5 Employer Branding Trends to Watch in 2025
Attracting talent is just one piece of the puzzle—true employer branding is about fostering a workplace that people want to be part of, one that empowers and excites employees, and strengthens company culture. In 2025, companies that prioritise authenticity, strategic AI integration, and cross-functional collaboration will gain a competitive edge. So, what’s shaping employer branding this year? Let’s break it down.
1. Employer Branding Starts from Within
Key points:
Golden rule for a better everything: Listen more and talk less.
Invest in your employees—they’re the base of your employer brand.
Happy employees means positive word-of-mouth.
If you’re doing employer branding, you no doubt know how difficult it is to get a budget. The best investment? Your people. Focus on building a culture that celebrates, supports, and empowers your employees so much that they genuinely want to stay. If they’re happy and your retention is good, you’ve succeeded in employer branding.
Engaged employees will amplify your brand through positive word-of-mouth. So before you promote how great a place to work your company is, make sure that it’s actually true by engaging with your employees, seeking feedback, and continually building a workplace people love.
One of the best employer branding practices for talent retention is ensuring your employees feel empowered and heard. Listening more and talking less is a good tip for almost all aspects of life; be it leadership, relationships, and to create better employee experiences.
FiSe Recommends: Learn how to communicate your journey and the improvements you’re making internally. Check out how Metso started using Microsoft Accessibility tools to foster a culture of online inclusion!
2. Authentic Voices Build Employer Brands: Employees are your Strongest Advocates
Key points:
People want real, relatable content.
Employer branding is a marathon, not a race—don’t stop sharing your story.
Employees are your best brand ambassadors.
Candidates and employees alike are tired of overly polished corporate messaging; portraying a pristine image that almost seems unrealistic. They want authentic, genuine, and diverse content and voices.
This doesn’t mean avoiding sharing amazing achievements—quite the opposite! Share your company’s journey, your milestones, the learnings and mistakes, as well as the people making it happen. Then share it again to those at the back, and again to those who didn’t hear it the 1st, 2nd, 5th time. Use different angles and formats to tell your story. The more real and human your employer brand feels, the more trust you build.
Encourage employees to share their experiences. People trust people more than brands. That’s why you see consumer brands working with influencers and real users, so why wouldn’t employer brands do the same? Nothing beats real testimonials and recommendations from people who use and love your ‘product’.
FiSe Recommends: Learn how to foster a people-driven employer brand that encourages employees to share their stories and build trust with your audience. Here are two employee advocacy tactics you can use right away!
3. Cross-Collaboration Drives Employer Branding Success
Key points:
Employer branding done in isolation = less impactful.
Successful employer branding needs collaboration across marketing and comms, HR, recruitment, and design.
Align your employer brand and consumer brand to create a unified brand experience.
A common employer branding misstep? Treating it as an afterthought or a siloed function.
Employer branding requires diverse expertise—project management, storytelling, social media, and design. No single team can handle it alone. The best employer branding strategies involve marketing, branding, HR, recruitment, and design teams working together to craft compelling narratives that attract top talent while reinforcing the company’s consumer brand.
Companies that align their employer and consumer branding create a seamless brand experience that boosts both recruitment and customer trust. Have you integrated employer branding insights into your broader brand strategy?
FiSe Recommends: Bring everyone to the table and help them understand how having employer branding on their agendas contributes to their goals. Check out how our former client Miro bridges the gap between employer and consumer branding with their career site.
4. AI’s Role in Employer Branding: Towards Personalisation
Key points:
AI enhances employer branding but should be used strategically.
Automation must be balanced with authentic human storytelling.
Data-driven personalisation is the future of employer branding.
In 2025, AI is no longer just an emerging tool; it’s a fundamental part of employer branding strategies. But with AI-generated content flooding the market, candidates are becoming adept at spotting generic messaging. The key to success? Use AI to enhance, not replace, authentic storytelling.
Integrate AI into your employer branding processes to personalise content, streamline work, and support data-driven decision-making. But please don’t forget that you are human and have a personality. Let that shine through!
FiSe Recommends: Keep testing and experimenting how you can use AI to level up your work! Sign up to our newsletter and be the first to hear about our online webinars and more insights on how to use AI effectively for human-centered employer branding and recruitment.
5. Take a Stand: Purpose-Driven Employer BrandingKey Points:
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is more important than ever in employer branding.
Gen Z expects companies to have a clear stance on social issues and workplace culture.
Time to walk the talk.
People want to work for companies with a backbone. In an era where anti-DEI movements are gaining traction in certain political spheres, companies that stand firmly by their policies will make a lasting impact. Now more than ever, DEI is a defining factor in employer branding.
For instance, while Mark Zuckerberg has advocated for more "masculine energy" at Meta, companies that reinforce their commitment to diversity and inclusion will win the hearts and minds of talent—especially as Gen Z continues to enter work life with expectations for companies to uphold meaningful values.
It’s time to move beyond performative DEI efforts and demonstrate real commitments to representation, equity, and sustainability. This means integrating DEI into recruitment, career development, and company culture, not just in marketing materials.
FiSe Recommends: Learn how leading companies are embedding DEI into their employer brand narratives in authentic, impactful ways. Because exclusion is far more costly than DEI, according to an Accenture research.
Final Thoughts: Build an Employer Brand that Lasts
2025 will be defined by authenticity, collaboration, and purpose-driven employer branding. From investing in employees and fostering cross-functional teamwork, to strategically using AI and amplifying real voices, companies that embrace these trends will build employer brands that attract and retain top talent.
If you want to strengthen your employer brand, let’s talk!
Contact us to explore how we can help you build an engaging, authentic employer brand that resonates