From strategy, to action, to impact, we unleash the power of your people to drive…
Our director Nicky Clark graduated from the Employer Brand leadership course, gaining the highest marks in the class!
Here, we catch up with her to find out more about the course and what it means for us, and our clients.
We’re also building on this knowledge ever further, as a proud country partner for the first ever World Employer Branding Day in Prague next week, hosted by the same organisation as Nicky’s course.
What is the Employer Brand Leadership Course?
The Employer Brand Leadership Course is a leadership programme for managers around the world, delivered by Employer Brand International and led by employer brand expert Brett Minchington.
The course has been running since 2007 and offers practical learning alongside solid, theoretical study in employer brand leadership.
Employer branding has grown to encompass so much more than just recruitment and attraction. For us, it is all about helping companies deliver on their promise to employees at every single stage of their journey with the business.
Get this right, and the benefits are huge; better-engaged employees results in improved customer experience.
I loved the entire course but the first part, where I was teamed up with a ‘study buddy’ in South Africa to deliver our first assignment together, was really valuable learning. Seeing different perspectives and hearing experiences was fascinating.
Why did you decide to take the course?
At Synergy, our philosophy is ‘brand engagement inside out’. We know that employees are the most important asset to a company and therefore attracting, engaging and retaining talented, motivated employees is key to company success and delivers ROI, every time.
Employer brand is a fast growing topic in our field and we’re increasingly guiding clients through the process and, importantly, delivering innovative, bespoke, creative solutions.
The course was the perfect opportunity to learn from others across the globe and back-up our own creative approaches with useful structures, models and theories. It was about knowing the very latest in employer branding and being top of our game in this field.
How did you juggle study, running a company, being client facing and being pregnant?!
Working in our fast-paced, constantly changing industry at a time when Synergy is also experiencing fantastic growth is incredibly exciting. It also means that multi-tasking comes second nature to me!
I signed up for the course in September, one month before I knew I was expecting. The first three months of study and early morning Skype calls with Brett in Oz were tricky, to say the least! But I’m so glad I persevered because I learnt so much along the way.
We’re already advising lots of clients on employer branding so I was able to quickly apply my studies to practical, on-the-job thinking. It actually helped with the every day and opened my eyes to new possibilities for our clients and us.
Name the top three things you learnt during the course
- Innovate, be creative and break the norm: Many tools and processes for internal communications and employer branding are slow, costly and, quite frankly, dull. There is a real opportunity for Synergy to stand out from others and deliver products, services and innovative tech that inspire employees and delivers the results brands need, quickly.
- Spread our wings / think further afield: Markets like the UK and the US are quite mature when it comes to employer branding, but markets such as Russia and the Czech Republic are in the early stages and hungry for inspiration. Building a strong network and reaching out across the globe will provide us with more opportunities.
- The powerful link between employee engagement and customer experience: We know that the first has a direct impact on the second. It’s now time to explore this in more detail and demonstrate true ROI and help our clients bring the two together in a more integrated way.
What impact will this additional qualification have on Synergy?
We’ve always been passionate about sharing knowledge and best practice, with the wider Synergy team but also our clients, so this has been perfect for that.
But we’re also applying the learnings to develop new tools and service offerings. We aim to help simplify the employer brand process and make it really easy for our clients to audit where they are now and effectively plan and implement their employer branding strategy.
Creativity, simplicity, and innovation are at the front of our minds and some of the new service offerings we have on the horizon include a new, innovative audit tool, careers and recruitment social media packages, and a holistic and integrated employer brand service model.
Would you do it again?
Yes, absolutely. Employer Brand International tailored the course to my needs as an agency owner, advising on live projects and helping us to consider new service offerings.
Would you recommend the course?
I’d highly recommend the course to leaders and managers who are responsible for employer branding and the employee experience. It will definitely open your mind to new ideas and fresh ways of thinking to truly attract and retain talent.
