FAQs

You may find there's a few questions that you need to know the answers to before you get started on a project or decide to get in touch. We've highlighted some of the key questions that are often asked, but if there's a quick question you want to fire our way that we haven't included email us at FAQ@nickpriceresearch.com and we'll do our best to respond and add it to the list.

Is employer branding a new fad or is it just about good recruitment practice?

This partly comes down to interpretaton and partly down to implementation and design. Managing your reputation as an employer has always been important, but over recent years the structure and manner in which this is measured and its integration with recruitment communications has given it a new platform. Every aspect of what we do will touch your employer brand whether you are structuring a top-to-bottom appraisal or reviewing the shifting patterns in particular sectors. It is not purely about recruitment, but every aspect of the way your employment experience is managed and communicated both internally and externally.

Some of the confusion originated from organisations defining an overhaul of their recruitment advertising material as effectively redesigning their employer brand to the point at which canny observers would then announce, 'Ah, but employer branding is not about a one-off intervention'. It's not and neither is it just about branding guidelines and 'creating the right image'.

If we want to take a look at our employer brand, where do we start? 

Firstly, this is something that should become interweaved into the fabric of your organisation. The ownership and the drive will come from the very top of the organisation. It cannot be driven by the HR team alone nor is it the remit of the marketing team. It must come from the top.

Isn't research something that takes a lot of time? We need to recruit faster than the time we have to do the research?

Research is sometimes a mis-used term that has created a rather uninspiring reputation for being slow to initiate, cumbersome in its methodology and unable to react to fast paced changes. Most projects will take 2 to 3 weeks to complete, but if you're realistic with your objectives we can offer slightly more light footed options that will also bring you massive benefits.

If you can take a breather and assess your long term options, research can be more effectively deployed as well as being more engaging for those involved.

Can I just do a bite-sized project to find out why we're not recruiting enough CSAs?

You may just have a focus on local labour market recruitment and there could be many factors that influence your ability to recruit people at different levels - such as perception, pay and benefits, location, image, the type of work.

Local labour market analysis will give you some pointers, but you can also undertake fairly cost effective primary research - such as focus groups or one2one interviews that will help identify a broader range of influences and triggers to improve your ability to appeal to these target audiences.