FACT: More money flowed in to the Canadian technology ecocosytem in 2021, than in all previous years....COMBINED. If there's one common trait that unifies all successful Canadian scale-ups, it's that they attract (and retain) top talent.

In today's job seeker's market, how does one go about catching the eye of a highly sought after free agent, to fill their open role for director of client partnerships or senior developer? There are certainly many first touch-points, like connection tags on LinkedIN, recruiters or job boards, but all roads lead to the exact same point of activation: employer branding. Some of the information historically reserved for investor presentations, is now more critical than ever to leverage in your pursuit of building high-performing teams.

In a recent Media Day interview with former Uber Executive turned CO-FOUNDER and CEO of FLOAT PAYMENTS Rob Khazzam, he noted that "Dynamic content is really important to showcase who you are, and that makes a difference with quality candidates who may not have heard about you, or if they have heard about you, don't really know what they can expect from your company".

If you're ready to invest in employer branding, and take the next step toward unicorn status, here are 3 critical areas of focus that should be on full display during the hiring process.

What is your work environment like?

Prospective hires want to know what it's like to work at your company, and you need to give them an overview of the team dynamic. Who will they be working with? Are you fully remote, in office or hybrid? How does your company approach that structure. If remote, how do you keep your teams engaged and how will they access company resources to ensure they can remain productive and motivated? Employees want to know that your corporate structure is in alignment with their personal vision for work life balance.

What is your vision for the future?

In today's fast paced (and ever evolving) Canadian tech ecosystem, employees want to know they are solving important problems, that have a meaningful impact in the communities that they serve. And beyond just the basic product-market fit, they'll want to know about the market opportunity, the direction in which the company is headed and what the opportunity for personal growth look like. Employees and teams need to be motivated and energized by a common goal, and as a founder, it's your job to paint that picture.

Who makes up your leadership team?

Sometimes this is the first question people ask, and sometimes it's the last, but it always matters. Today's applicants know that a company's ability to execute on their vision comes down to the founding team. Just like in an investor presentation, you need to communicate why your company's leadership are the right people to get the job done. Additionally, applicants are prioritizing a company's commitment to representation, diversity and inclusion, so your company's brand need to speak to its commitment to these 3 pillars.

In today's quickly growing Canadian technology ecosystem, It's a job seeker's market, and will continue to be for the next few years. As a founder, if you're going to do one thing this year, invest in your company's brand; its residual benefits will be felt across all aspects of your hiring process, from recruiters, to your head of people, all the way down to the applicants themselves.

If you're interested in learning more about Corbin Visual's employer branding services, contact us today....before your dream applicant gets hired away!