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Employer Branding Wiki: Glossary of Terms

Welcome to the Employer Branding Wiki, a comprehensive glossary dedicated to defining and explaining key terms and concepts in the field of employer branding. This resource is designed for professionals at all levels—from students just entering the field to seasoned experts looking to refresh their knowledge.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Alumni program

A program designed to bring together former employees into a community that may meet and communicate with one another or be called upon to help their former employer. Usually, people will join an alumni program or network due to having had a positive experience with that employer.

Ambassador program

A program designed to recruit, guide, foster, and occasionally reward brand ambassadors.

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Software applications that enable the electronic handling of recruitment needs, often integrating with recruitment efforts and providing data insights.

Attrition

The term used to describe people leaving an organization, which is the opposite of retention. When attrition is too high, employers will take action to reduce it.

Audience Segmentation

The process of dividing a broad target audience into sub-groups to tailor messaging and campaigns more effectively.

B

Benchmarking

The process of using other employer brands to track the competitive position and future movements of your own brand equity and brand associations. Benchmarked employer brands are usually those that are most competitive with your own or those you most aspire to.

Boomers

Those born between 1946 and 1964. Boomers only make up a very small percentage of the global workforce due to their age.

Brand Advocacy

Activities and behaviors by employees that advance the reputation of the organization positively, often through word of mouth or social media.

Brand Alignment

Ensuring that the employer brand is consistent with the organization's overall brand, including its values, ethics, and goals.

Brand ambassador

Strong advocates for a brand who proactively share positive communications and sentiment about that brand, encouraging and persuading others.

Brand equity

The strength of an employer's employer brand, indicating how attractive an employer is to the people it hopes to hire.

Brand image / association

The elements of the employment deal or experience that prospective talent associate with any given employer, reflecting specific perceptions that may or may not be accurate.

Boomerang Employees

Former employees who return to the organization after leaving, often bringing new skills and perspectives.

C

Candidate Experience

The overall perception that job seekers have of an organization's recruitment process, including interactions and communications throughout the hiring journey. A positive candidate experience can enhance an employer's brand.

Career activism

The practice of pushing employers to change unethical or unprincipled business practices through activism, which may include conscious quitting.

Conscious quitting

The term given to employees who quit or refuse to work due to a conflict with their employer's values, ethics, or moral code.

Corporate Culture

The shared values, behaviors, and traditions of an organization that influence its interactions and work environment.

D

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Practices and initiatives that promote a culture of belonging, respect, and opportunities for all employees, regardless of background, race, gender, age, or ability.

E

Employee Experience (EX)

An evolving concept that encompasses all aspects of an employee's journey within an organization, from recruitment through to exit, focusing on creating a positive overall experience.

Employer Brand

The identity and reputation of a company as an employer, which influences how current and potential employees perceive the organization.

Employer Brand Management

The ongoing process of managing and promoting the employer brand to ensure it aligns with the company's values and culture, and effectively communicates the employee experience.

Employer Brand

The market perception of what it's like to work for an organization, including its culture, policies, and what it offers to employees.

Employer Branding Strategy

A long-term plan focused on managing and influencing an organization's reputation as an employer among job seekers, employees, and key stakeholders.

Employer Brand Personality

The set of symbolic attributes that people associate with an organization, influencing how it is perceived by employees and job seekers.

EVP (Employer Value Proposition)

A set of associations and offerings provided by an organization in return for the skills, capabilities, and experiences an employee brings to the organization.

F

Future Talent Pipeline

A strategic concept developed by Fathom, referring to a pool of talent prospects that extends beyond an organization's current or historical candidates and employees.

G

Generation X

The portion of the workforce born between 1965 and 1980, which is shrinking the fastest, mostly due to retirement.

Generation Y (Millennials)

The portion of the workforce born between 1981 and 1994/7 (depending on the region). Currently, this is the largest generation in the global workforce.

Generation Z

The portion of the workforce born between 1997 and 2012, making up about a quarter of the global workforce and the fastest growing generation.

Glossing

A form of toxic positivity in which people suppress and deny their negative emotions. This behavior often occurs during stressful times or when people desire to avoid conflict.

H

HIPO Talent

A high-potential employee (HIPO) is someone with the ability, engagement, and aspiration to rise to and succeed in more senior, critical positions.

Hybrid work

The practice of working partially from the office and partially from home or elsewhere, popularized during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I

Internal Employer Branding

Initiatives aimed at promoting the employer brand within the organization, fostering pride and engagement among current employees.

Internal Mobility

Opportunities for employees to move within the company, whether laterally or through promotions, as part of career development and talent retention strategies.

J

Job Branding

The marketing of a specific job position to enhance its appeal to potential candidates, often involving unique descriptions and benefits to attract talent.

L

Lazy Girl Jobs

Jobs, usually corporate, where it's easy to quiet quit and get away with doing very little.

N

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

A metric used to measure employee satisfaction and loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend the organization as a place to work.

P

Passive Candidates

Individuals who are not actively looking for a new job but might be interested if the right opportunity presents itself.

Personal Branding

The process of creating and promoting a unique identity for oneself in a professional context, highlighting skills, expertise, and values to differentiate from competitors.

Presenteeism

The act or culture of employees continuing to work as a performative measure, despite having reduced productivity levels or negative consequences. Reduced productivity during presenteeism is often due to illness, injury, exhaustion, or other conditions, but presenteeism can also describe working while contagiously sick, which has the added risk of creating a workplace epidemic.

Q

Quiet cutting

Often linked with demotion, this practice involves downgrading workers' employment status or deal to encourage resignations and reduce the workforce size at scale.

Quiet firing / Silent firing

The practice of pushing employees to resign by changing their working conditions or removing elements that keep them satisfied and engaged, considered unethical.

Quiet hiring

The practice of acquiring new skills without hiring new full-time employees, addressing immediate business needs by assigning existing employees to new roles or hiring contingent workers.

Quiet quitting

When a disengaged employee does the bare minimum at work, looking to fly under the radar until they eventually leave the company.

R

Rage applying

A term that started on TikTok to describe when an unhappy employee sends out multiple job applications in response to dissatisfaction with their current employer.

Recruitment Marketing

The strategies and tactics an organization uses to find, attract, engage, and nurture talent before they apply for a job.

Retention

The term given to keeping hold of your workforce, with employers tracking retention or attrition rates to act when too many people are leaving.

S

Social Recruiting

The use of social media platforms to attract, engage and recruit potential candidates, enhancing the employer brand through content, advertising and through proactive searches using social networks..

T

Talent Acquisition

The ongoing process of attracting, evaluating, and hiring new personnel, particularly in professional and managerial roles.

Talent Intelligence

The use of data and analytics to inform talent acquisition strategies, helping organizations understand the talent market and make informed hiring decisions.

Talent preferences

The elements of the employment deal that talent prioritize when seeking or appraising employers or employment, usually viewed as a list of ranked priorities.

The Great Resignation

Also known as The Great Reshuffle or Big Quit, this trend began in early 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, centered around the US but felt globally, marking a period of highly elevated voluntary resignations.

U

Unbossing

A management approach characterized by the systematic elimination of middle management roles, allowing for a flatter organizational structure where employees have more autonomy and control over their work. This methodology aims to reduce operational friction and empower teams to operate in a more self-directed manner

V

Value Alignment

The extent to which an employee's values and motivations are in sync with the organization's mission, culture, and values.

Virtual Recruiting

The use of digital tools and platforms to conduct the recruitment process, including video interviews and online assessments, which has gained prominence due to remote work trends.

W

Well-being Initiatives

Programs and practices aimed at supporting the physical, mental, and emotional health of employees, which are becoming essential components of employer branding.

Workforce Agility

The ability of an organization to quickly adapt its workforce to changing business needs, which is increasingly important in a dynamic job market.

Our Employer Branding Wiki serves as a dynamic tool to guide you through the complex landscape of employer branding. As the field evolves, so too will this glossary, adapting to new trends and insights.