Have you ever had to turn down a job you thought you’d be great at?

I have.

On paper, the role was the perfect fit. And when I first arrived at the interview, the people and culture manager gave off a great vibe; every box was ticked. But then, the hiring manager sat down.

He was 10 minutes late, visibly tightly wound, and from the second he opened his mouth, he pulled no punches. Before I knew it, this once “perfect” role began to unravel.

The in-office culture I was excited to join? It was a pretence for them to take advantage of mandatory, unpaid overtime. The “collaboration” they promised sounded more like a chaotic lack of direction. Yet, it got worse. The reddest of flags came at the suggestion that I act as a “fly on the wall” to report on colleagues. Yikes.

When the offer came later that afternoon, the answer was an easy no. I walked away feeling like I hadn’t just turned down a job; I had seriously dodged a bullet.

As I look back on this experience, my biggest takeaway is that hiring managers are the key gatekeepers of an organisation’s employer brand. Getting it wrong doesn’t just mean they’ve missed the mark; it means your brand’s reputation has been eroded in someone’s eyes.

So, how do you support managers to get it right - to nail your employee value proposition (EVP) and be the ultimate advocate for your brand at every stage of the candidate journey?

Step 1: The Interview

Bringing in new people is a critical part of your organisation’s growth, yet many managers still view interviewing as a chore.

At risk of being too earnest, managers have the power to turn a simple job offer into a career-defining experience. Someone’s job can legitimately change their life - in good ways or bad - so ensuring you bring the right candidates on the journey with you is crucial.

Top Tip: Empower hiring managers to address the “elephant in the room.”

Managers often fear scaring talent away by admitting the less-than-perfect things about their organisation. But perfection doesn’t exist! Being transparent about the work in progress helps you attract people who are excited to help build the solution with you.

This serves the dual purpose of turning away people who aren’t excited - yes, that’s a good thing! Even if you don’t hire that candidate, they should walk away wanting to engage your services or recommend their friend to apply with you.

Step 2: Onboarding

Congrats! You’ve found your next great hire. Now, you’ve got to keep them engaged.

The first week, even the first few days, is a critical juncture in your employer branding journey. We often focus so much on laptops and passwords that we forget to cement the emotional connection.

Top Tip: Consider building “entry interviews” into a new starter’s first 30 days with you.

Ask questions like, “What attracted you to join us, and are we living up to it?” or, “Has your onboarding experience changed your perception of us as an organisation?” This is a gold mine for seeing how your EVP measures up on the expectation versus reality scale. It also shows the new hire that you’re genuinely invested in them, you understand what drives them, and you want to support them through their employment journey.

Step 3: Retention and recognition

Okay, so your employee has been embedded and is practically part of the furniture now. Does that mean your employer branding efforts take a pause? Not on your life!

You don’t have to invest in big-budget initiatives or professionally produced branding videos. All you need to do is notice the small, everyday stuff that has a larger ripple effect than you could ever imagine.

Top Tip: Keep an eye out for “moments that matter” and celebrate them in real time.

When a manager shouts out a team member for helping a colleague (collaboration) or solving a tough problem (innovation), they are proof-testing your brand in real time. This drives more engagement than any Teams post or email newsletter ever could.

Step 4: Performance and Promotion

This one’s a biggie. Let me take you back to the hiring manager I sat down with. I’m sure he was excellent at his job, but when it came to representing the organisation’s values, he was a liability.

And here lies the crux: we often promote people because of their technical skills, not their leadership potential.

Top Tip: Hire and promote for values alignment, not just high performance.

If you want a brand that lives and breathes, you have to measure it. Start including “values alignment” or “brand stewardship” as non-negotiable KPIs in performance reviews.

Another thing to keep track of (perhaps more covertly) is the “trail of bodies” test. It sounds harsh, but if a high performer is hitting all their targets yet leaving a trail of bodies in their wake (high turnover, low morale or poor candidate feedback), they aren't a star employee - they’re a risk.

By shifting your promotion criteria to value leadership skills - such as empathy, transparency and coaching - you ensure the people managing your micro-cultures are actively building the brand you’ve promised to the world.

The bottom line: Hiring managers are your organisation’s “Chief Experience Officers”

You can spend millions attracting talent, but if your leaders aren't prepared to live your values, you’re just pouring water into a leaky bucket.

Your employer brand is only as strong as the person you put in the chair across from your next great candidate. So, stop viewing managers as just technical leads and start empowering them as your “Chief Experience Officers.”

By simply being authentic and listening to their team, your managers do the most important employer branding work of all. Because in the end, people don't just sign up to an organisation - they sign up to the person leading them.