When you are just launching a company or perhaps entering the US Market for the first time, it’s critical that you put some energy into your Employment Brand.

What does that mean? It means that you look at your brand, your story, through the lens of a prospective employee.

What’s the value proposition for the employees? Are you working on innovative technology that offers a strong intellectual challenge? Is the culture healthy, non-toxic, inclusive, and fun? Will I fit in? Is there both career and financial upside? Is there some level of security? Do you have a good shot at success?

Most candidates do research on a company before engaging. It’s very basic, but critical to a new brand, to make sure the candidate sources of information–LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, etc.– all tie out to the same logo, the same brand identity, a consistent summary of YOUR company.

There are so many companies with similar names. Even well-known brands like Peloton have a doppelganger, Peloton Technology, in the self-driving trucking space. Make sure it’s clear, if your company has the same or similar name, that you articulate a tagline or URL in your communications.

It’s not a bad thing for the founders and early employees to be encouraged to review the company in Glassdoor. Just make sure they are reviewing the *right* company and not your doppelganger!

Encourage your current employees to update their LinkedIn profiles, map where they wok to your company page, and use the same brand voice.

Think about including a page on your site about what it’s like to work at the company, adding employee testimonials, including perks, benefits.

I personally want to work with companies that embrace diversity, I find it more interesting. When I see a web presence of all the same looking people, sometimes I think they all shop at the same stores and get their hair cut by the same person, it’s a hard pass for me. Optimizing to cast the widest net of potential candidates is in your best interests.

Thinking about your brand through the lens of the people who may want to work with you is important to building a great team, and very different than the product proposition.