Q. A few years back our company had a bad reputation in the industry. Since then we have changed management and most of the issues are long gone, but our reputation still lingers. We have been told this is affecting our ability to hire people. Recruiters have told us some candidates won’t go forward after hearing the name of our company. How do we go about changing that without spending thousands on a PR firm?
Since the first place most people go after hearing the name of a company is the Web site, I would start there. Most Web sites are all about the company's products or services, other than the “About Us” section which is generally a history lesson on the company.
Consider having a career page, have the CEO do a short video about all the good changes that have happened in the last few years, have current employees give testimonials about the improvements that have taken place, ask a few customers and vendors to be included, and finally share the vision of the company with the readers so they see the difference. Do the same thing on Facebook but here have a dialog with the readers. Let your employees comment and have the CEO comment and reply to comments made by others. You might even hit the issue head-on by stating, ”We know many still view us the way we were a few years back, but take a look at the new company and all of the changes we have implemented to change that reputation.” Let the readers know you know and you have fixed it.
Finally, you will need to get out in the community. Attend networking groups, industry association meetings, conferences and trade shows to promote the “new company.” I would invite recruiters into the facility so they can see and hear the difference. As a recruiter I have had candidates say the same thing to me many times. Knowing the company allows me to address those concerns head-on with candidates. I find candidates open up once they learn the facts about the new company.
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I welcome your thoughts and comments.
Brad Remillard