If your organisation keeps saying “we’re not getting enough applicants”, you’re not alone. We hear this regularly from organisations across Ireland, particularly in tight labour markets and in roles requiring scarce or specialist skills.
What appears to be a recruitment issue is usually a decision candidates have already made. Long before a job is posted, perceptions about your organisation determine whether roles attract interest or are overlooked. Here, we explore why employer brand is central to solving applicant shortages.
What appears to be a recruitment issue is often rooted in perception. Candidates make decisions about potential employers long before a role is advertised, based on what they hear, see, and experience through others. By the time a vacancy goes live, many people have already decided whether your organisation is somewhere they would seriously consider working.
This is why organisations with strong employer brands consistently outperform others when it comes to attraction. Research shows that organisations with a clearly defined and credible employer brand receive significantly higher levels of interest - not because they post more roles, but because candidates already trust what they represent.
The connection between employer brand and hiring outcomes is well established. Organisations that invest in how they are experienced and perceived as employers benefit from faster, more cost-effective recruitment - and a stronger pipeline of engaged candidates.
Employer brand reduces friction in the hiring process. Candidates arrive better informed, more aligned with organisational values, and more confident in their decision to apply. Over time, this translates into measurable business impact, particularly in competitive labour markets.
In today’s labour market, job ads no longer do the heavy lifting. Candidates behave like informed consumers, researching organisations long before they engage with recruitment channels. They look for consistency between what organisations say and what employees experience.
When employer brand is weak or unclear, recruitment activity must work harder - and cost more - to convince candidates to apply. When employer brand is strong, recruitment simply validates a choice that candidates have already made.
This shift explains why organisations with credible third-party validation outperform those relying solely on advertising spend or role visibility.
One of the most powerful drivers of attraction is what employees say about working in your organisation. Candidates trust people they know far more than job ads or employer messaging, which is why referrals and informal recommendations play such a critical role in who applies and who doesn’t.
When employer brand is rooted in real employee experience, advocacy happens naturally. Employees are more likely to recommend roles to people in their networks because they genuinely believe it’s a great place to work. This creates a steady flow of more informed, better-aligned candidates long before recruitment activity begins.
Organisations that consistently attract strong applicant pools don’t rely on reactive hiring tactics. They invest earlier by listening to employees, acting on feedback, and building cultures that people genuinely want to be part of.
When employer brand is rooted in real employee experience, attraction becomes more sustainable. Recruitment becomes faster, more targeted, and more effective because trust already exists.
In Ireland, trust plays a decisive role in where people choose to work. Candidates increasingly look for independent signals that confirm an organisation’s claims about culture, leadership, and employee experience.
Great Place to Work® data consistently shows that Certification™ acts as a powerful trust marker for candidates navigating multiple opportunities.
70% of employees in Ireland say they are more likely to want to work for a Certified™ organisation. At Ireland’s Best Workplaces™, 83% of employees would recommend their organisation as a place to work, compared with 57% nationally
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. We help organisations quantify their culture and produce better business results by creating a high-trust work experience for all employees. We recognise Great Place to Work-Certified™ companies and the Best Workplaces™ in more than 60 countries. To join the thousands of companies that have committed to building high-trust company cultures that help them attract, retain and take care of their people, contact us about getting Certified today.