Let’s face it, hiring in 2026 won’t be easy.
Now more than ever, candidates have more options, more demands, and less patience. It’ll prove difficult to attract and retain the right candidates if your job posting is identical to everyone else’s or if your careers page hasn’t been updated since 2018.
That’s where employer branding comes in. And if you’re not thinking about yours right now, it’s time to start.
At Get Recruited, we help businesses across marketing, finance, sales and insurance attract brilliant people by building employer brands that actually mean something. We see this play out daily, often with employers who assume hiring is their problem, when in reality, perception is.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Employer Branding?
In simple terms, employer branding is how people see your company as a place to work.
It’s your first impression. It’s what jobseekers see when they Google you. It’s the feeling they get when they read your job ad, check out your LinkedIn, or hear what your current (or ex) employees have to say.
If your brand looks slow, outdated or vague, people will assume your business is too. This is something we regularly hear from finance and insurance employers who have strong internal cultures, but conservative or generic external messaging that fails to reflect it.
Here’s why that matters:
- 75% of candidates research employer brands before applying
- 86% check reviews and ratings online
- 48% of UK candidates say purpose is more important than pay
That’s a big chunk of your talent pool making decisions based on the brand you’re putting out there. In sales recruitment and marketing recruitment especially, candidates often decide whether to apply before ever reading the full job description.
5 Signs Your Employer Brand Is Working (or Not)
A strong employer brand doesn’t just look good, it feels right. It tells the right story to the right people and makes them want to be part of it.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Your culture isn’t just words on a wall
Candidates can spot fluff a mile off. If your values are real, they’ll show up in your hiring process, your team’s behaviour, and the way you communicate. According to Glassdoor, 70% of people consider culture before they even apply. We often uncover this gap in marketing recruitment and sales recruitment when job ads promise autonomy and creativity, yet hiring processes feel rigid or outdated.
2. Your employees are doing the talking
People trust people, not brands. So, if your team is sharing what it’s really like to work for you, on LinkedIn, in reviews, in videos, that says a lot. It’s 3x more powerful than corporate marketing. In insurance recruitment and finance recruitment, peer insight carries huge weight, candidates want reassurance from people already doing the job.
3. The hiring process doesn’t put people off
No one wants to be ghosted or stuck in a never-ending interview loop. Clear timelines, fast feedback and a respectful approach go a long way. One in four jobseekers say they’ve rejected a role just because the process felt off. We often find that small changes here, clarity, consistency, communication, make a disproportionate difference to candidate perception.
4. Your digital presence is on point
Your careers page, social channels and Glassdoor reviews all tell a story. The question is: is it the one you want candidates to hear? If it’s outdated, inconsistent or just dull, people will move on. This is why it’s important to align messaging across every touchpoint, not just the job ad itself.
5. You’ve got a clear EVP (more on that below)
Your Employer Value Proposition (or EVP) is what you’re offering people in return for their time and talent. It’s the foundation of your employer brand. If it’s unclear, outdated or sounds like every other company out there, your brand won’t stick. A common challenge we see is employers knowing what they offer but not knowing how to articulate it in a way that resonates with the right candidates.
Employer Branding by Sector: Why One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Every industry has unique talent demands so your brand should speak directly to the kind of people you want to hire, and your employer branding needs to reflect that.
In marketing, creativity, culture, and freedom to innovate are high on the list. Your brand needs to speak to storytellers and problem-solvers who want to do meaningful work in an inspiring environment. A dry job ad or boring careers page won’t attract the kind of talent you’re looking for. We’ve seen marketing roles struggle simply because the employer brand felt restrictive or generic, despite exciting work happening behind the scenes.
In finance, people want structure, progression and trust. You should highlight long-term development, work-life balance, and transparency. That doesn’t mean your brand has to be corporate, but it should feel professional and stable. Many finance employers we work with underestimate how much clarity and reassurance candidates are looking for early on.
In sales, it’s all about energy, opportunity, and recognition. Your brand should show that high performers are supported and rewarded. People want to know they can grow and succeed without burning out. This is where we often help employers balance ambition with sustainability in their messaging.
In insurance, the challenge is modernising the message. Many talented professionals overlook the sector because they assume it’s outdated or limited, even though it offers great careers, solid progression and meaningful work. A fresh, purpose-driven brand that talks about impact, growth, flexibility, and innovation can help you stand out from the crowd. This is where insurance recruitment see the biggest shift when employer branding is aligned with modern candidate expectations.
Let’s Talk EVP: The Bit That Makes the Brand Real
Your EVP is basically your promise to your people. It’s not just about salary or benefits (though those matter). It’s about what it feels like to work with you. Things like:
- Flexibility
- Opportunities to grow and learn
- A culture where people feel included and supported
- Real purpose behind the work
It must be genuine, reliable, and something you truly deliver on.
When shaping EVPs for insurance, sales, finance and marketing recruitment, the most effective ones are built from real employee insight, not assumptions from the top down.
Candidates aren’t tricked by flashy benefits. If the day-to-day doesn’t correspond and they believe they’ve been misled, the majority will quit. If you offer prospects for progression or flexibility that don’t align with reality, candidates will notice the discrepancy. Overpromising damages your reputation and causes disappointment.
In insurance recruitment, for example, candidates are increasingly looking for flexibility, learning opportunities, and a clear path forward. If your EVP doesn’t mention those things, or worse, promises them without backing it up, you’ll lose out. This is something we commonly address within insurance when a company’s EVP hasn’t evolved alongside changing candidate priorities.
A strong EVP is shaped by both leadership and employee feedback, and it evolves with the business, it isn’t set in stone. The best employers refresh their EVP regularly to stay aligned with shifting candidate expectations and market trends.
What Happens If You Don’t Focus on Branding?
Let’s be blunt. If your employer brand is weak, outdated, or inconsistent, great candidates won’t even apply. You’ll waste time and money on roles that stay open too long, or worse, hire people who leave quickly because the reality didn’t match the pitch. We often speak to employers at this stage, when hiring has become reactive instead of strategic.
You might have great benefits but if nobody knows about them, they won’t help you attract talent. You might offer flexibility but if your careers site doesn’t show it, candidates won’t assume it. You might have a brilliant culture but if your hiring process is slow or confusing, people may never get to see it.
Poor branding costs you good candidates. And in a market this competitive, it also costs you time, money, and long-term growth. The cost is rarely obvious upfront, but it shows up over time in churn, unfilled roles, and lost momentum.
Good branding brings in better people. Full stop.
So, Where Do You Start?
Start by reevaluating how you come across as an employer.
What story are you telling? Is it accurate, consistent, and clear? Based on what picture you’re painting, would you apply to work for your own company? This is often the question that sparks the most honest conversations when we work with leadership teams.
If not, you’ve got a branding problem. The good news? It’s fixable. Your employer brand is one of your greatest assets, whether you’re a national brand maintaining its lead or a scaling start-up. It draws in talent, promotes loyalty, and aids in the development of stronger teams.