Employer Bland

Chris is joined by Dylan Lees-Jones, European Recruitment Marketing Manager at Wipro, for a conversation that gets right to the heart of one of employer brand's longest-standing frustrations: why does a function with so much proven impact still have to fight so hard for boardroom credibility? Dylan brings a rare dual perspective - A career that started in consumer and B2B direct marketing before moving into employer brand and he uses it to cut through some of the noise around metrics, measurement, and making the case upwards. They cover a lot of ground, including: Why now is genuinely a tough time to ask for budget and why having empathy for that pressure actually makes you a more effective EB practitioner The preparation problem — why so many teams go live on campaigns without agreeing upfront what success actually looks like, and how to fix it Quality of hire vs vanity metrics — what the board actually cares about, and why chasing volume without defining the right candidate profile creates an attrition cycle nobody wins from The lifetime value gap — why employer brand is sitting on one of its most powerful commercial arguments and not yet using it, and what consumer marketing figured out decades ago that EB still hasn't fully applied The halo effect in practice — Dylan shares a real example of switching off radio advertising to prove its value, and what that means for how EB teams should think about attribution Collaboration as the unsexy answer — why misalignment between EB, TA, HR, and senior leadership is quietly undermining even the best work The episode closes on a genuinely exciting idea: that AI could be the thing that finally makes Employer Brand Lifetime Value measurable and what that would mean for how the C-suite views employer brand investment. If you've ever been in a room trying to explain why your work matters and felt like you were speaking a different language, this one's worth your time. Chapters (00:00:00) - Employer Bland(00:01:12) - Employer Brand: Rethinking leadership buy-in(00:03:00) - Have Marketing Teams Stepped Up on Employer Brand?(00:03:55) - Employer Branders: The challenges(00:07:14) - Employer Brand and Corporate Marketing(00:11:25) - Delivering ROI through Talent, Employer Brand(00:16:25) - Employer Branding: Quality of Recruitment(00:21:07) - Employer Brand Success and Analytics(00:24:01) - Senior Leadership Apprenticeship(00:26:51) - Employer Brand Functions(00:30:59) - What Should We Remove From Our Company's Metrics?(00:32:56) - Brand Data: The importance of it for consumers(00:35:01) - Understanding the Lifetime Value of a Customer(00:42:24) - Dylan on The Future of Talking

In this episode I had a thought provoking chat with Steven Brand, Global Employer Brand Lead at Rolls-Royce and a very well respected figure on the global EB circuit, to talk about what really happens to employer brand when things get tough. Not when you're launching a shiny new EVP. Not when you're celebrating growth or looking to attract bucket loads of talent. But when people are leaving, redundancies are happening and restructures are taking place... what happens then? We explored: • Why employer branding often gets “switched off” during tough moments. • The danger of silence (and what fills the gap when leaders don’t communicate) • Survivor’s guilt — and how quickly trust can erode internally • Whether employer brand should be closer to offboarding and exit data • Why values mean nothing if they only show up in the good times One line that stayed with me: “You see the strength of your employer brand in the bad times, not the good.” If we say we stand for transparency, integrity and people-first leadership… That has to apply when it’s raining too. Steven shared some brilliant insights on a topic that doesnt often get the airtime I feel it warrants. Hope you enjoy!

In this episode of the Employer Brand Podcast, I sat down with Ventsislava Nikolova (Ventsi) to unpack what employer branding really means — beyond ping pong tables, fruit bowls, and career fairs. We covered: • Why employer branding needs to stop sounding like… employer branding • How to connect storytelling to profit (without making CEOs’ souls leave their bodies ) • Why internal mobility is one of the most underused retention levers • The KPI she looks at first (and it’s not traffic, clicks or impressions) • Why employees — not companies — should be the hero of the story Hope you enjoy! Chapters (00:00:02) - Ventislava on the Employer Branding Summit(00:00:43) - Introducing Vanzis Leva(00:02:25) - Employment branding: Growing up(00:07:42) - How to Build a Employer Brand: Bridging the Gap(00:09:12) - The lack of visibility for early-career professionals(00:11:30) - What's the Background of the Employer Branding Summit(00:16:31) - Startling a new summit(00:18:29) - Is community building a big part of your organization?(00:19:52) - Employer Branding Summit(00:23:39) - Employment Branding and its Relationship with Profit(00:25:54) - Internal Mobility and Employee Brand(00:28:16) - Employer Branding: The North Star Metric(00:32:01) - How to Build a New Employer Brand(00:34:01) - Venti on Catching Up With Larry

I recently had a great conversation with Global Employer Brand & Recruitment Marketing Leader, Leah Lenihan. We went deep on a topic that I think sits right at the heart of employer branding in 2026: The gap between declared culture and felt culture. Not what’s written in your EVP deck. Not what’s on the posters. But what people actually experience day to day. Leah shared some powerful, real-world insight from her time leading employer brand and recruitment marketing across multiple regions and brands. It reinforced something I see time and time again: A global EVP only works when it’s translated into local, lived reality. Consistency matters - but so does nuance. Culture isn’t what leaders say. It’s what people live. Trust lives in the gap between promise and experience. We also talked about: How local teams should be empowered to interpret EVP, not just receive it The danger of glossy campaigns without operational follow-through Why advocacy only works when people actually believe what they’re sharing How leaders can unknowingly undermine their own EVP in micro-moments One stat that really stuck with me: Less than 23% of employees typically agree with their company’s EVP promise. That’s a massive disconnect and a big opportunity. If you’re working on EVP, employer brand, EX, CX or culture at scale, this episode is well worth a listen. Chapters (00:00:01) - Employer Land: Two weeks off for the boss(00:00:35) - Employer Branding: From promise to felt culture(00:02:54) - A Single Global EVP(00:04:22) - Global Evp: The Need for nuance(00:10:07) - The Evp: Local & Global?(00:17:02) - As a value, is innovation valued?(00:17:47) - The Need for Open Feedback(00:20:50) - Vinod Sinha: How Often Does an EVP Need(00:22:49) - Employer Brand Advisory: Testing the Experience(00:26:54) - Post-it Guardrails(00:31:00) - The Evp vs. Feeled Culture(00:33:12) - Employee Experience and Campaigns(00:36:13) - Leah on Taking a Break

I recently sat down with Sang-Kyun Park (Sanny) for an episode that made me stop and reassess how we’re all using AI in employer branding and talent attraction. Not from a hype perspective. Not from a fear-led perspective. But from a human one... Sanny brought a brilliantly grounded view from the front line — working in a small global employer brand team, operating at scale, with all the same pressures most of us feel right now. A few things that really stuck with me: AI is powerful and expedites so many tasks - but fast doesn't always equal good. Over-reliance creates an illusion of efficiency The “what” of EVP must stay human-led - AI should help with the “how” Authenticity erodes quickly when everything starts to sound the same. AI amplifies 'same' by the very nature of how it works. Human judgement still matters most at emotional moments in the journey We also got into some tougher territory: AI as a crutch vs AI as an amplifier The risk of AI damaging employer brand at scale Why rejection without human contact feels so unsettling to candidates, the long-term employer brand damage could be huge How employer branding risks becoming generic if creativity is outsourced Why HR and EB must move from cost centre → value driver (and how data can help connect these dots to highlight genuine bottomline business impact) + Lots more... We hope you enjoy! Chapters (00:00:00) - It's sunny in Berlin(00:00:40) - Meet the KWS HR Executive Sanny Park(00:04:52) - Employer Branding(00:09:33) - Is AI Eating our Creativity?(00:19:06) - Analyst: The Amplification of AI(00:24:37) - Do you think with all of this Saniya, there could be(00:33:52) - AI enhancing the work, but without replacing independent thinkers(00:38:27) - Employee Branding and Its Impact(00:42:24) - Do We Need More Independent Thinking in Talent Assessment?(00:46:59) - Different audiences, different experiences(00:48:39) - Steve Bartlett on the AI in the Recruitment Process(00:58:09) - How can we Strive for Authenticity in an Age of AI(01:04:57) - Interview

As part of Chris Le'cand-Harwood and my Employer Content Club series, we explore the 5 pillars of Employer Content. Among many other points, we discuss how most people don’t announce disengagement... they drift away. This conversation looks at how employer content can create space for honest voices, surface hidden signals, and help organisations listen before people leave. Hope you enjoy! Chapters (00:00:00) - The 5 Pillars of Employer Content Club(00:00:38) - In the Studio With Chris Evans(00:01:02) - Co-Created: The Content Creation Series(00:03:42) - 5 Pillars of Employer Content Creation(00:06:49) - How to Get Out of the Monkey Cage(00:09:08) - Budget and Employer Content Strategy:(00:12:28) - In the Elevator With Eric Reese(00:12:58) - Employment Branding: The Need for Iterative Budget Spending(00:14:22) - How to Gain the Right Feedback on Content(00:18:08) - How to get vets to create content for VCA Animal Hospitals(00:19:41) - Be visible in the workplace(00:23:37) - The Voice of the Workplace(00:25:57) - Co-Create: The Agile 4 Week Sprint(00:31:54) - Talking to colleagues about disengagement(00:33:03) - Pillar 5: Experience in the Next Year(00:39:10) - Episode 5

Welcome to Employer Content Club and our Autumn Series! In this episode, we're launching our exciting Autumn Series: "Co-Created: How to Build Authentic Content with Employees."Chris Le'cand-Harwood and Chris Murdoch [co-hosts of Employer Content Club] discuss why employer content is the beating heart of effective talent attraction, and why creating community around content creation is so crucial for in-house teams. Chapters (00:00:01) - Employer Bland: A Year in Review(00:01:51) - Employer Content Club(00:03:47) - Employer Content Club(00:06:16) - Co-Created: How to Build Authentic Content With Employees(00:14:10) - Auum: Celebrating the Year in the Job

Chris sat down with James Whitelock (MD of ThinkinCircles & long-time podcaster) to tackle a familiar frustration in recruitment: why roles stay unfilled after 30–45 days — and what recruiting teams can do to turn things around. From rethinking job ads to building brave, human storytelling campaigns, Chris and James break down the process into three powerful stages: Attraction – How to identify your real candidate personas, cut through the noise with authentic video content, and stop playing it safe in the “River of Meh.” Engagement – How to personalise job content, add honesty that helps candidates self-select, and make every touchpoint a great experience. Application – Why broken processes kill great candidates, and how to balance friction, fairness, and flow in your funnel. Candid and practical, this episode is a must-listen for anyone in TA, EB, or recruitment marketing who’s ready to ditch the copy-paste job ad, get creative, and start hiring smarter.  

Employer branding isn’t just about attracting talent... It's about keeping it. Yet, too often, organisations treat employer branding as an almost entirely, external-facing function, focused on hiring surges and EVP rollouts. But what happens when hiring slows? In the latest Employer Bland episode, I sat down with Charu Malhotra, a prominent leader in Employer Brand & Talent Acquisition, to explore why internal employer branding is so important. Key Takeaways from Our Conversation:  Your EVP doesn't mean much if employees can't feel it.Too many companies invest in EVP activation for attraction but neglect internal engagement. If employees don’t see or feel the EVP in action daily, it’s just a tagline with a short shelf-life. - Internal Employer Branding & Internal Comms.Posting sporadically about culture on Slack or an intranet isn’t enough. It’s about consistent storytelling, reinforcing career paths, ensuring employees see real opportunities within the business before they start looking elsewhere. - Engagement, Retention & Mobility are the new hiring metrics.With recruitment fluctuating, businesses need to double down on retention, engagement and internal mobility. Employer brand teams that focus solely on attraction risk becoming irrelevant—those who drive internal brand advocacy become indispensable. - Employees need to see their future.The #1 reason employees leave? Lack of visible career progression. Charu shared how companies can market internal opportunities better, making growth paths clear and accessible.   We hope you enjoy the episode!  

In this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode, Chris sat down with Israh Khokhar, Employer Brander from Manchester to explore the complex intersection of addiction, recovery and Israh's professional life as an agency recruiter turned internal Employer Brander. Israh shares her powerful journey of resilience, shedding light on the often unspoken challenges of addiction in high-pressure industries alongside navigating complex family dynamics and the transformative power of recovery. We discuss: ✨ How addiction is often hidden behind success, material things and societal expectations.✨ The impact of workplace culture on mental health and addiction.✨ Why understanding addiction is key to creating inclusive, supportive workplaces.✨ How recovery can foster accountability, empathy, and unique strengths in the workplace.✨ Actionable advice for leaders and employers to support employees in recovery. This episode isn’t just a story of survival... it’s a call to action for businesses to embrace authenticity, foster inclusivity and recognise the immense value of individuals who’ve overcome addiction. Please tune in to be inspired, challenged, and encouraged to rethink how we approach taboo topics in professional spaces.

Debunking Employer Branding Myths with Claire de Souza. In this episode, Claire de Souza, Co-founder of The EB Space, a global community for Employer Brand professionals, joins Chris to address some common myths that often steer Employer Branders in the wrong direction. Tune in for Claire’s expert take on these misconceptions and how to avoid them in your own strategy. Here’s a peek at what’s covered: "There's a blueprint for employer branding."Every successful Employer Brand strategy is unique to the business it serves. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t drive the meaningful results you need. "Employer Brand is all about content."While content is crucial, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Real Employer Branding builds internal culture and loyalty, not just external visibility. "A strong consumer brand equals a strong employer brand."A compelling product doesn’t guarantee people are eager to work there. An effective Employer Brand goes deeper than a company’s consumer appeal. "Employer Branding is for big corporations only."Smaller companies have a unique edge, allowing them to connect on a human level with talent. They can often act faster and with more authenticity. "Employer Branding belongs in HR."EB can thrive in any department as long as it has strategic alignment and measurable impact. Listen now for actionable insights to strengthen your Employer Branding approach.

Chris was recently joined by well-known Employer Brand/EVP Leader, Ben Phillips on the most recent episode of Employer Bland. Ben shared his journey from his early years growing up in N.W London, regularly helping his dad in the family market trading business. It's no surprise that Ben can strike up conversations full of laughs, debate and shoot-from-the-hip, thought-provoking ideas with anyone he speaks to.  His corporate path took a few twists and turns before landing where he is today in Employer Brand and EVP. From traditional marketing to social media advertising through to recruitment marketing to enterprise-level employer brand leadership with companies like Tesco and IBM. Ben is a regular commentator and social advocate in the EB/EVP/Company Culture domain. Having internal experiences at a leadership level in the areas mentioned as well as being someone who is well-read and closely follows developing research I the space. Some of his recent pondering relates to the Psychological Principles of Branding (heavily influenced by Rory Sutherland) and how these principles are so closely entwined with Recruitment Marketing, Employer Branding and the People Experience. Principles such as; The Peak End Rule; outweighing your memory of an event based on the intense, end-moments. Idleness aversion; People would rather be kept busy than wait around, even if it takes longer. Operational transparency; People won't trust you if you don't tell them what's going on. Uncertainty anxiety; People will get more stressed and impatient if they don't know what's going on. The progress principle; People feel more motivated when they know what progress is being made, even if small steps.   Ben breaks these down and draws comparisons to employer branding and the people experience, alongside actionable examples of where you can implement strategies to improve the people experience and performance in your recruitment marketing and employer brand processes.   Hope you enjoy the episode!          

Chris caught up with Global Executive Search expert & trainer, Louise Archer on the latest episode of Employer Bland. Louise is the Founder of Retrained Search, a global training organisation taking agencies through the exec search transition and continuously helping exec search firms sharpen their tools. Louise has recruitment in her DNA. It all started when Louise began to shadow her mother as a 12-year-old 'candidate controller' in the family secretarial agency business. From there, the fire was lit... Louise's journey through established agencies began in her early 20's, learning the craft with a constant desire to grow and develop. Louise quickly realised there was hard work being done and it was often not being paid for. There was huge waste and holes in the process creating inefficiencies for Louise, her business and her customers... Louise's shift to Executive Search began.  In this conversation Chris and Louise discuss the tightly knitted relationship between Exec Search and Employer Brand. Exec Search are ultimately the custodian of an Employer Brand. They are responsible for understanding key elements of an organisation's EVP, what differentiators sit within the EB and how this all needs to be communicated to ensure the best available talent is being engaged with.   We also covered; - Best practice for uncovering critical information and stories from key project stakeholders - How to present a search to candidates, ensuring the right information, elements of an EB and stories are communicated most effectively. - Not being afraid to tackle the elephant in the room. Not every search is sprinkled with gold dust and sparkles. Get under the skin of the company, their employer brand, their story and tell that truth. There are people out there wanting this challenge, its up to you to find them. - The importance of content and visuals in the process - Bringing a search to life is critical.   Louise shared so much advice and anecdotal insight into her incredibly successful career as a true global powerhouse in exec search and exec search training. If you are working in agency looking to make the transition to Exec Search or you are already firmly in Exec Search, there is a lot in this episode for you to take-away. We hope you enjoy!        

Chris recently caught up with RecTech pioneer, serial investor, and two-time exit'er, Adam Gordon, on the Employer Bland podcast! ️ Adam (Co-founder of Poetry HR) took a deep dive into his journey, starting from his school years. His story is powerful, filled with great memories, role models, and valuable experiences, along with a fair share of struggles and sharp changes in family circumstances. These experiences shaped his solid work ethic and curiosity for business and problem-solving. Adam shared key moments from his career path; from starting his recruitment agency career, moving on to starting his own recruitment agency/consultancy to co-founding, scaling and exiting his first RecTech start-up, CandidateID. His thirst for innovation didn't stop there. In early 2023, he launched Poetry HR, the Recruiter Enablement platform that’s been making waves across the industry ever since. Recruiters need the right tools to perform at their best, yet this often doesn't happen in practice. In this chat, Chris and Adam discussed the critical role of Recruiter Enablement in the Employer Brand process, touching on Recruitment Marketing, Rec Learning, Talent Intelligence, and Rec Ops. For example, can recruiters deliver an experience that is truly representative of the company, its culture and the many additional elements that make an employer brand if they are ill-informed, lack content, competitor intelligence and general guardrails etc? The conversation also ventured into GenAI and its place in the recruitment process. Adam emphasised the importance of not fearing GenAI but instead learning to leverage it, in a way that complements our unique working styles.  Tune in to hear Adam’s insights on reshaping recruitment and empowering recruiters.

Chris recently had the pleasure of chatting with Alex Her, Head of Global EB at GoDaddy & Co-Founder of The EB Space. They jumped straight into Alex's T.E.A.M methodology. Alex came up with this formula when considering the critical need for a 'we' focused approach to employer branding. The irony for many is that they may be working solo in an employer brand role, feeling isolated on their own island without much help or support to get things done. But Alex goes on to explain, regardless of the make-up of your role, you should never feel alone. You have a TEAM to find both physically and strategically, and that's what he elaborates on with the TEAM methodology, breaking down the individual pillars: -Time -Empathy -Advocacy -Magnetize Alex discusses each pillar in detail, one seamlessly following the next. It felt like a detailed blueprint for creating an EB from scratch was being explained as the conversation progressed, and I think that's the real power of TEAM. Alex isn't in this to be the hero of these plans or stories. He's a master facilitator, director, and strategist. He seems to know how to shine a light on those around him, making people feel safe to explore ideas and tell their own stories, which we all know is the heartbeat of any successful employer brand.  Hope you enjoy!

Chris was joined by Ryan Hemmant on a recent episode on the Employer Bland podcast ️ Ryan is TA Operations Manager / Recruitment Marketing Manager at Aviv Group. A multi-brand, European Property Tech giant. Ryan wears several hats across the group. Responsibilities inc TA, Rec Ops, Rec Marketing and of course, Employer Brand. To add a little more food for thought, Ryan needs to navigate the individualities of each group brand and ensure he isn't creating a 'one-shoe-fits-all' approach to any of his decisions or strategies. He is uniquely positioned to understand the cause and effect of almost every recruitment pillar. His insights on employer branding are always with consideration for the other pillars they engage with and that's what makes talking to him so insightful. In the chat, Chris and Ryan delved into two or three main areas including; > Developing a multi-brand 'Group' employer brand. > The importance of a seamless candidate journey/experience and why your employer brand strategy will fail if this isn't prioritised. > Actionable Insights + lots more!   We hope you enjoy it!

Eva Wedman Baluchova (Global Employer Branding Lead @ Danfoss) joined Chris on the Employer Bland podcast recently. Eva has a personal story relating to Job Ads. Specifically, how one job ad in particular changed the course of her life. The job ad in question engaged Eva and spoke to her in such a way she was compelled to follow the call to action and apply. She subsequently uprooted her life, moved halfway across Europe and started a new life. Eva also went into detail about her early influences in life and career and how her early experiences in TA developer her passion for employer branding. Chris and Eva also discussed... What makes a great job ad? The power of personalisation With so much noise and competition, how do you stand out? AI, Chat GPT - How can we use these tools and maintain authenticity? How to consistently and scalably create engaging content for job ads   Hope you enjoy!  

Chris M was lucky enough to catch Chris Le'cand-Harwood whilst he had an hour to kill recently at Heathrow Airport en route to an EB conference in Serbia. The Chris' discussed the rise of Job Branding/Marketing. How it differs from Employer Branding and why its important. Other notable topics discussed; > What is Job Branding and how can you execute a strategy that compliments your overall EB. > How to effectively generate a job category content library and reuse assets many times to increase ROI on effort/cost. > Where Job Branding sits, whose responsibility it is and why it can be easier to sustain and optimise performance vs bigger/broader EB and Rec Marketing initiatives.   As always, feedback is hugely appreciated!        

Chris was joined by the Founder of The EVP Consultancy, Vicki Saunders recently.   Vicki gave some insight into her happy, working-class Black Country roots and how various events in education, life, multiple high-profile career moves and a general desire to create positive change took her on a journey to start her own consultancy business recently.   Chris & Vicki discussed...   - Why the future workplace must be front of mind when crafting an EVP - The importance of authenticity, self-reflection and how to use all feedback productively - How can you articulate the ROI of crafting an effective EVP?  - The relationship between EVP and Employer Brand - Actionable advice   Hope you enjoy the episode!

Chris spent an hour with the undisputed G.O.A.T of Employer Branding, James Ellis recently. James did a deep dive into his background, from his early influences in business and how various jobs and chapters in his life have shaped the path he's on today (Chief Brand Builder, Employer Brand Labs). Chris and James discussed the differences between consumer branding and employer branding. The overlaps and also the polarising differences which should be taken in to consideration when creating strategy and content. Some other key highlights include; - Searching for identity and points of difference. Whats going to make your EB stand out from the crowd? - Understanding and embracing your imperfections and flaws and using them as unique levers to attract and engage talent - Get cool with not being liked by everyone. - Actionable advice on the above and more.   Hope you enjoy!