. That gap isn’t a failure. Rather, it’s a starting point.
Next comes formulating the EVP. It must answer three questions: What do we genuinely offer? To which profiles? What proof can we show? Simply saying “we develop skills” isn’t enough. Instead, the company must demonstrate its training paths, mobility practices and managerial support.
If it promises autonomy, it should avoid unnecessary approval chains. Similarly, when it comes to training, it needs to actually give people time to learn. For example, an improvised onboarding, a hiring process that drags on, or a lack of feedback after an interview all send a message.
Making the brand visible, and managing it
Once the promise is clear, it needs to be made visible: careers site, LinkedIn, industry events, employee referrals, employee testimonials. Platforms like Glassdoor or JobUp.ch, for instance, shape how candidates perceive a company. Ignoring them doesn’t protect the company; it simply lets others speak on its behalf.
Employer branding also needs to be actively managed. Useful indicators include time-to-hire, quality of applications, offer-acceptance rate, new-hire turnover, referral rate, and internal mobility. Even so, a rejected candidate can still become an ambassador, but only if they went through a clear, respectful process.
Training: proof, not an option
In reality, training is one of the most concrete proofs that a company keeps its promise. Indeed, organisations that invest in career development and internal mobility see a direct effect on engagement and retention. In professions where recruiting will remain difficult, developing existing talent through upskilling, reskilling and internal mobility is also a strong signal. In other words, the company doesn’t treat its people as interchangeable resources, but as skills worth growing.
For training and L&D managers, this makes the topic genuinely strategic, since they contribute directly to attractiveness, engagement and retention.
Common mistakes
The first mistake is confusing employer branding with a recruitment campaign. Then comes the temptation to promise a culture that doesn’t yet exist. Too often, HR is left to carry a topic that also depends on leadership, managers and training. Another pitfall is copying large companies without accounting for one’s own reality. Finally, some companies measure only visibility instead of measuring the quality of the experience.
These mistakes are costly. Not only do they create disappointment, but they also erode trust and increase the risk of turnover.
What a company gains by managing its employer brand
A coherent employer brand improves the quality of applications, reduces reliance on emergency hiring, and strengthens team engagement. Its deepest benefit, however, lies elsewhere. Specifically, it forces the company to clarify what it genuinely offers, and it pushes HR, managers, leadership and training teams to work together. Above all, it brings to light the gaps between intentions and practices.
In this sense, employer branding isn’t just a tool for attraction. Rather, it’s a tool for transformation.
Employer branding in Switzerland: the promise is no longer enough
Employer branding isn’t a coat of varnish. Instead, it’s the visible result of everyday choices.
How do you recruit and welcome people? Similarly, how do you train and manage them? And how do you recognise effort, or handle departures?
These answers shape your reputation. In Switzerland, candidates verify promises quickly, and so do employees.
So the question isn’t whether your company has an employer brand. It already has one: built or endured, visible or blurred, coherent or contradictory. Ultimately, the real question is more demanding: is it clear, credible, and kept? And if it isn’t yet, where do you start? In the end, employer branding in Switzerland comes down to one simple thing: keeping the promise.
Is your employer brand clear, credible, and kept? If you’re not sure, that’s exactly where we can help. Swissnova helps Swiss companies turn EVP promises into daily practice, through management training and communication strategy. Contact us to see where to start.
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