Employer branding for international skilled workers
For many companies, and especially for health and nursing care facilities, attracting and retaining skilled workers is a major challenge. According to a new study* by the German Economic Institute, there will be a shortage of around 768,000 skilled workers by 2028, 21,365 of them in the health and nursing care sector alone. The recruitment of skilled nursing staff is therefore essential for maintaining the health care system.
Classic job advertisements and financial incentives are no longer enough to attract skilled workers: the competition is simply too great. Targeted measures are needed in order to attract highly sought-after skilled workers from abroad. Set yourself apart from the crowd with the right employer branding: international, cosmopolitan, appreciative. This article will tell you how to do exactly that.
What is employer branding?
A lot of companies focus primarily on how they are seen by their customers – but the perception of employees and potential applicants is just as important if not more so. This is where employer branding comes in: companies build an employer brand in order to position themselves as an attractive employer in a targeted way. Especially in the "war for talent" in recruiting international skilled workers, it is essential to stand out clearly from the competition and to respond specifically to the needs of the target group.
Why is good employer branding so important for recruiting skilled workers?
With targeted and well-thought-out employer branding, you will stand out from the competition and thus attract the best talent.
Increase visibility: Strong employer branding makes you visible to your target group – through suitable messages, authentic insights, attractive benefits and a clear positioning. Spell out exactly what makes you unique as an employer. This will bring you many advantages in the "war for talent".
Increasing numbers of more suitable applications: The more visible and attractive your employer brand is, the more qualified professionals will become aware of you. This not only increases the quantity, but also the quality of the applications and allows you to select more specifically from a larger pool of applicants.
Improvement of the corporate climate: The development of an employer brand has an effect not only externally, but also internally. Actively engage with values, communication and employee satisfaction to create a better work environment. This strengthens the interaction and motivation in the team.
Long-term employee retention: A good working atmosphere, appreciation and a clear positioning as a reliable employer will contribute to employees remaining longer with the company. Employee satisfaction increases, as does the quality of their work, and this saves costs.
Central elements of employer branding
Are you now convinced that you should move forward with your employer branding? Then these are the most important things to keep in mind.
Authenticity: sustainable employer branding
Stay authentic and honest! Painting a beautifully staged external picture is of little use if day-to-day reality in the company does not live up to it. New employees often quickly recognise an illusory image for what it is and leave the company disappointed. The result: high staff turnover rates, a loss of image and unnecessary costs.
So only promise what you can actually deliver. Employer branding does not begin with external communication, but with the corporate culture that is actually practiced.
Target group analysis: understand what really skilled workers really want!
Effective employer branding begins with a well-founded target group analysis. You will only be able to address your target group specifically once you know exactly what makes them tick. Find out what potential and existing employees really want:
What values are important to them? What expectations do they have of their workplace? What motivates them – and what do they consider a turn-off?
To this end, you should conduct surveys with employees, applicants or general (nursing care) professionals. This will provide you with valuable insights into your target group’s needs, wants and priorities.
Employer value proposition: clear promise as an employer
A central component of your successful employer branding is a strong employer value proposition (EVP), i.e. your promise as an employer. Ask yourself:
What makes you special as an employer? What strengths and advantages do you offer your employees? How do you differ from the competition?
A well-thought-out promise as an employer creates clarity, orientation and recognition value, both internally and externally. You can thus position yourself as an attractive and credible employer and attract the right talent.
Corporate culture and practiced values: the foundation
The core of your employer brand is your corporate culture with clear and practiced values. These values define not only who you are as an employer, but also how employees work and communicate with each other in the company.
If you want to attract international skilled workers, openness should be a central part of your culture – and not just as a buzzword on paper, but in daily interaction.
Communication strategy
Your communication must meet the expectations and needs of the target group. Be clear, appreciative, authentic and open. When addressing international skilled workers, pay attention to cultural differences and create multilingual career pages, if necessary.
Create authentic content with your employees. These can be interviews, videos, testimonials, etc. For social media, this could also be fun videos that attract attention. Take advantage of the diversity of the virtual world: website, social media, campaigns. You should actively use all channels on which your target group spends time.
The important thing is to be consistent and communicate the same message and values on all channels.
Ideas for employer branding for nursing care professionals
In the nursing care industry, in particular, it is crucial to stand out from the competition with well thought-out and person-oriented measures. Nursing care providers face great physical and psychological stress. You will automatically become more attractive if you honestly care about the needs of your employees.
- (Mental) health: Look after the mental health of your employees. Create offers such as seminars on stress management, yoga, relaxation exercises, mindfulness training, etc. Above all, have an open ear for the concerns of your employees. Create space for an exchange of ideas with each other, for example in the form of regular discussions. This can often help to deal with challenging or stressful situations.
- Flexible working time models: If possible, create flexible working hours. Parents in particular are often unable to return to shift work. Talk to employees: What do they want? What is feasible? Often, the best ideas come from those who experience everyday working life up close.
- Benefits: Show appreciation with perks such as discounts for gyms or wellness facilities, mobility grants, meal vouchers, help in finding accommodation or childcare, etc. Here, too, a survey can help to understand the needs of your employees.
- Development opportunities: Nursing care providers do not just want to "function", they also want to develop professionally and personally. Communicate clearly what further education and training courses are available. Offer career paths, for example in the direction of practice guidance, nursing management or specialisms. With transparency, you create prospects and motivation for your employees.
- Modern spirit: Be creative and current. Use social media, especially visual channels such as Instagram and TikTok. Show real insights and share humorous content. These make you approachable and increase your reach among young nursing care providers or those who want to become one.
Summary
If you as a company or institution practice real values and learn to understand the needs of your target group, you will be one step ahead in the long term. Your employer brand is a key success factor in sustainably attracting, integrating and retaining qualified international skilled workers. If you use modern communication channels, enable further development and create flexible, appreciative working conditions, you will build trust and position yourself as an attractive employer with a future.
So, invest in strategic and authentic employer branding at an early stage. Nursing needs strong teams. And strong teams need an employer who not only demands but also encourages.
Author
Katharina Weckend, Content & SEO Manager
Katharina joined lingoking as a Content and SEO Manager in 2024. She handles our content and SEO strategy and writes texts for our website, guide and other lingoking media. “I am happy I get to pass on knowledge in our lingoking guide and help break down language barriers.”
Translation
Dr. Tracey Kimmeskamp
A native of Northern Ireland, Tracey has lived in Germany’s Ruhrgebiet for over 20 years. She has been working with lingoking as a translator since 2016, all the while diligently training for her dream career in mochi quality control.
