Why Would Someone Choose To Work For Your Business?

You know what you're looking for in your next employee. But have you stopped to consider what they're looking for in their next employer?

Recruitment isn't just about finding someone who meets your requirements. It's also about giving the right people a reason to choose your business. From your reputation and workplace culture to the way you communicate your values and opportunities, your employer brand plays a significant role in who you attract, who applies and ultimately, who decides to join your team.

When you're preparing to hire someone, it's pretty easy to come up with a list of what you're looking for.
You want someone reliable. Experienced. Motivated. A team player. Someone who takes initiative, communicates well, cares about your clients and actually wants to be there.
Preferably someone who can hit the ground running, doesn't need too much hand-holding and somehow knows exactly how your business operates before they've even started.

Wouldn't that be convenient?

We spend so much time talking about what businesses want from candidates that we sometimes forget there's another person involved in this decision.
And they have expectations too.

They're considering whether your business is somewhere they want to spend a significant portion of their week. Whether they'll enjoy the work, feel supported, have opportunities to develop and be treated with respect.
They're looking at what you offer, how you communicate and what working for you might actually be like.

Which brings us to a question we think every business owner should be able to answer before they start recruiting.
Why would someone choose to work for your business instead of somewhere else?
And no, 'we're a great team' isn't quite the answer we're looking for.

Recruitment Is a Two-Way Decision

There's a tendency for employers to approach recruitment as though they're the only ones making a decision.
They advertise a position, review applications, interview candidates and eventually decide who they'd like to offer the role to.
And yes, assessing whether someone is suited to the position is an important part of the process.

But throughout that same process, candidates are making their own assessments.
They're deciding whether the role sounds interesting, whether the salary meets their expectations, whether the working arrangements suit their circumstances and whether the business seems like somewhere they'd enjoy working.
They're paying attention to the way they're treated during recruitment.
They're considering the information you provide and the questions you're willing to answer.
And if they're exploring multiple opportunities, they're comparing those experiences.

You're not simply choosing an employee. You're asking someone to choose you as their employer.
That distinction matters because it changes the way we think about attracting candidates.

Instead of asking only, 'How do we find the right person?', we also need to ask, 'What would make the right person interested in working with us?'
The answers should influence how we present the opportunity, where we advertise it, what information we share and how we engage with potential candidates.
And it starts long before anyone submits an application.

Your Employer Brand Exists Whether You're Paying Attention to It or Not

Let's talk about employer branding.
It's one of those terms that can sound like something reserved for large organisations with marketing departments, dedicated recruitment teams and budgets that make small business owners laugh.

But employer branding isn't about having an impressive careers website, professionally produced recruitment videos or a fancy employee benefits programme.
At its simplest, your employer brand is how your business is perceived as a place to work.
It's the impression people form about what it might be like to be part of your team.
And whether you've deliberately developed that impression or not, people are forming opinions.

They're looking at your website and social media.
They're reading your job ads.
They're noticing how you speak about your team.
They might be hearing about your business from current or former employees, customers, suppliers or people in their professional networks.
And they're forming an impression based on what they see, hear and experience.

That means your employer brand isn't something you suddenly switch on when you need to hire someone.
It's being shaped by the way your business operates every day.

Your employer brand is more than your marketing

You can have beautiful branding, a polished website and an impressive social media presence.
But if your employees feel unsupported, communication is poor and expectations constantly change without explanation, that experience becomes part of your reputation too.

Equally, you might be running a small business without an elaborate marketing strategy, but your employees genuinely enjoy their work, feel respected and regularly recommend you to people they know.
That's valuable.

Because employer branding isn't simply about convincing people you're a good place to work.
It's about building a business where the experience of working there supports the message you're sharing.
And then making sure potential candidates can actually see that.

Stop Expecting Candidates to Be Excited About a Business They Know Nothing About

Let's imagine you're scrolling through job ads.
You come across one that lists approximately 25 responsibilities, requires someone to be organised, flexible, proactive, passionate, resilient and capable of working independently and as part of a team.
It tells you the successful candidate must have excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail and a positive attitude.

Then, somewhere towards the bottom, there's a sentence about joining a 'dynamic and supportive team'.
No salary information.
Very little about the actual business.
Nothing particularly meaningful about the team, working environment or what makes the opportunity different.
But apparently, you should be excited to apply.

Why?
What has the business actually told you that would make you want to work there?
This is where so many job ads miss an opportunity.

They spend the majority of their space explaining what the employer expects from candidates and very little explaining what candidates can expect from the employer.
And while the responsibilities and requirements are important, they're only part of the story.
A good job ad should help someone understand not just whether they can do the job, but whether they want the job.

Think about what candidates actually want to know

Depending on the role, industry and individual circumstances, candidates may want to understand:

• What does the business actually do, and what does it stand for?
• What will their day-to-day work look like?
• Who will they be working with?
• What is the leadership style and working environment?
• How much independence or responsibility will they have?
• What flexibility or working arrangements are available?
• What opportunities are there to learn or develop?
• What salary or remuneration is being offered?
• What does success in the role look like?
• Why is the business hiring, and where is it heading?

Not every candidate will prioritise these things in the same way.

Someone looking for their first role might value training and development.
Someone returning to work might place greater importance on flexibility and predictable hours.
Someone with substantial experience might be looking for more autonomy, responsibility or the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution.
And someone who's had a particularly unpleasant experience with a previous employer might be paying very close attention to how you describe your culture and leadership.

The point isn't to promise absolutely everything to absolutely everyone.
It's to understand what your business genuinely offers and communicate that clearly to the people you're hoping to attract.

You Don't Need to Offer Everything. You Need to Know What You Offer.

One of the biggest misconceptions about employer branding is that businesses need to compete by offering increasingly elaborate benefits.
Free lunches. Gym memberships. Team retreats. Unlimited snacks.
Apparently, if you don't have a ping-pong table and an office dog, you may as well give up.

But here's the thing.
Not every employee wants the same benefits.
And not every business has the resources, structure or circumstances to offer them.
Particularly smaller businesses.
That doesn't mean you have nothing valuable to offer.

You might provide flexible working arrangements that allow employees to manage family commitments.
You might offer direct access to the business owner, giving people an opportunity to contribute ideas and see the impact of their work.
You might have a genuinely collaborative team, meaningful client relationships or opportunities to develop skills across different areas of the business.
You might provide consistent hours, clear expectations, a supportive environment or the opportunity to take ownership of work.

These things matter.
But you need to recognise them before you can communicate them.

Your employee value proposition

In recruitment, we often talk about an employee value proposition, or EVP.
Essentially, it's the combination of benefits, experiences, opportunities and working conditions people receive in exchange for the contribution they make to your business.
And no, it doesn't need to become a 40-page strategy document.

For a small business, a useful starting point is understanding:
What do people genuinely value about working here?
That might include tangible things, such as remuneration, flexibility, leave arrangements or development opportunities.
But it can also include less tangible experiences, such as feeling trusted, having a voice, working with people they respect or being part of a business whose values align with their own.

The important word here is genuinely.
Because there's no point promoting flexibility if employees are made to feel guilty every time they need to use it.
There's no point advertising a collaborative environment if nobody is comfortable contributing ideas.
And there's certainly no point claiming to prioritise work-life balance if your team regularly receives messages at 10 pm and feels expected to respond.

Your employer brand needs to reflect the reality of working in your business.
Otherwise, you might attract someone with a promise you can't deliver.
And that's hardly a great foundation for a long-term employment relationship.

Your Culture Is Part of Your Recruitment Strategy

We talk a lot about organisational culture at Emerald HQ because it influences so much more than whether people enjoy coming to work.
Culture shapes how decisions are made, how people communicate, how responsibilities are shared and how employees experience the business.
It influences who feels comfortable working in your environment, who thrives and who might struggle.
And it can be a significant factor in whether someone decides to join or remain with your business.

But culture isn't something you can simply describe using a handful of attractive words.
You can't write 'supportive, inclusive and collaborative' in a job ad and assume that makes it true.
You need to consider what those values actually look like in practice.

If collaboration is important, how do team members contribute to decisions?
If flexibility is part of your culture, what does that mean in the day-to-day operation of the business?
If you value continuous learning, how do employees access feedback, education or opportunities to develop?
If respect is one of your values, how does that show up when things go wrong or people disagree?

Your culture is demonstrated through the way your business operates, not simply the words you use to describe it.
And when you're recruiting, you have an opportunity to show candidates what that looks like.

Show people, don't just tell them

Instead of telling candidates you have a collaborative team, share an example of how the team works together.
Instead of saying you support professional development, explain what opportunities employees have had to learn new skills.
Instead of describing your business as flexible, be specific about the arrangements available for that particular role.
And instead of saying your employees are valued, consider how you're actually demonstrating that throughout their experience.

Specific examples help people picture what working in your business might look like.
They also make your messaging more credible.
Because anyone can say they have a great workplace culture.
Showing people what that means is a little more convincing.

Your Social Media Isn't Just for Attracting Clients

This is something we think more small businesses need to consider.
When you're creating social media content, you're probably thinking about potential customers.

What do they need to know?
What problems can you solve?
How can you demonstrate your expertise?
Why should they choose your business?
All very reasonable questions.

But have you considered that potential employees might be looking at the exact same content?

Your social media provides an opportunity to show people the business behind the products or services.
The people delivering the work.
The values you operate by.
The environment you've created.
The way you celebrate achievements, collaborate and support one another.
And the kind of leadership people can expect.

We're not suggesting you suddenly turn your Instagram account into a recruitment page.
But if your team is an important part of your business, why wouldn't they be part of the story you're telling?

Some simple ways to bring your team into your content

You could:

• Introduce team members and share what they do.
• Show some of the work happening behind the scenes.
• Celebrate team achievements and milestones.
• Share examples of collaboration or projects your team has contributed to.
• Talk about the values that guide your decisions.
• Highlight professional development or learning opportunities.
• Share what you've learned about leading and growing your team.

And importantly, involve your employees in deciding what they're comfortable sharing.
Not everyone wants to appear on social media, and that's perfectly fine.

The aim isn't to turn your employees into marketing material.
It's to help people understand that there are real humans behind your business and give them a genuine insight into what working with your team might be like.

When done well, this content can strengthen your connection with customers while also supporting your employer brand.
Because the people delivering your services are a significant part of the experience your customers receive.
And showing that you value them says something about the business you're building.

The Candidate Experience Is Part of Your Employer Brand Too

Now, let's say you've done the work.

You've considered what makes your business a great place to work.
You've written a job ad that actually gives candidates a reason to apply.
You've shared meaningful information about your team, culture and opportunity.
And you've attracted some fantastic candidates.

Then you disappear for three weeks.
No acknowledgement.
No update.
No indication of what happens next.

Eventually, you invite someone to an interview, reschedule it twice and arrive without having properly reviewed their application.
Not exactly the impression you were hoping to create.

Your recruitment process is often one of the first direct experiences someone has with your business as a potential employer.
And that experience can either reinforce or undermine everything you've been communicating about your culture.

If you say communication is important, communicate.
If you value respect, demonstrate respect for candidates' time.
If you describe your business as organised and professional, make sure your recruitment process reflects that.

We're not suggesting every business needs an elaborate recruitment system.

But clear communication, realistic timeframes, prepared interviewers and a respectful approach to candidates can make a substantial difference.
And remember, candidates talk.

Someone who has a poor experience might tell others.
But someone who feels respected and informed, even if they aren't successful, can walk away with a positive impression of your business.
That matters too.

What Do Your Current Employees Say About Working for You?

Here's where things get interesting.

You can spend hours brainstorming what makes your business a great place to work.
You can write down all the values, benefits and opportunities you believe you're offering.
But have you actually asked your employees what they think?

Because the things you assume people value might not be the things they value most.

You might think the biggest benefit of working for your business is the flexibility.
Your team might tell you it's the fact that they feel trusted to do their jobs.
You might be particularly proud of the development opportunities you've created.
Your employees might say what they appreciate most is knowing they can ask questions without feeling silly.

Or you might discover there's a gap between the experience you think you're providing and what employees are actually experiencing.
And while that might not always be comfortable to hear, it's incredibly useful information.

Start with a few simple questions

You don't necessarily need a formal employee engagement survey to begin understanding your employer brand.
You can start with genuine conversations.

Ask your team:

• What do you enjoy most about working here?
• What makes this business different from other places you've worked?
• What do you value most about the way we work together?
• What would you tell someone who was considering joining our team?
• What could we improve to make this a better place to work?

Then listen.
Really listen.
Don't ask for feedback if you're only interested in hearing compliments.
And don't assume that because nobody has raised an issue, everything must be wonderful.

The purpose is to understand the experience you're creating so you can strengthen what's working and address what isn't.
Because your current employees can provide some of the most valuable insights into what makes your business attractive to future employees.

Small Businesses Have Advantages Too

It's easy to look at larger organisations and assume you can't compete.
They might have established benefits programmes, dedicated training budgets, multiple career pathways and greater resources.
And yes, those things can be attractive.

But smaller businesses can offer experiences that aren't always available in larger workplaces.
Employees may have opportunities to work directly with decision-makers, contribute to meaningful changes, develop a broader range of skills or see the direct impact of their work.
They might enjoy closer working relationships, greater involvement in the business or a level of flexibility that suits their circumstances.

Of course, none of those things are guaranteed simply because a business is small.

A small business can be just as rigid, disorganised or unsupportive as a large one.
But the point is that you don't need to become a miniature version of a corporate organisation to attract good people.

You need to understand the strengths of your business and the type of employees who are likely to value them.
The goal isn't to be the employer everyone wants to work for. It's to be the employer the right people want to work for.
And that's a much more achievable, sustainable approach.

Before You Advertise Your Next Role, Ask Yourself These Questions

If you're planning to recruit, take some time to look at your business from a candidate's perspective.
Not just what you're looking for, but what you're offering.

Consider:

1. What makes our business a genuinely good place to work?
   Think about the experience, opportunities, working arrangements and environment you provide.
2. Can we demonstrate those things with real examples?
   If you say your business values flexibility, collaboration or development, what evidence supports that?
3. Are we communicating those strengths to potential candidates?
   Look at your website, social media, job ads and recruitment communications.
4. Does our recruitment experience reflect our values?
   Consider how candidates are treated, how information is shared and whether the process reinforces the impression you want to create.
5. Would our current employees agree with the way we're describing the business?
   And if you're not sure, perhaps it's time to ask them.

You don't need to have everything perfectly established before you recruit.
But understanding what makes your business attractive, and being honest about where there's room for improvement, puts you in a much stronger position.

The Right Candidates Need a Reason to Choose You

Recruitment isn't just about finding people with the right skills and experience.
It's about creating a connection between what your business needs and what the right candidates are looking for.
And that requires more than a list of responsibilities and a request for someone who's passionate, proactive and hardworking.

It requires understanding your business as an employer.

What you stand for.
What you offer.
What people experience when they work with you.
And how you're communicating those things to the outside world.

Because when someone is considering joining your team, they're not just evaluating the position.
They're evaluating the business, the leadership, the environment and the opportunity in front of them.
You know why you want to hire them. Make sure they understand why they'd want to work for you.

Want to Attract the Right People to Your Business?

At Emerald HQ, we believe effective recruitment starts well before someone submits an application.

We work with businesses to understand the roles they're hiring for, the people they want to attract and what makes their organisation a great place to work.

From recruitment strategy and employer branding through to job advertising, candidate screening and coordinating the recruitment process, our flexible hiring support helps you find people who are suited to the role, your values and the team you're building.

Because the goal isn't simply to attract more applications.
It's to attract the right people, for the right reasons, and give them a genuine reason to choose your business.

Explore our hiring support at www.emeraldhq.com.au.