An Easy Formula for Writing Winning Employee Value Proposition Statements

Have you ever looked at your company website career page and wondered why it wasn’t doing its job attracting quality candidates?  Could it be because your employee value proposition is missing, and you are not communicating your unique edge in today’s competitive hiring market?  

Marketing is not just for customers

A foundational principle of marketing is the value proposition.  It describes a product or service’s target audience and its specific and unique benefits (values) as differentiated from its competition.

As you might have guessed, job seekers want the same information.  Namely, why should I work for you?  How will the job, benefits, and company culture enrich my life?  Can I get a better offer elsewhere?  

If your recruitment marketing doesn’t include an employee value proposition (EVP), it could be why you are struggling to attract, recruit, and retain great people.  So, let’s help you write an EVP statement that can attract and help you retain the right talent!  

An EVP statement must be truthful

An EVP statement is best written carefully and thoughtfully with team input.  Most importantly, its claims must be believable and based on fact.  For instance, if a new hire disappears after only a few days, could it be she felt oversold on the values and benefits and became disillusioned by unmet expectations?   Through exit interviews and frequent worker surveys, you’ll get honest feedback and be clear-eyed about whether you are keeping employee promises.  Fix what is broken first, including poor social media reviews, so your EVP will live up to its promise and enhance your standing in the hiring community.

The EVP formula

Crafting an EVP is not difficult.  You begin by listing the tangible benefits and attributes:

1. How is your company unique, and what is its appeal to a potential employee?  For example, consider brand cache, industry leadership, cool products, diverse workplace, etc.
2. Who is your ideal candidate, and what do they most want, need, or care about in the workplace?  
3. How are the position, benefits package, and perks different from competitive firms and offers (positioning)?

Once you understand why and how your firm’s offer can excel in attracting great people, it’s time to write your EVP.  You can follow a formula like this to craft the basics of your statement using your responses to 1 – 3 above:

We are a _____________________________(#1 your unique employer/company brand)

who ________________________________ (#2 define the ways you value your people)

for _________________________________ (#2 characteristics of the talent you look for)  

so they can ___________________________(#3 unique values new hires will experience)

Once you get the basics down, you can play with the wording and length so that the attributes, benefits, and positioning flow logically and concisely.  Next, consider how the EVP plays in email advertising, your website careers page or career fair flyers.  Adjectives and adverbs will ensure your EVP is impressive and persuasive to potential candidates.  

Here is an example to get you started.  See if you can find the firm’s descriptive elements, value proposition, and unique competitive positioning!  Then, whether short or long, make sure your EVP communicates the values and benefits that will bring candidates to “I accept!”

At [Company], we’re on a vertical climb, creating exciting next-gen products for the industry’s most innovative clients, all because of employees like you!  When you join our team, we’ll make sure your talents soar to new heights.  With fully paid ongoing technical training, cross-teaming, and a creative, fun, work-and-learn environment, you’ll see why over 95% of our employees rated us five stars on personal growth and career enhancement.  But, of course, we want your most creative self, so it’s your choice whether you work from home or in one of our ultramodern open spaces.  And because we believe one size doesn’t fit all, you’ll choose from a menu of benefit options to help you stay happy, enthusiastic, and thriving.  These are exciting times as we accelerate faster than anyone in our industry.  So if you’re looking for velocity, we’d love to have you onboard!