Walk into almost any “cool” office and you’ll find the same clues: neon signs, kombucha taps, a meditation room tucked behind a sliding barn door. You might think: this company gets culture.

But look closer.

Culture isn’t couches in the lobby. And employer branding? It’s not your Instagram aesthetic.

In fact, the more companies focus on optics, the more likely they are to miss the point: real employer branding isn’t decoration—it’s infrastructure.

It’s how a company earns trust with people it hasn’t even hired yet. And it’s becoming a competitive advantage (or liability) faster than most execs realize.  

What Is Employer Branding, Really?

At its core, employer branding is the perception of what it’s like to work at your company—shaped by everything from job postings and Glassdoor reviews to onboarding, exits, and how leadership communicates during crises.

It’s how people outside your org form expectations of what it’s like inside. And it begins long before the first interview.

Done well, it’s a powerful asset. Done poorly, it becomes something candidates talk about on Reddit at 2 a.m.

The Three Layers of Employer Branding

Let’s break down the anatomy of an authentic brand:

1. The Story You Tell

This includes your careers page, job descriptions, social media content, and even the way recruiters answer “What’s it like to work there?”

A weak brand says: “We’re a fast-paced company looking for rockstars.”
A strong one says: “Here’s what we value, how we work, and who tends to thrive here.”

2. The Signals You Send

How quickly do you respond to applicants? Are your interviewers prepared? Does your onboarding feel intentional?

Every touchpoint is a piece of your brand. When candidates feel ghosted, rushed, or confused—they don’t assume someone had a busy day. They assume that’s how the company runs.

3. The Reality Behind It

This is the truth employees live. No brand survives misalignment between narrative and reality.

You can’t say “we care about mental health” and burn people out quarterly. You can’t talk up DEI and ignore the lack of diversity in leadership.

Candidates will notice. So will employees. The internet will, too.  

Employer Branding ≠ Marketing

Too often, employer branding gets treated like a marketing campaign: a few nice graphics, a polished video, maybe a rebrand with purpose-driven language.

But branding isn’t a front. It’s a filter. It should attract the right people and repel the wrong ones. That only works when it’s grounded in reality.

“If your employer brand is so polished that it glosses over your flaws, candidates will find out—usually in the first six months.”

‍
— Lars Schmidt, founder of Amplify and host of Redefining HR

Good branding owns the real story—strengths, tradeoffs, imperfections and all.

Who Owns Employer Branding?

HR and marketing often argue over this one. But the truth? Everyone owns it.

• Executives shape the tone from the top. Their decisions signal what really matters.
• People teams handle the operational layer: hiring, onboarding, engagement.
• Managers reinforce (or break) the brand daily through how they treat employees.
• Employees are the messengers—especially on platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, Glassdoor, and Fishbowl.

And job seekers? They’re listening. Closely.

The Employer Branding Mistakes No One Talks About

1. Trying to Be Everything to Everyone

Some companies brand themselves as collaborative and competitive, fast-paced and balanced, startup-y and structured.

Trying to appeal to everyone makes you sound like no one.

Know your identity. Own your quirks. Culture fit doesn’t mean homogeneity—it means alignment.

2. Ignoring Exit Interviews

The stories employees tell after they leave often shape your brand more than anything posted publicly. If you’re not analyzing trends in exits, you’re flying blind.

3. Overinvesting in “Culture Content,” Underinvesting in Culture

A steady stream of office photos doesn’t matter if employees are underpaid, overworked, or disrespected. People can sense the gap between narrative and truth.

What Candidates Actually Want to See

Forget the high-production videos. Here’s what makes candidates lean in:

• Specifics on team structure and decision-making
• Clarity around career progression (or lack thereof)
• Honest takes from employees—not just execs—on what works and what’s hard
• Signals that the company handles conflict transparently, not quietly

In short: authenticity with depth.  

How to Strengthen Your Employer Brand Internally

You can’t fix external perception if the internal experience is broken. Start here:

• Audit your candidate experience from end to end
• Run stay interviews—not just exit interviews—to learn why people stay
• Let employees co-create brand messaging
• Measure internal trust with actual data (surveys, pulse checks, open forums)

Then build the external brand on that solid foundation.

What Happens When You Get It Right

When employer branding is honest and earned:

• The hiring pipeline improves—not just in quantity, but in quality
• Your best people stay longer (and bring their network)
• Culture becomes less fragile because it’s shared, not staged
• You spend less time convincing people to join—and more time helping them thrive once they do

Brand is no longer a shiny wrapper. It’s a reflection of what you’ve built.  

Don’t Brand the Office—Brand the Experience

The best employer brands don’t lead with perks. They lead with purpose, process, and proof.

If your brand only works in a marketing video—but not in a one-on-one with a team lead—you haven’t built a brand. You’ve built a billboard.

Employees notice. Candidates notice. The best ones always do.