IBM Kenexa Recruitment Department In Lincoln, Nebraska, Houses Employment Branding Machine for International Brands

Mary Kate Gulick is creative director of employment branding within the recruitment division of IBM Kenexa in Lincoln, Nebraska. She loves what she does, because she gets to help match people with jobs where they will thrive. The company, in turn, saves money and time by hiring people who are a good fit and therefore more likely to stay and accomplish great things. That’s what employment branding is all about.

“Hiring the wrong person and having to replace that person when they don’t work out actually can cost more than a year’s salary,” Gulick said. “That’s why companies spend so much time on employment branding, and why our work is so important.”

Gulick and her staff are tasked with creating websites that positively convey the employment culture of client companies in order to attract the right people for job openings.

For decades, Kenexa has provided outsourced recruitment services for global clients  like McDonald’s, FedEx, Best Buy, NBC Universal and Cabela’s. It is only relatively recently that companies have realized the power of a separate employment brand coordinating with a company’s primary brand.

“When it came to recruitment, companies used to work with marketing people who didn’t really understand employment branding,” Gulick said. “A hole existed. We needed people who understand both marketing and the business implications of getting the right people in the right places. Employment branding appeals to a more fundamental urge than consumer branding.”

In addition, Gulick emphasizes that a clear employment brand gives existing employees and influencers a clear understanding of company culture, so they can share with others, which strengthens a company’s overall brand and recruitment efforts.

To learn more, visit the IBM website at http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/business-consulting/bpo/employment-branding.html