Companies now must think of themselves as employment brands if they hope to attract and retain talent.

GE is the most well-known manufacturing company in the world. Because of this brand perception engrained in public opinion, that’s been the biggest recruiting challenge the company has encountered in its move into digital technology. GE digital is expected to be one of the largest software companies by 2020. Yet, they have a hard time recruiting tech talent because they are still perceived as a manufacturing company, not a tech company. Working for a tech company is sexy, working for a manufacturing company is not. GE is competing with much sexier brands like Google, Apple, Adobe to hire top tech employees. So, GE decided to run an ad campaign that would directly take on that issue. They decided to build it around a relatable character who represented the type of people they are trying to recruit. Their tagline? “The digital company. That’s also an industrial company”.

Today's guest is Shaunda Zilich, Global Employer Brand Manager at GE. Here is what I'm discussing with Shaunda in this episode:

- GE's transformation journey from a manufacturing company to a technology company.
- GE's 4 buckets of employer branding.
- The company's candidate experience, its brand advocate program, its employee value proposition (EVP) and its social presence.
- The role of technology and data in the candidate experience.
- The difference between "culture fit" and "culture add".

This episode is brought to you by Fusion Alliance. Fusion Alliance delivers holistic solutions fusing together data, digital and technology to redefine customer experiences and move your ideas to execution. That’s why businesses across multiple industries have relied on Fusion’s expertise and partnership for over 25 years. 

If you want to send me feedback, suggestions for future topics or guests, you can reach me at [email protected] or on Twitter @eX_Summit. 

Thanks for listening.