If you’re a recruiter and came across this blog, you know that competition for talent has never been greater. Just posting a job is no longer enough in order to find the right candidates, whether you are hiring locally or looking for multilingual professionals willing to relocate. Before clicking "Apply", they research your company, browse your social media, read employee reviews, and imagine what their life could look like if they accepted your offer.
Things are not anymore as they used to be. As a company looking for the right candidates, you need to get distinguished in a good way. This is where employer branding comes in.
A strong employer brand helps companies attract qualified candidates, reduce hiring costs, and stand out in a competitive market. However, when recruiting internationally, there's another factor many employers overlook: the destination itself.
The city where your company is located can become one of your biggest recruitment advantages. In this article, we'll explore what employer branding is, why it matters, and how combining it with destination branding can help you attract more international talent.
What Is Employer Branding in HR?
First of all let’s not confuse employer branding with simple HR marketing or corporate PR. Employer branding is the way your company is perceived as a place to work. It includes everything that shapes a candidate's opinion about your organisation, from your company culture and values to employee experiences, career opportunities, leadership style and workplace environment.
Think of your employer brand as your reputation in the job market. It’s not just a recruitment tool or part only of the recruitment marketing strategy, it’s not about how many candidates you can get. In reality, it helps you filter the right candidates for your company. Don’t transform your employer branding in a performance art. Candidates want honesty and authenticity. Of course, you need to make a good impression and invest in how people see you from the outside, but do not overdo it. Candidates can tell when you’re lying.
Just like customers choose brands they trust, candidates choose employers they feel connected to and compelling employers. A strong employer brand gives people confidence that joining your company is the right career move. If they thought this is the right career move and they found out it was just a facade, actually, research shows 91% of new hires are willing to quit within the first month, and 28% actually do before hitting 90 days (Medium, 2025).
It's important to remember that employer branding is about authenticity. Beautiful career pages and polished LinkedIn posts are not the only way to go anymore. Candidates quickly notice when the image a company promotes doesn't match the reality employees experience.
A strong employer brand should answer one simple question:
"Why should someone choose to work for your company instead of another?"
The clearer and more authentic your answer, the stronger your employer brand becomes.
Why Employer Branding Is More Important Than Ever
Today's recruitment landscape has changed substantially.
Candidates are no longer simply searching for a salary. They're looking for purpose, flexibility, development opportunities, work-life balance and companies whose values align with their own.
This is especially true for younger generations. Gen Z and Millennials actively research employers before applying, often spending time reading employee reviews, exploring company culture on social media and evaluating what everyday life inside the organisation actually looks like. They want to see the real people behind the company, how they spend their day, what the workplace looks like, and what the employee experience is really like.
For companies hiring internationally and seeking candidates abroad, the challenge becomes even bigger. You're not only asking someone to change jobs, you are asking them to move countries, leave family & friends behind and build an entirely new life somewhere else. You have to take into consideration this is a life change for these candidates and it’s not an easy one. When they’ll decide to move for a new job, they’ll research the company until the tiniest details.
Because candidates invest so much time researching employers before making such a life-changing decision, companies that build a strong employer brand gain a significant competitive advantage. The more trust and transparency you create before the application, the more likely you are to attract the right people and keep them engaged throughout the recruitment process.
We talked about what candidates get from good employer branding, but let’s see what companies with a strong employer brand often experience:
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more qualified applications,
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better candidate engagement,
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higher employee retention,
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faster hiring processes,
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increased trust from candidates.
It’s in everyone’s advantage to choose to invest in your employer branding. Candidates get to see who you really are and you get all these benefits after.
How to Build an Employer Branding Strategy That Attracts More Candidates
Building an attractive employer brand doesn't happen overnight. It requires consistency, authenticity and a deep understanding of what your ideal candidates are looking for.
Build an Authentic Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
At the heart of every successful employer branding process and strategy is a strong Employee Value Proposition (EVP).
Disclaimer:
Yes, EVP plays a very important role in your employer branding strategy. However, just as discussed before, don’t lie. Put an accent on authenticity, not on what you think will look good in the eyes of others.
What is EVP? EVP can be defined as: a statement of the values, rewards, recognition, support, and company culture that an employer gives to employees, enabling them to do their best work and achieve their highest potential.
Ask yourself:
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What makes your company different?
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Why do employees stay?
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What do they enjoy most about working with you?
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What career growth opportunities do you offer?
Avoid making promises you can't keep. Instead, focus on communicating what genuinely makes your organisation a great place to work.
Showcase Your Company Culture and Employee Experience
People don't just join companies, they join teams.
Candidates want to see the people behind the logo! Instead of relying only on corporate messaging, let your employees tell your story.
Look, it’s really not that hard! Everybody knows Volvo or HubSpot, but it really makes a difference to show some of the real faces that stand behind these companies. Even if you’re part of a small company or a big one, try to incorporate your people when you’re presenting yourself to the outer world.
For example, you can share:
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behind-the-scenes moments,
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employee testimonials,
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team events/teambuildings,
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onboarding experiences,
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or even a typical day at the office.
These authentic insights help candidates picture themselves working with your team. The idea is to give them the chance to imagine a cool and enjoyable environment.
Company culture is one of the strongest differentiators in today's hiring market because it's something competitors can't easily copy.
Create a Positive Candidate Experience
Your employer brand is experienced, not just communicated through an Instagram story.
If candidates encounter a confusing application process, long response times or poor communication, even the strongest branding campaign loses credibility.
A positive candidate experience should include:
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clear job descriptions (bonus points if you include the salary),
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simple application processes
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transparent communication,
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timely feedback,
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respect throughout every recruitment stage.
Every interaction leaves an impression, whether the candidate is hired or not.
Why Destination Branding Should Be Part of Your Employer Branding Strategy
When companies recruit internationally, they often spend a lot of time promoting the role itself but forget to sell something equally important: the destination.
The change of the lifestyle is actually the big change candidates who relocate abroad face. Accepting a job abroad isn’t just about changing employers. As obviously as it might seem, we need to specify that different countries have different lifestyles. Local people spend their spare time in different ways based on where they live.
For example, relocating in Crete, in Greece, will be totally different from relocating in Barcelona, Spain. Relocating in Krakow, Poland, will be totally different from relocating in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It’s also very important to point out how salaries differ based on the country and city destination even. Locals have completely different after-work activities and weekend getaways depending on the location where they live.
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If you live in Barcelona, after-work could look like going to the beach and playing volleyball.
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If you live in Amsterdam, you might get your bike and ride to your favorite bar to meet your friends for a takeaway beer.
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If you live in Krakow, you’ll probably take a walk through your favorite park and enjoy the fresh air.
And the list can go on!
We think this is where destination branding becomes a powerful extension of your employer branding strategy. Instead of simply saying: "Customer Support Specialist in Barcelona."
Help candidates imagine what their new life could actually look like.
Will they finish work with a walk along the beach? Enjoy affordable cafés with colleagues? Live in a city full of international professionals? Experience a completely different culture while growing their career?
Those emotional factors often influence decisions just as much as salary. Compelling storytelling is your best friend in this case!
When promoting international opportunities, don't just highlight your office.
Highlight the experience of living in that city!
Here is a list of topics from which you can choose:
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quality of life,
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career opportunities in the city,
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cost of living,
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public transport,
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local culture,
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international communities,
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leisure activities,
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safety,
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food,
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climate.
For example, a customer support role in Athens becomes much more attractive when candidates also discover they could spend weekends island hopping, enjoy over 250 sunny days each year and live in one of Europe's most affordable capitals.
Likewise, being an expat in Porto isn't only about joining a growing company. It's about working in a full-of-life coastal city known for its relaxed lifestyle, welcoming atmosphere and excellent work-life balance. Work-balance that YOUR company provides!
Make sure to correlate the benefits of the city with your company. It might be obvious to you, but for a candidate that reads your job description for the first time, it’s not! Remember, the candidates are not very likely to detain a lot of information about you. Of course, they will do the research online before applying and before the interview, but, at the same time, they will get the information you choose to give them.
This emotional connection is exactly what destination branding creates.
It helps candidates visualise not only their next job but also their next chapter in life.
Common Employer Branding Mistakes to Avoid
Even companies with great workplaces sometimes struggle to attract candidates because they make avoidable employer branding mistakes.
Some of the most common include:
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Promoting unrealistic expectations that employees don't recognise.
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Using generic job descriptions that could belong to any company.
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Ignoring employee feedback and online reviews.
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Providing a slow or complicated application process.
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Focusing only on salary instead of the complete employee experience.
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Forgetting to promote the destination when recruiting internationally.
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Inconsistent messaging across career pages, social media and job advertisements.
Remember, you don’t have to build a perfect image, you need to show an honest one!
Conclusion
Employer branding is no longer just a "nice-to-have" asset, it's a fundamental part of successful recruitment.
A strong employer brand helps candidates understand what they'll do in your company if they accept the offer. More importantly, it helps them understand why they'll enjoy being part of the team and what everyday life will look like.
After all, people don't relocate just for a job. They relocate for a better future, a new lifestyle and exciting opportunities within and outside their job.
By showcasing both your company and the destination you're offering, you'll create a stronger emotional connection with candidates and stand out in an increasingly competitive hiring market.
