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of 7 Talent Acquisition and Employer Brand
Article 1
Title: Talent Acquisition and Employer Brand
Abstract: This article summarises two distinctive flows of acquiring new personnel in terms
of high-skilled and low-skilled workers vis-à-vis the immigration policies. It also introduces
Employer Brand and discusses the most frequent recruitment flaws that affect the Employer
Brand and the whole corporate image.
(keywords: HR, human resources, human capital, talent acquisition, recruitment, hiring,
hiring practices, recruitment strategy, low-skilled, high-skilled workforce, talent
management, high potentials, succession planning, employer brand, strategic HRM)
This article discusses Talent Acquisition and Employer Brand topics, in which both of the
terms fall under HR terminology. HR itself is a controversial topic as it still is not rooted in
the corporate world as a rightful discipline equivalent to corporate finance for instance. It is
disputable whether it has the same weight however if it is neglected by the management then
it is not done properly and an HR manager or person responsible for the HR should pursue
the long-term objective of adapting its department and its responsibilities to a more inclusive
level where it would be having considered as one of the tools driving the whole corporate
strategy. Let us start by looking at HR from basic perspectives then.
You cannot really make any products or even provide services without having any resources
on hand. One of such resources is Human Resources – HR as you know it from the corporate
abbreviation. This said it is evident that people – workers - are one of the most important
assets of any company even in an environment that heavily relies on machinery as at the end
of the day it is a human that maintains or repairs faulty machinery.
The process of acquiring resources for one’s business is very straightforward. The person
responsible for acquisitions looks for the highest quality at the best price available. This
recipe also applies to the HR field. It is very simple and frankly not difficult to implement
when it comes to entry level jobs however it becomes a headache for more senior positions.
Let’s imagine for instance you are buying a new computer for your office, you start with the
specifications that are crucial for your work (job description), then you look at what is
available on the market (job advertisement), you compare the quality (brand) and the price
(salary). Sometimes you even purchase a longer warranty (contract duration) and you can
also return or exchange the product within the first few weeks from the date of purchase
(probation period).
In most cases businesses develop from one-man bands to bigger organisations and
corporations, even those that started as small team companies usually grow through bringing
in lower ranks. Under these circumstances, even though it was said at the beginning it is
always crucial to have the best it is not a matter of life and death for the company to make the
right choice when it comes to personnel.
However there is a big difference between the low-skilled workers who fit low-margin jobs
and a high-skilled workforce that seek employment in high-margin posts. Low-skilled
positions should not be difficult to fill as these do not need any special requirements and thus
could be done by almost anyone depending on the nature of the job, of course. When

recruiting for low-skilled positions the main aspect that could result in a competitive
advantage is the price the company pays for the HR. In other words, companies can push the
salary for the position as low as someone is willing to work for it. The companies can
squeeze the cost of their HR expenses for low-skilled positions even further by sub-
contracting recruitment agencies such as Manpower. That is why outsourcing in the HR field
has become so frequent these days. Whereas high-skilled posts should ideally be reserved to
those already possessing some knowledge or necessary skills to do the work and should be
capable of developing and building on their qualities further to grow within the organisation.
This is where the quality or brand comes into play as well. As the salaries for high-skilled /
high-margin jobs are already significantly more than those for low-skilled workers, the
companies do focus on the quality of the applicants and prefer to do the hiring on their own.
Today’s practice especially for large multinationals is to do mass-hiring twice a year (usually
autumn and spring) in their own assessment centres where the “brand” is the leading factor.
The “brand” actually stands in for the schools offering the graduates in the field in which the
company operates. That is why there has been an increasing number of job fairs that initially
started in the U.S. There are already regular job fairs in Western Europe spreading across to
Central and Eastern Europe. This recruiting tool has set its roots also in Asian countries,
however here it is necessary to keep in mind the difference between the developed and
emerging economies. The brand in terms of top schools is only applicable when the education
market has had sufficient time to mature which means the schools have had enough time to
produce several generations of their graduates and could therefore build a reputation.
For the leading schools the borders seem to have disappeared. As multinationals grow bigger
and stronger their operations often cross the borders and so do their HR practices. This has
led to new terms being used in the everyday corporate language such as “War for Talent”.
This is because graduates from top schools are usually being contacted before they actually
finish their studies by multinationals in order to get the “talent” on board. What is surprising
is the fact that the biggest rivals in the talent war can be at first sight completely contrasting
companies from unrelated fields such as Apple and Adidas.
Naturally there has been a huge number of foreign students especially from the Ivy League1
,
and when the cross-border hiring comes into place the number of foreigners grows even
bigger. But talking about multiculturalism in the workplace, there too are two different flows.
There are two different patterns in international labour-force that could be linked to whether
the workforce competes for the low-skilled low-margin jobs or high-skilled high-margin jobs.
The trend as it stands now shows there is a need for immigrant workers to take on low-skilled
jobs in developed countries where the natives are well educated and do expect to earn better
above average salaries. Whereas in emerging economies where the education sector lags
behind enterprises do welcome well-educated and experienced international experts that
could transfer their knowledge onto the native workforce.
In emerging economies it has become a common practice for multinational companies to
found their own learning and education centres where they bring in overseas and/or local
experts offering life-long education to their workforce so to bring up their own experts. This
is key to their human capital management and vital for their succession planning that is
1
Eight private institutions of higher education in the United States, however this term also stands for academic
excellence, social elitism and selectivity of admission.

crucial to any company’s sustainable existence or growth. 2
Many such centres are complex
organisations and could overshadow some of the existing Universities however this is
achievable only where there is a huge concentration of a local workforce in countries such as
India or China or the company needs to be truly big size-wise nationally or internationally.
For instance chaebols3
do have their own Learning and Development Centres and some of
them offer their own MBA programmes. When talking with one of the L&D centre chiefs it
was said that it is much “safer” to provide employees with home-designed post-graduate
programmes rather than providing them with funds to follow a recognised MBA programme
elsewhere as according to their experience, when a person attains a better education while
working at a company, then after receiving a globally-recognised certificate this person tends
to leave that company. This is the point where the HR needs to consider their ROI4
. Maybe in
this case, the question does not lay in the scope of the learning and education that the
company provides but in the reasons as to why the more senior employees tend to leave.
Maybe it is not the L&D5
that needs to be tackled but the C&B6
for senior personnel.
But the stance of national governments as far as the cross-border knowledge transfer is
concerned is clear. In order to help boost their national economy the representatives design
labour legislation allowing for such transfers and could even provide incentives for migrant
workers in order to attract them to their country. However saying this, it is important to keep
in mind that governments also do have control over the number of migrants they allow work
in their country. It is common practice that there are decisions being made as to the number
of each types of work or stay visa that will be issued for the following calendar year. Where
the number of incoming high-skilled professionals does not usually reach its limits the
incoming low-skilled workers usually outnumber the limit of the work permits. This leads to
an illegal migrant workforce spreading mainly across developed countries and do cause a
headache especially for transition countries. Developed countries which seek foreign
workforces to undertake low-skilled jobs are mainly those with a very low fertility rate, such
as South Korea, where there is a need for workers who will help the country sustain its
economy in the near future. However, this is only one of the tools that governments have the
power to implement. South Korea is currently looking into other ways how to tackle the low-
fertility problem and its consequences.
As for the legislation of incoming foreign workforces, the issue of equal opportunities has not
really been addressed. Commonly it is a firm that hires first and then based on who gets the
job the visa is applied for later on. There are some programs however (i.e. Australia, New
Zealand, Canada), in which young people are encouraged (the age limit is 26, 28, 30 or little
bit more) to apply for a yearly visa first and then they have 1 year to enter the country where
they are free to live and work for a period of 1 year. In the Republic of Korea, there has been
an attempt by the Korea Immigration Service to build and maintain a database of
international professionals willing to undertake work in the ROK. This initiative has only
existed for a few years so far therefore it is difficult to see whether it becomes useful in the
search for talent.
2
When discussing the corporate key functions then a term human capital is probably more suitable as not only
these positions are indeed very costly but should have the power to bring in capital to the company.
3
Conglomerates in the Republic of Korea, ie. Samsung, Lotte, LG, etc.
4
Return on Investment
5
Learning and Development
6
Compensation and Benefits

In contrast to more multinational countries where there are huge numbers of minorities who
have gained citizenship from previous generations to very recently, governments in pursuit of
diminishing social exclusion of their minorities, introduced Equal Opportunities Acts within
their labour legislations. Surely such legislations are at some point very powerful and a
positive tool however taken too far, when quotas come into place, could backfire creating a
positive discrimination environment in which not the best person for the job but the second,
third, maybe the 10th
best person is recruited. This phenomenon was mentioned years ago in a
satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that first aired between
1980 and 1984, in which one of the characters representing a Home Civil Servant of the
British Ministry of Administrative Affairs mentions to a candidate for a Committee
Membership: ”The perfect representative on a government committee is a disabled black
Welsh woman trade unionist. We are all looking for one of those!”
Surely this quota only affects low-skilled positions and then entry level jobs. When it comes
to more senior positions or jobs in which sets of specific skills is required then the job
requirements come first. As always if the person is indispensable for the company then there
surely is a way how to keep him / her. There is a number of examples such as at the
beginning of the economic crisis in the U.S. when the government radically reduced the
number of work permits, one of the leading IT companies relocated its highly respected and
valued Asian manager to Canada, where it provided him with a house and all necessary
equipment. He stayed in touch through Skype, mail and other tools and went on regular
business trips to the U.S. There are of course other examples proving that when there is a will
there is a way.
Companies, and also governments, need to first find such people they are willing to go the
extra mile for. This is where the Employer Brand comes into the discussion. The term itself
has not been used for long but it is used in developed countries that do offer HR specific
education and certification however in other countries, where the HR has not been recognised
as a separate discipline yet, this term is almost unknown. When the Employer Brand term
was introduced the border between HR and marketing blurred as the Employer Brand stands
for how the company wants to be seen and understood as a potential employer. It should
come from within the company and mirror the corporate culture.
If you think about it, then you have to take into account all the possible “meeting points”
where there is an interaction between a company, or a company’s employees, and the outside
world. Employer Brand does not only involve the HR but the whole company and all its
employees. Imagine you are checking into a hotel, you are standing at the reception desk and
the receptionist has difficulties finding your reservation. The manager arrives to sort the
problem out and you are a witness to a rather nasty disagreement between the receptionist
and the manager. Would you like to work for a company where the employees do not treat
each other respectfully? And such encounters happen all the time. The role of the HR here is
to lay down the internal corporate policies that will ensure or at least encourage respectful
behaviour in the workplace. Another example of one of the tools helping build Employer
Brand is a dress code. If there is a company that claims to value diversity and promotes
individualism, then a unified dress code probably is not the best idea to be implemented.
But still, the place where the Employer Brand has its roots and is most visible is the hiring
process in which, most commonly, potential employees meet the HR team. Companies
should not never underestimate their hiring processes and should select the right personnel
with true people skills to occupy their HR positions within the recruitment department. The

Employer Brand image already starts with each job advertisement. This should be as accurate,
detailed and well-structured as possible. It is important to bear in mind that especially these
days when unemployment rates are high and the number of job hunters significantly
outnumber the vacancies it is important to start sifting out unsuitable candidates at the earliest
stage possible. If you have a look at the first few top job boards, you will certainly find
dozens of advertisements lacking the basic specifications that do matter to serious applicants.
Frankly, these are usually missing for the vacancies that are advertised by a third party such
as recruitment agencies. This is what the recruitment agencies are making their living off that
is why they put a lot of effort into hiding any clues that may lead to the identity of the
company that is actually hiring for the position. But this effort does blur the whole
advertisement and results in unqualified people or those with a completely different portfolio
to click on the apply tab. You may think that this does not really matter as it is their job to go
through the thousands of applications and narrow down the search, however these people are
still “only humans” and honestly, very often lack the experience thus end up with only a few
suitable applicants while some very good fits slipped through their hands.
This usually is not the case for adverts that are posted by an actual employer. If you have a
look at Linkedin pages or any other professional networking site, the advertisements there are
being published by the employers themselves. In these cases the ads do not lack a company
introduction, detailed job description, position specification and requirements. Some of the
adverts are through these pages and some will re-direct you to the company’s job applications
database. Corporate DBs can be a headache for applicants, especially when the whole
registration process is split into a number of steps that cannot be skipped and sometimes the
server keeps crashing. Not only applicants has to re-write everything but sometimes grasping
the structure can be very time-consuming plus these tools diminish space for applicants to
diversify themselves from the crowd.
It is hard to say whether it is better to name a contact person on a job advertisement, but it is
true that it is much easier to address a job application to a person with a name. Also, it is
courteous to potential employees to know who will get to read one’s personal as well as
detailed professional information. Giving out a name is the least you, as a company, should
do in return.
Once an application gets through, the applicant should at least receive a confirmation email.
It could be automatically generated, but it is important for the applicant to know that one’s
application was safely received. What is really helpful, is the schedule of the hiring process,
you can inform an applicant about the date by which you will invite candidates for the
interview. To avoid sending mass-mails to unsuccessful applicants you can just add that if
they do not hear from you by then, they should consider the application unsuccessful. These
dates can already be included in the job advertisements.
However if an applicant requests feedback on one’s application, it is indeed very important to
respond to such a request. Of course this means extra work, but if an applicant does not suit
the corporate culture, it is best to be honest and explain it plainly. This way you can save your,
as well as the applicant’s time as he / she might re-consider applying for some other
vacancies available at your company in the future.
When you decide to invite an applicant for an interview, again, be as accurate as possible, it
is always helpful to add directions with a map, a link to your company’s website, etc. If you
know how long the interview will be, just say so in the email as well. If an applicant gets

stuck in traffic or is delayed for any reason, he / she may call to inform you. However if you
only have 30 minutes per applicant and the delay could be 15 then a 15 minute meeting might
not be worthwhile for either of you.
As for the interview itself, it is very unprofessional to attend unprepared. You should at least
know the candidate’s name and / or have his / her information at hand. Linkedin is a great
tool, and the applicants for most attractive positions prepare themselves thoroughly including
finding Linkedin profiles of the interviewers to adequately prepare themselves for the
interview itself. Thus, not knowing anything at all about an applicant can throw the whole
recruitment process off balance. It is alright to let candidates introduce themselves thus give
you some clues as to who you are talking to, but you need to know what is of interest to you,
education, professional experience, international experience, you should then drive the
questioning accordingly. The worst thing you as a recruiter can do during an interview is to
underestimate the person you are interviewing. It is perfectly normal to introduce your
company, summarise the job requirements but avoid explaining basic terminology or asking
completely unfounded questions for instance, if the person has a university degree then
asking him about his knowledge of Microsoft Office, if the person tells you he is fluent in
English then asking him / her to rate his English skills from 1 to 10 and so on.
Another thing that is important to bear in mind but might seem contradictory to the previous
advice is to never assume anything. Sometimes it is better to ask more but intelligent
questions than work with assumptions. If there are any standardised tests involved, re-
consider whether these are suitable for the position you are hiring for at that moment. It is
inappropriate to ask an applicant for a managerial post to spend half of his time filling in tests
that by their nature would be suitable for a primary school pupil. If the job requires a very
good knowledge of a foreign language, it is better to conduct the interview in that language
rather than preparing a written multiple choice test. Make the first interview appropriate for
the position you are hiring for.
If the applicant goes through such a process then it should be without saying that you as a
company will provide him with feedback regarding the tests involved. The applicant took
time and energy to provide you with all the information required, you should honour this time
and energy by not only communicating your decision but also the reasons behind it. If you
expect candidates to be honest then you should be the same.
The points above may seem unnecessary or maybe not so important to be discussed in an
article but from recent job hunters’ experiences the practices described above are still very
frequent and do shed negative light onto companies. If not for the companies’ sake, the
interviewers should remain professional for their own sakes. You never know when you will
meet that person again and although you may not need that person to work for you, you might
need him / her as a business partner.
If we look at the Employer Brand for countries, especially when a country is in need of either
well-experienced professionals in particular fields, or low skilled workers who will play a
major role in the country’s economy battling a very low fertility rate, then they need to have a
look at what, as a country, they can provide that would benefit such a potential worker. In the
case of Singapore the strengths to point out would be its well-known internationalisation
where foreigners appreciate the wide spread use of English mainly in public places and
services, safety, accessible and quality health care, a reasonable social safety net and last but
not least its economic stability. On the other hand, according to working foreign professionals,

Singapore is a great place for young families however it is a bit dull for singles. Countries, as
well as firms, need to know what they are up against. You need to know your competitors,
their strengths and weaknesses to be able to highlight the qualities that differentiate you from
the crowd.

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