Employer Content Marketing

Just wrapped up an incredible day at IHR London Live! Here are my top takeaways from this year's event:🔗 LinkedIn Networking Power: Being active on LinkedIn before events transforms your experience - within minutes I was reconnecting with familiar faces and building on existing conversations🤖 AI vs Human Touch: While AI dominated the conversations, the real focus was on maintaining authenticity and finding those "magic moments" that humanize your employer brand🏊‍♂️ Lessons from Mark Foster: Olympic swimming champion shared powerful insights on:- Surrounding yourself with the right people for high performance- Building your tribe to push boundaries in HR- Rolling with life's punches and turning failures into learning opportunitiesThe key message? Failure isn't really failing - it's discovering what you need to do next. This applies both personally and organisationally.What resonated most with you about balancing AI efficiency with human authenticity in HR? Let me know in the comments!

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ll know I’m a big believer in conversations as the fuel for great content. And I’ve always loved the documentary format for capturing those conversations in a way that feels real, human, and revealing.

That’s why I wanted to share something a little different with you today.

Alongside my work at Content Marketing Pod, I’ve been building Engage Care Talent with Rowan Marriott. And as part of that journey, we decided to film a documentary series — a way of showing not just what we’re doing, but why we’re doing it.

Episode 2 – The Run takes you behind the scenes in a very literal way: Rowan and I went for an early morning run ahead of a planning session. It gave us a chance to talk about resilience, endurance, and why running a business (and tackling something as complex as the care talent crisis) is often less about big leaps and more about putting one foot in front of the other.

For me, producing this was more than just another piece of content. It was a reminder of why I love the documentary format — it lets you share the story behind the story.

And it was also a chance for me to let people see a bit more of what drives me personally.

I thought it was worth sharing here. Because at the heart of it, this is what content is about: opening up, showing your motivations, and letting people connect with the humans behind the work.

👉 And that’s the link back to employer content marketing: the best employer brands are built when organisations are confident enough to share the behind the scenes — the values, the challenges, the motivations of the people doing the work. That’s what resonates.

That’s what attracts and engages talent.

🎬 WATCH THE REST OF THE DOCUMENTARY HERE 🎬

AI isn’t here to take over employer branding—but it is reshaping the way teams approach it.In this episode of the Cliquify mini-series, Chris sits down with Amit Parmar, CEO of Cliquify, to explore how AI is changing the role of employer branding. From early adoption to advanced use, we unpack where the opportunities really are - and what EB leaders need to focus on next.What you’ll hear in this episode: • How AI is being used in employer branding today • The biggest mindset shift EB leaders need to make • Why analytics may matter more than content creation • What Cliquify’s new platform, Cleo, could mean for the future of EB • Three must-ask questions before adopting any AI tool💡 Whether you’re experimenting with AI or leading employer branding at scale, this conversation will give you the perspective to think differently about what comes next.👉 Get Your Free Employer Brand Intelligence Report here [worth $3,000] https://bit.ly/4n2lJFN⏪ Missed the previous episode about the evolution of Employer Branding? Watch/listen my conversation with Amit here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6d9R29fo1eQee4akcId0Kn?si=VVvn-Xg2ScaS_8zS4rFC6g

Employer branding is changing fast. It’s no longer just about creative campaigns, job posts, or a flashy career site - it’s about proving ROI, winning leadership buy-in, and connecting EB to real business impact.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Amit Parmar, CEO of Cliquify (with 20+ years in TA and EB leadership), to explore:

• How employer branding is evolving in 2025

• The real challenges practitioners face behind the scenes

• Why leadership buy-in is still the #1 barrier

• How to prove ROI with the right data and strategy

• A free tool to calculate your employer brand ROI today

👉 Grab your free Employer Brand ROI Calculator here: https://bit.ly/3VjG25C👉

Subscribe for more insights on employer branding, talent strategy, and tools to elevate your impact https://www.employercontent.marketing/

Watch/listen to the next episode about Employer Branding & AI https://open.spotify.com/episode/0AyuZRyKYwUfLRnBryi6zI?si=iQDveJ9pTKaTxDTo0MzD-A

Whether you're in talent acquisition or employer branding right now, you're probably feeling the squeeze. The lines between these disciplines are blurring, and the stakes have never been higher.

In my latest podcast episode, I sat down with Mike Bradshaw, VP of Talent at Pinpoint, who's spent 15 years in HR and TA - from Apple to being the first TA / People Leader at multiple startups.

What makes this conversation valuable for both TA professionals and employer branders is Mike's insight into how candidate experience has become the ultimate test of your employer brand promise.

His perspective is particularly valuable - he's lived on both sides: as a practitioner buying and implementing recruiting tools, and now as someone who’s part of a business that’s helping organisations solve these exact challenges.

But more importantly, he understands that in 2025, your employer brand is only as strong as your candidate experience - and your candidate experience is what actually wins talent.

This episode was both sobering and hopeful.

Sobering because the challenges facing TA teams in 2025 are genuinely tough. Hopeful because there are real, actionable strategies that work - even when you're doing more with less.

The Perfect Storm Hitting Recruiting Right Now

Mike painted a picture that many of you will recognise: "TA leaders in 2025 are navigating one of the toughest landscapes that I've probably ever seen."

Here's what's creating this perfect storm:

Volume is through the roof. Applications per recruiter are way up, partly due to mass layoffs, partly due to how easy it is now to mass-apply to jobs. But a lot of these applications aren't actually relevant, creating more work that doesn't help anyone.

Resources are way down. Teams are leaner, budgets are cut, and recruiting is often the first place leadership decides to scale back. Some see it as a temporary pause; others are betting that AI will just handle recruiting in the future.

Top candidates are harder to move. In 2021-22, people could job hop for a 25% raise overnight. That's not happening anymore. Secure talent are staying put, which means your EVP, job descriptions, and communication through the process have to be absolutely top-notch.

AI is both helping and complicating things. AI-inflated resumes can make it harder to distill what's relevant. Everyone's getting more messages from more sources, so cutting through the noise is harder than ever.

The Candidate Experience Paradox

Just when candidate experience matters more than ever, it's often the first thing that suffers when teams get stretched thin.

"Every TA leader I talk to cares about candidate experience, but when their rec load is doubled and they've lost half their team, it's the first thing that suffers."

And yet, candidate experience is often what wins the day. Mike told me about countless times Pinpoint has won candidates who had better offers financially, simply because of the experience they had throughout the process.

What Works: Have Non-Negotiables

Despite all these challenges, Mike shared some approaches that really work, regardless of constraints:

Transparency from day one. This means clear job descriptions, honest requirements, open salary ranges, and a realistic picture of what the process will take. Every job description at Pinpoint tells candidates how many steps there are, who they'll meet, and what assignments might be involved.

Communication over silence. Most bad candidate experiences aren't about rejection - they're about silence. If someone applies, acknowledge it. If they're moving forward, tell them what's next. If they're not, close the loop quickly.

Interview hygiene matters. This includes basics like reading the candidate's resume beforehand, knowing how to pronounce their name, and setting a clear agenda. Mike's team always starts interviews by outlining the structure: "This is 30 minutes. I'm going to talk for 15, ask you questions for 15, then you'll have 12 minutes for your questions."

Pay candidates for their time. If you're asking someone to complete an assignment or project, pay them. It's baseline respect and signals how you treat employees once they're inside the company.

The Role of Technology: Getting it Right

Having been both a buyer and now someone who’s in a business that’s helping others implement solutions, Mike has seen how tools can either solve real problems or make them worse.

His advice?

Don't grab shiny tools without a clear strategy. When you're already stretched thin, taking on tool evaluation, demos, and change management without knowing exactly what problem you're solving often just creates more problems.

The tools that actually help are the ones that reduce friction - both for recruiters and for candidates. That might mean better integration between your sourcing and your ATS, or it might mean having a career site that doesn't require months of development work to set up.

Employer Branding: Actions Louder Than Words

One insight that particularly resonated with me was Mike's view on employer branding.

Yes, it's about selling your organisation - but it's equally about disqualifying the wrong people upfront.

Pinpoint includes a section in their job descriptions called "the fine print, but way more exciting" that honestly outlines what's hard about each role.

It's not about being self-deprecating; it's about being honest so the right people get excited and the wrong people self-select out.

This connects to something fundamental: your employer brand isn't just your marketing materials. It's every interaction candidates have with your organisation.

If you say you're "fast-paced" but candidates wait weeks to hear back after interviews, you've broken trust before someone even starts.

The Bottom Line

"There really is ultimately no excuse for bad candidate experience. It is a really deeply personal and vulnerable thing that people are doing when they go to apply for jobs."

Job searching - especially when you're unemployed or looking for stability for your family - is deeply personal. We have the ability to make it less painful and more human, even when we're stretched thin.

The fundamentals haven't changed: transparency, clear communication, structured processes, and treating people with respect.

What has changed is that these fundamentals are now the competitive advantage.

Watch the full conversation above, or listen on your preferred podcast platform. What resonated most with you? Hit reply and let me know - I read every response.

Listen or Watch here too.

P.S. If you found this valuable, share it with a colleague who might benefit. The best way to support this newsletter is to help it reach the people who need it most.

About Pinpoint:

Not your average ATS. From planning to onboarding, Pinpoint brings every part of the hiring process - and every stakeholder - into one place, so you can move faster, stay in control, and make smarter decisions

Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsmikebradshaw/ Learn more about Pinpoint: https://www.pinpointhq.com/

Need help with producing content that enhances your candidate experience? Let’s talk.

Whether you're in talent acquisition or employer branding right now, you're probably feeling the squeeze. The lines between these disciplines are blurred, and the stakes have never been higher.

In my latest podcast episode, I sat down with Mike Bradshaw, VP of Talent at Pinpoint, who's spent 15 years in HR and TA - from Apple to being the first Head of People at multiple startups.

What makes this conversation essential for both TA professionals and employer branders is Mike's insight into how candidate experience has become the ultimate test of your employer brand promise.

His perspective is particularly valuable because he's lived on both sides: as a practitioner buying and implementing recruiting tools, and now as someone at a company thats helping organisations solve these exact challenges.

But more importantly, he understands that in 2025, your employer brand is only as strong as your candidate experience - and your candidate experience really helps wins talent.

What came out of our conversation was both sobering and hopeful. Sobering because the challenges facing TA teams in 2025 are genuinely tough. Hopeful because there are real, actionable strategies that work - even when you're doing more with less.

What You'll Learn:

✅ Why TA leaders are being squeezed harder than ever (and what's driving it)

✅ The hidden costs of poor candidate experience on your bottom line

✅ How to build employer branding that disqualifies the wrong candidates

✅ Tactical SLAs and interview hygiene that actually work

✅ Why transparency beats "selling" every time

✅ The one thing that wins candidates over better financial offers

About Mike Bradshaw:

VP of Talent at Pinpoint with 15+ years in HR/TA. Former Apple talent support, startup veteran, and practitioner-turned-vendor who's seen both sides of the hiring equation.

About Pinpoint:

ATS platform designed for complex hiring scenarios - handling everything from graduate programs to senior leadership searches across multiple geographies and role types.

🔔 Subscribe for more real talk on talent acquisition, employer branding, and candidate experience https://www.employercontent.marketing/

Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsmikebradshaw/

Learn about Pinpoint: https://bit.ly/4mLcrhx

Host Chris Le'cand-Harwood: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislch/

Often the best content strategies and ideas happen when you step AWAY from your desk. This really helps me, so I wanted to share my tricks!

This has become a really helpful approach throughout my career, especially since running my own business.Here's my routine: I'll start work in different environments - sometimes the comfortable sofa with my iPad out, books spread around, big cup of tea.The change immediately shifts my mindset and gets me in a creative flow.But the real game-changer? I make it a habit of stepping completely away and take walks outside in nature.Because your brain never really stops working. While I'm walking, my subconscious is still working away.And when I get back to my workspace I see things differently.That's when my best ideas often happen.For in-house teams creating employer branding content, you have something special: genuine insider access to your culture.The challenge? Developing your creative capabilities to make the most of it.Here's what you can do about it:✅ Switch up your workspace (try the couch, dining table, even the floor)✅ Step completely away - take that walk, especially in nature✅ Trust the process - breakthrough ideas come when you stop forcing them✅ Return with intention - capture those insights that bubble upYour next breakthrough idea is away from your workspace.What's your go-to method for getting into that creative flow?

I’m doing more content like this each week so if you subscribe you’ll get them in your inbox.

Looking to give your content strategy a boost? I’d love to chat.

Schools say: "We've prepared you for work - off you go!"Employers say: "We need people who can do X, Y, and Z."Young people think: "But what on earth do I actually want to DO?"This is the challenge we tackled with our RAF content series with Not Going To Uni - and it's why authentic employer content matters more than ever.In this clip from an awards deep-dive in my recent episode of Employer Content Marketing, I'm explaining how we moved beyond "come and work for us" messaging to genuinely help people discover their career potential.The key insight?People can smell formulaic content from a mile away. We all eventually figure out the format and spot the cynical production tricks.But when content feels real? That's when you create something that actually helps rather than just recruits.Three things that underpinned our work:✅ Real employee contributions - not scripted responses✅ Genuine curiosity - exploring what people learn about themselves✅ No hidden agenda - helping first, recruiting secondThe result? Content that people trust because it doesn't feel like traditional recruitment marketing.Watch the clip aboveAnd watch or listen to the full episode here:

Looking to create content that gets nominations and award wins?

I’d love to chat.

Transform your talent attraction with authentic employee-generated content.

Welcome to a special episode that combines the podcasts, Employer Content Marketing with Chris Le'cand-Harwood and Employer Bland with Chris Murdoch. Welcome to Employer Content Club, where we help people in the employer content creation profession through conversations online and in-person. Our first event in London was supported by Vouch, so we just had to get them on for an episode.We sit down with Gary Zurnamer, CEO and Co-founder of Vouch, to explore how organizations can leverage employee voices to help drive their recruitment and employer branding efforts.Key Topics Covered:• Why employee-generated content drives better hiring outcomes• How to overcome the biggest barriers to employee participation• The role of AI in content creation (without losing authenticity)• Strategic frameworks for implementing successful programs• Real-world case studies from global organizations• Actionable tips for starting your employee content journeyMain Takeaways:✅ Content pillars must align with hiring initiatives✅ Remove ALL friction from the recording process✅ Start with internal advocates and scale gradually✅ Use AI for ideation and organization, not content replacement✅ Focus on business outcomes, not just engagement metricsAbout Our Guest:Gary Zurnamer is the CEO and co-founder of Vouch, a global platform helping organizations create and share authentic employee-generated content. Vouch works with major brands including Dunelm, Warner Bros. Discovery, Flutter and GoDaddy to transform their talent attraction strategies.Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction and guest background04:45 - The business case for employee content10:30 - Overcoming employee participation challenges16:45 - Real-world success stories and impact22:30 - AI's role in content strategy28:15 - Implementation roadmap and best practices34:20 - Key takeaways and final thoughtsFind Out More About Vouchhttps://vouchfor.com/Connect with Gary:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyzurnamer/Subscribe for more employer branding and talent acquisition insights!#EmployeeBranding #TalentAcquisition #EmployeeContent #HRTech #RecruitmentMarketing #EmployerBrand #VideoContent #HRStrategy #TalentAttraction #workplaceculture

Schools say: "We've prepared you for work - off you go!"

Employers say: "We need people who can do X, Y, and Z."

Young people think: "But what on earth do I actually want to DO?"

This is the challenge we tackled with our RAF content series with Not Going To Uni - and it's why authentic employer content matters more than ever.

In this clip from an awards deep-dive in my recent episode of Employer Content Marketing, I'm explaining how we moved beyond "come and work for us" messaging to genuinely help people discover their career potential.

The key insight?

People can smell formulaic content from a mile away. We all eventually figure out the format and spot the cynical production tricks.

But when content feels real? That's when you create something that actually helps rather than just recruits.

Three things that made our RAF series feel authentic:

✅ Real employee contributions - not scripted responses

✅ Genuine curiosity - exploring what people learn about themselves

✅ No hidden agenda - helping first, recruiting second

The result? Content that people trust because it doesn't feel like traditional recruitment marketing.

Watch the clip at the top.And watch or listen to the full episode here.

Looking to create content that truly helps and inspires? I’d love to chat.