By 
HERE’S THE ONE BIG THING I learned from LinkedIn’s latest list of their most popular (they call it most viewed) job posts:
When it comes to job seekers, it’s all about the brand.
You should remember this when you hear somebody pooh-pooh’s the notion that a company’s brand really isn’t all that important to job candidates. They’ll tell you that it’s really all about the position, or the pay, or the title, or the potential opportunity, yadda yadda yadda.
Don’t believe me? Well, here’s a quote from a story on Monster — titled Is it better for your career if you work for name-brand companies? — and it makes this very point:
Working for a name brand can certainly open up new doors and help move your career along.
But other factors are more important in the end, says Lynda Spiegel, HR professional and founder of Rising Star Resumes. ‘Focus on positions with potential growth, available mentors and interesting work—because ultimately, those matter more than the employer’s brand.’ ”
LinkedIn’s Top Jobs of 2017
Yes, people who claim that a company’s brand isn’t a huge game changer when it comes to recruiting and hiring the best talent simply don’t know what they’re talking about.
That’s why the LinkedIn list of the 10 most viewed jobs is instructive because, as LinkedIn says:
Whether you work for a big brand name or tiny startup, there are lessons that any recruiter can take away from this ranking in order to make your (own) job posts stand out.”
So, here are LinkedIn’s 10 most-popular (viewed) job posts of 2017:
- Communications Manager – Tesla
- Summer Intern – Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
- Entry-Level Engineer – Illumina
- Associate Producer – The Ellen Degeneres Show
- Corporate Intern – Michael Kors
- Corporate Sales Account Manager – Southwest Airlines
- Temp Project Coordinator – BBC Worldwide
- Business Strategy Manager – Philadelphia 76ers
- Entry-Level Asset Manager– Neuberger Berman
- Project Coordinator – HBO
Are you surprised that a job at Tesla is No. 1 on the list? Or, that companies like HBO, Southwest Airlines, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Michael Kors, and the BBC made the list? Yes, there a few head scratchers here — like Neuberger Berman and Illumina — but mostly, these are well known, highly desirable brands that talented people would really like to work for.
Why it’s great to work at a company with a great brand
I actually have some first-hand knowledge of how powerful a big brand name company can be because of a family member who got recruited by one of them about six months ago.
My relative had been working part-time in the finance department of a big company that makes it easy to buy and sell used cars, had just graduated with an MBA in Finance, and was looking for full-time employment. Unfortunately, the big company they were working for didn’t seem to have a full-time position despite being very happy with the work my relative was doing, and, in spite of of how much time and effort they had spent training him.
My relative was mightily frustrated… until a prominent and “hot” brand name company reached out to him.
Tesla came calling via LinkedIn inmail, and they had done their homework. They knew all about how unhappy a lot of employees were at the company where my relative was working, and in fact, had hired a number of others working for this company by researching them and then reaching out via LinkedIn.
During the time my relative was going through the interview process at Tesla, I told them this: “Even if this job doesn’t work out and you leave in a couple of years, it will be a huge game changer for you to have Tesla on your resume. That will get the attention of just about anybody else you apply to down the road, and it’s something that will pay dividends for a long time.”
Well, guess what? My relative is now employed full-time by Tesla and very happy, making a decent wage with great benefits. Plus, every single time he tells somebody where he works, they say, “WOW — you work for Tesla?”
Great brands matter — a lot
Yes, companies with big brands pay big benefits for those fortunate enough to figure out a way to get hired by them. And in the case of my very happy relative, it’s even better when they recognize top talent and reach out to you.
The bottom line is this: Brands matters, and great brands — especially “hot” companies like Tesla — matter a lot. They may be hard to get hired at, but if you do, it CAN be a career changer, because the benefits of working there usually last a long time.
Just ask LinkedIn.
