Using Internal Comms to Shape Employer Branding w/ Audra Knight – The Shaker Green Room at RecFest USA, Ep. 10

[Music] who are you and why are you here so my name is Audrey Knights and I lead employer branding for foundation medicine which you mentioned in the Boston area and it’s um a company that I’m feel so lucky to work for cuz it truly is Mission driven like every company says they’re Mission driven and I was sold that in the interview and I was thinking let’s actually see what it’s like um but it really is like I just did a story about two of our count Executives that are in remission from cancer themselves and now they’re going out and helping with Cancer Care and it’s just it’s so in moving forward into 2025 what advice would you have for your peers out there for employer branding Piers um I think making sure you’re doing more than just recruitment marketing there’s so much more I think you can do with your role um especially partnering with internal Communications like they’re having all these stories about employees make sure you’re both having the stories and they’re and sharing them or your stories are going internal and external um and I think we also help with internal Mobility which is getting really important because like the younger generation it’s surprising right because it should have always been important but now it just seems to be incredibly important and I think in our role we can really help with that yes um like I’ve built internal portals where I can help Market you know if you have rotations or I’ve seen companies that are doing like gigs and I think any way that someone maybe they can’t be promoted every year but they can still grow and you can help Market that as an employer brand person so not just thinking externally but thinking other ways you can also help internally not just advocacy too yeah I love that you’re actively communicating with internal Communications and and marketing and I think a lot of organizations are challenged with well this is TA or HR this is marketing stay away from each other but you haven’t talk about how that happened and how you engage on a regular basis so that’s one thing I learned like early on because I have had struggles in the past with like marketing understanding the work I’m doing so as soon as I got in this company I was like let’s go I’m going right to marketing I’m going right to internal coms um external coms is you know somewhat separate and just becoming besties and explaining right from the beginning like this is what I’m doing and this is how it’s a win-win for both of us so we can partner on this advocacy tool we have I’m going to give you content cuz you are always looking for more content I’m going to help promote your content and just making it right from the beginning like we are a team let’s work together and it’s just so so useful now like they come to me and be like what about a story on this or they and I can go to them and we just have this I feel really thankful but I did make sure that was a priority that’s amazing that’s amazing so in 2024 Looking Backward thus far what has surprised you the most I think just being here today seeing the amount of different tools cuz I when I started an employer branding you had a Dusty old ATS and if you wanted if you wanted um let’s see if you want like a CRM right there was like four you’re like okay which are these four am I going to buy and now it’s like I don’t even know where to start looking in a good way cuz you can be really picky um and I remember if you wanted uh an employee generated video tool that that wasn’t even a thing like that and now I’m they’re everywhere and there’s so many different options um but tools are so important to our role um can I give a shout out to mine CU they’re here today but I have quite a few but clinch Talent is one I’ve used now for seven or eight years okay um and I really can’t imagine doing my role without it um because again the metrics I’m getting from them I’m in the tool like every day I’m building new web pages external internal um and people are are seeing that and I I have total like control of our careers website and the blogs but I I couldn’t do that with a Dusty old age yet so I think if I think if you have any kind of budget put it just in the right tools you don’t you don’t have to have a massive budget but you’re in a very competitive space you mentioned some of the tools talk about the messaging how you differentiate what platforms are you leveraging that are successful for you I think the trick is knowing how you’re different and I do see I feel like some agencies come in and then they build this beautiful like tagline and employer brand and you it looks like every other you know so that’s the challenge I think so I think really if you have an agency like work with them how actually are we different or I think you can do that internally which is what I have done and so first I’ll work with like the recruiters of the different functions um then we will we will build like a pitch like an EVP per function that we feel like is a sale and what actually is different so like for Mission that is really important for software Engineers because they could work anywhere it’s not Mission driven but we don’t push the mission as much and our Medical Teams and our R&D teams cuz they are probably working in onology space and the missions there’s some of a great Mission either way um so you so knowing that and then after we feel like we have our pitch we bring that to the leaders of the function or different people in the function and say do you agree and actually have a workshop so not just an email cuz they’re busy they’re not going to write back and like but if you have a workshop and be like go through do you agree with these p are there things that we missed um and then I actually took that and built with clinch um a whole like internal tool where employees um because also I think we we talk about recruiter enablement which is great yes but what about hiring manager enablement like employee enablement so that’s what I’m trying to do and it’s a tool so that any employee or any hiring manager come in there go to their specific division see their own EVP that we created just internally for free um and then videos that we’ve from our video tool where they can just take them copy and paste um post it to LinkedIn and share the content so in 2025 what is your major priority that’s a good question I think looking internally more because we are a little bit slower like most people with hiring just at the moment so thinking about how I can add value um internally in other ways um and just being really specific to on our hiring needs the ones that we are hiring that are critical how can I get in there create content whether that’s a blog or a video and then make sure that gets shared by the right people in scene cuz I’ve seen people they create this beautiful thing and they just like posted on their company LinkedIn Channel um but I will be like we’ll do that but then I give that to the leaders of that function and be like copy and paste I would love it if you personalize it but you might be busy or not have the time so here it’s just really easy you make sure every employee that is in that Network they send this out on their LinkedIn and of course make sure it’s trackable how do you look at uh diversity Equity inclusion and how are you coordinating with marketing to make sure that message is cohesive and uh and package for the for the community yeah um I it’s really been interesting to see how some companies are putting less effort into that but I think either way as an employer brander you have to think about your content and weaving it in but only if that’s true like if you honestly aren’t a very diverse company do not be just interviewing and asking for videos for your erns and then the person comes in and it’s not very diverse um so just making sure it’s you’re thinking about it and talking to different people in the erns um but it’s also very authentic so those people that are saying that they actually you know truly believe you’re diverse and it’s just got to be real cuz I feel like I’ve seen some companies that are like we’re so diverse and and they’re not so and if there’s anything we know about Audra she is real Audra Knights thank you so much for sitting down with us if if some wants to connect with you or maybe I don’t know apply for a job or be in the band or be in the band be in the band where would you send them yes I think I’m the only Audra Knight on link or easily searchable link love love it yes awesome did I mention I was in first chair in sixth grade for saxophone so I may be auditioning very cool our boys are playing piano now and um percussion so I’m thinking we might have in the band we’ll have a Pianist and a drummer a new Chicago let’s do this y thanks audre enjoy the show awesome thank you [Music]