On this episode of The Shape of Work podcast, our guest is James Ellis or should we call him 'Alton Brown of Employer Branding'? James Ellis is a Senior Employer Branding Manager at Recursion - an organization decoding biology to radically improve lives.

James is a noted employer brand and talent strategy thinker, keynote speaker, consultant, and podcaster. He has done it all. Oh, and that’s not all! He is also the author of a total of 7 books.

In this wit, energy, and humour-filled conversation we discuss Employer branding: what, how, and everything in between.

His passion for employer branding absolutely blew us away!

Episode Highlights:

How can recruitment agencies attract the best external talent they desire?

James talks about how recruitment agencies can retain top performers and attract the best external talent they desire, and the importance of developing a compelling employee value proposition (EVP) that is relevant to the company's employees and potential candidates' needs and wants. Additionally, James discusses how recruitment agencies can make themselves desirable to potential candidates in the highly competitive labour market even before starting the hiring process. Besides, he also explains the importance of ranking top in the individual’s list.

The significance of brand position and marketing in the recruitment industry

In the second part of his interview, James throws light on the significance of brand positioning and marketing in the recruitment industry to occupy a distinctive place in the candidates’ minds who are looking for jobs. He further adds that building authentic relationships and standing out in an over saturated recruitment market is arguably the best way to enhance loyalty and brand advocacy. Plus, James talks about the reasons why employer brands break down and how to get it right. He also shares new content strategies and frameworks that most of the top employer brand specialists apply and use to design a successful employer-branding strategy.

Drawbacks of employer branding

Lastly, James sheds light on his two newly released books on employer branding and his weekly newsletters. So if you’re looking to attract the best talent, then this is a must-listen.

Follow James on Linkedin.

Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast host: Abhash Kumar