Finding the ideal company is a challenge for both young professionals and experienced workers. This is the key takeaway from a unique survey conducted by WAT Maroc (We Are Together), an agency specializing in corporate and HR communication, which interviewed 1,418 active professionals. The results highlight the critical importance of employer branding in meeting candidate expectations. Amid common misconceptions and reality, it’s essential to clarify: for 80% of respondents, a company’s reputation and image are paramount. Furthermore, 42% of job seekers prefer multinational companies that invest more in developing their employer brand and reputation, compared to 21% who favor large Moroccan companies, despite often having similar but less well-known benefits.
Candidates and employees seek attraction
Job seekers, looking for transparency and information, believe that a company should use all its assets to attract them through a coherent and identifiable brand identity, both in terms of discourse and image.
The numbers speak for themselves:
– 77% of candidates are attracted to companies that maintain a strong online presence, especially on social media and through their website (63%), and that create newsletters (43%) with original content and tone. Video formats are preferred in **78%** of cases.
– 58% value companies that emphasize a strong corporate culture (values, mission, vision).
– 52% focus on the projects and job roles offered.
– 50% are drawn to companies that communicate their social benefits (insurance, paid leave, flexible hours).
– 50% want to know more about career opportunities (growth, mobility, training, and personal development).
– 46% are concerned with work-life balance, but only **12%** see remote work and flexible hours as decisive factors.
– 28% appreciate companies that communicate their societal commitments, such as CSR and diversity and inclusion policies.
The importance of employer branding
Employer branding is at the heart of image-related issues, both internally in human resources management and externally in recruitment. It reflects what candidates and employees perceive, know, or think they know about the company. Long overlooked, it is now an essential asset for companies, sometimes even crucial for their commercial success.
To be effective, employer branding must be defined and developed in collaboration with HR, managers, the executive committee, employees, and even future employees. It must reflect a reality experienced and desired by all.
“As Charlotte Lefort, associate director of WAT Maroc, notes, ‘In 8 out of 10 workshops, a lack of transparency in communication is regretted by employees.'”
Once defined, the next step is to promote and publicize it to the target audience using the right words and channels. Whether through corporate conventions, specific campaigns, employee advocacy, or internal communication, the effectiveness of the strategy relies on its sincerity and ability to give meaning. This is precisely what current and future employees are looking for.
