What can Employer Brand leaders do to bridge the divide?

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to work alongside some brilliant talent acquisition teams who are focused, fast, and deeply committed to closing roles and building teams.

But I’ve also seen where things get blurry... especially when we talk about “talent attraction” and “employer branding” or “recruitment marketing”.

It’s no surprise really, because we’ve inherited systems where employer brand is still seen as a “support function” or something to layer in after roles go live. And let’s be honest... it’s not easy to push long-term thinking into a world that runs on requisitions, speed, and spreadsheets.

In my last post, I shared the top 10 gaps I often come across in this space. But identifying the gaps is only step one. So... how do we work towards bridging them?

Photo by Schiba on Unsplash

1. Start with education... with empathy

Most TA leaders aren’t resistant. They are just wired to think in metrics that matter to them. So instead of trying to "sell" employer branding, start by translating it.

Show how branding reduces sourcing costs... how it improves conversion... how it builds qualified pipelines over time. Use their language... then expand the vocabulary.

2. Build shared ownership, not silos

It’s easy to say, “The brand team owns this” or “It’s marketing’s job.” But employer brand is strongest when it’s co-owned... not tossed from function to function.

Create working groups where TA, EB, and marketing sit together... even if it’s once a month. Make it a habit to align on message, media, and market insight. This is where real traction begins.

3. Visualise the full talent funnel

Help teams move from a “hiring = apply now” mindset to a full-funnel view:

• Awareness

• Interest

• Consideration

• Application

• Hire 

It’s only when people see where attraction truly starts that they realise how much ground is being missed.

4. Pilot before you preach

Pick one priority market... one future-critical skill. Run a targeted EB-led attraction activation that is built on personas, content, and campaign thinking.

Show how different the results look when attraction comes before outreach. Nothing builds buy-in like proof.

5. Shift from generic EVP to persona-led content

EVP is only powerful when it’s made relevant. Tis means tailoring how it shows up across functions, markets, and talent mindsets. Involve the recruiting team in personalising the EVP.

Don’t stop at pillars... dig into the "why" for each audience:

• What matters to them?

• What barriers are they facing?

• What’s the emotional hook? 

Then tell stories they see themselves in.

6. Equip recruiters as storytellers

Your recruiters are already out there... every day, in-market, speaking to talent. But most don’t have the content, confidence or context to share brand-aligned stories.

Give them the tools, like posts, visuals, prompts, and even plug-and-play messaging. Make it easy for them to amplify what your brand stands for... in their own voice.

7. Track what matters (not just what’s easy)

It’s tempting to measure likes and views... but we need to go deeper:

• Are we increasing relevant traffic to our careers site?

• Are we seeing more qualified applications per role?

• Is offer acceptance improving in branded vs. non-branded roles?

Attraction is measurable and can be attributed. We just have to start measuring at every step in the candidate journey.

8. Create always-on presence, not one-off posts

Posting only when we're hiring is like showing up to a party only when you're hungry. You’ll leave unsatisfied. Build a drumbeat of consistent, meaningful, audience-first content like stories, culture insights, and employee experiences. The goal? Stay top-of-mind even when you're not top-of-feed.

9. Invest in internal brand champions

Your best brand builders already work for you. Spot them. Enable them. Elevate them.

Whether it’s a developer in Bengaluru or a team lead in Singapore... when people tell real stories, talent listens.  Create systems to spotlight those voices consistently.

10. Keep asking, what's the experience before they apply?

Attraction starts way before the ATS (Application Tracking System).

When someone Googles your company... lands on your LinkedIn... sees a Glassdoor review... watches a Reel...What are they feeling?

Audit that journey often. Walk in their shoes. Because that’s where you win (or lose) long before recruitment steps in.

Final thought

The future of hiring won’t be powered by faster sourcing but by smarter attraction and a cohesive ecosystem.

As employer brand leaders, our role isn’t just to “create content” or “run campaigns”. It is to shift the culture of how talent sees, feels, and connects with our organisations.

We don’t have to wait for a perfect structure. We just have to start... with one role, one story, one person at a time.

Let’s build the bridges together as a team.