How to Strengthen Your Employer Brand and Attract the Right Talent
A job description and salary are no longer enough to attract top-tier talent – especially in emerging industries like Alternative Proteins, food tech, and sustainable innovation. The best candidates are looking for purpose, alignment, culture, and growth.
That’s why employer branding has become one of the most critical strategic tools in any organization’s talent strategy. Done well, it improves retention, increases engagement, and reduces recruitment costs over time. In this article, we break down the foundational elements of employer branding and offer practical, evidence-based strategies for getting it right.
1. Define the Core of Your Employer Brand
Before promoting your brand, you need to understand what it truly is – from the inside out.
Anchor: The defining characteristics of your company’s current work environment and culture. These are real, visible traits that existing employees would recognize and name without prompting – for example, flexible work hours, a mission-driven team, or a culture of transparency.
Driver: Aspects of your employer identity that are not fully realized yet, but that you're intentionally developing. Think of this as your employer brand roadmap – areas like improving diversity and inclusion, launching learning and development initiatives, or building leadership capabilities.
Differentiator: What sets you apart in the eyes of potential candidates – not just compared to direct competitors, but to any employer they might consider. In the Alternative Protein space, this might be your scientific innovation, regulatory leadership, or close alignment with sustainability goals.
If you can clearly name your anchor, driver, and differentiator, you’re in a strong position to communicate your brand with authenticity and consistency.
2. Lead with Vision and Purpose
Candidates increasingly want to know that their daily work contributes to a broader mission. This is especially true in sectors like climate tech, Alternative Protein, and sustainability, where purpose is often what motivates people to enter the field in the first place.
Yet many organizations fail to integrate their “why” into employer branding in a meaningful way. Vision and values often live on a slide deck or an About page, but they don’t show up in job descriptions, interviews, or onboarding. That disconnect can create confusion and skepticism.
A useful tool for aligning internal purpose with external messaging is Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle framework:
Why: Why does your company exist? What societal or planetary problem are you solving?
How: How do you achieve your mission? What are your methods, principles, or values?
What: What do you actually produce or offer?
3. Build a Culture Worth Talking About
Candidates today are savvy: they will read reviews and check LinkedIn profiles of your employees. If your brand messaging doesn’t align with actual employee experience, your credibility will break down quickly.
Culture can be reinforced through consistent practices that support individual and collective wellbeing. Focus areas include:
Clear communication: Ensure employees understand the direction of the company and how their role fits into the bigger picture.
Appreciative leadership: Train managers to give constructive feedback, recognize achievement, and support professional development.
Equity and inclusion: Invest in practices that make your workplace genuinely inclusive, not just diverse.
Psychological safety: Foster an environment where team members feel safe to ask questions, admit mistakes, and raise concerns.
One of the simplest ways to keep a pulse on your culture is through employee feedback loops. Use regular surveys to identify gaps between leadership perception and employee reality – and act visibly on the results. Tools like Culture Amp, Lattice, or even simple Google Forms can help gather and act on sentiment effectively.
4. Tailor Your Messaging to the People You Want to Hire
Effective employer branding isn’t one-size-fits-all. A food product developer and a mechanical engineer may both be mission-aligned, but their motivations, goals, and decision-making processes differ significantly.
For example:
Food Product Developers may be drawn to creative freedom, opportunities for innovation, and the ability to bring ideas to market.
Mechanical Engineers might prioritize impact at scale, technical autonomy, and clarity on project ownership.
R&D Scientists often look for research budgets, peer collaboration, and the chance to contribute to publications or patents.
To reach these candidates effectively:
Use testimonials or spotlight stories from current employees in those roles.
Highlight role-specific perks or opportunities.
Ensure your messaging speaks directly to the day-to-day experience of each job.
5. Increase Your Visibility in Strategic Spaces
It’s not enough to have a strong employer brand. You need to make sure it’s seen – by the right people, in the right places.
Start by optimizing your career page. This is often the first place serious candidates will look beyond the job description. It should reflect your brand’s tone, include real team photos (not stock images), and feature testimonials, project stories, or culture highlights. Make it mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.
From there, expand your reach through:
Industry-specific job boards like AltProtein.Jobs, which connect you with talent already aligned to your mission.
LinkedIn and other professional networks, where candidates often explore companies before applying.
University partnerships, especially if you’re looking to attract early-career scientists, engineers, or sustainability-focused graduates.
Conferences, pitch events, and online communities related to food tech, bioengineering, or climate innovation.
If you have limited resources, prioritize one or two platforms that are most aligned with your hiring needs – and invest in doing them well.
Employer Branding Is a Long-Term Strategy
One of the biggest misconceptions about employer branding is that it’s just a marketing function – a set of messages crafted to appeal to candidates. In reality, it's a strategic, cross-functional effort that involves leadership, HR, marketing, and employees themselves.
If you're in the Alternative Protein or food innovation space, your mission is already compelling. The next step is to make sure your employer brand communicates it clearly, authentically, and consistently.
Interested in building a stronger employer brand with industry-specific support?
Tälist helps mission-driven companies in the Alternative Protein sector connect with purpose-aligned talent through AI-powered matchmaking, job board visibility, and tailored branding support.
And the best part? Our AI-powered candidate matchmaking is now free for Alternative Protein businesses.
Explore what we offer you as an employer or book a free intro call to get started.
