We’re going into the Easter weekend with a true Employer Branding treat – this week’s ‘Meet the Expert’ interview responses are provided by Alex Her, the Head of Employer Brand at GoDaddy, the world’s largest web services platform.
Alex is a Global Employer Brand Storyteller who rebuilt GoDaddy’s global Employer Brand team from scratch. His efforts have resulted in a 223% increase in career page traffic and earned him the Talent Brand Leader of the Year award.
He is also listed as the 15 Inspiring Employer Brand Leaders in the Southwest by Comparably, 35 Employer Branding Experts You Should Add on LinkedIn, Top-30 Recruitment Thought Leaders You Should Follow, and Adway Top 10 TA Speakers.
Let’s look more into the thoughts of a person who leads the global Employer Brand for 9k employees working in 47 locations!
How did you get started in recruitment/talent management/HR? Was working in talent management something you always wanted to do?
I fell into it by accident. I contracted for a digital marketing role that ended up being for employer branding. The rest is history.
What would you say is a common misconception about the work of a recruiter/TA manager/HR professional?
The common misconception is that we’re uptight or don’t care about teammates across other depts. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve managed to overcome or improve on during your career so far? How did you do it?
My biggest challenges over the years have been getting buy-in and support from other teammates. I managed to improve my relationship building skills by taking a much more emphatic approach with my teammates and how I can assist them.
What are some of the most rewarding experiences or achievements you’ve had in your career so far?
My most rewarding experience and achievements so far have been:
- Creating and producing our GoDaddy EB video by partnering with teammates
- Winning Talent Brand Leader of the Year
- Building multiple employee advocacy programs from the ground up
What kind of experiences have you had as a candidate yourself? Any experiences that stand out (it can be positive, negative or even funny or weird)?
Oh, I had the worst experience of my life 3 years ago. I was put through 9 interviews and told I was the top person, and then DQd.
Read more on how to improve your interviewing process so this won’t happen to you!
What recruitment and talent management trends are you most excited and/or worried about? Why?
I’m pretty excited about educating people on EB, and showing the true ROI of EB, and AI.
What do you feel is unique about your current place of work? What makes the people stay? Why should people apply?
I feel that my place of work is unique because we allow teammates to do side hustles. It’s unique because people can enjoy their full-time jobs, while trying something new externally.
What tools are the most valuable to you in your day-to-day work? What do you use them for?
- Notion (project management)
- Grammarly (copywriting )
- Canva (content creation)
- Slack (team coms)
- Google Analytics (career page analytics)
In your opinion, what are the most critical skills and qualities a recruiter should possess to be successful in this field?
I think a recruiter should be able to properly source, communicate well, understand as much as possible about the role that they’re recruiting for, and determine the keys to success for each role.
How do you approach diversity and inclusion in the hiring process, and how do you ensure fair and unbiased recruitment?
I believe you do this by avoiding any bias and choosing candidates based on their skills and potential versus other factors.
Do you track any metrics/KPIs in your day-to-day work? If you’ve managed to improve any of them recently, what did you do to achieve better results?
Yes, we use KPIs in our day-to-day. To achieve them, we set yearly goals to push for an increase and quality across the board on each platform and initiative.
How would you define a good candidate experience? What strategies do you use to offer one?
A good candidate experience should be one where the process is clear on who you’ll speak to, and the amount of interviews you’ll have along the way. For myself, when I hired for my 3 roles over the last 2 years, I clearly laid out the process, and what candidates should expect, and left an open line of communication for them to reach out to me in between and after the interviews.
What is the key to attracting and retaining top talent? How to keep building strong teams?
The key to attracting top talent is letting them know what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. You retain top talent by challenging them and offering them growth and internal mobility. To build strong teams, you have to lead by example and really work on having a bond with your team.
Recommend us 3 books/TV shows/podcasts and let us know why you love them.
- Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend – simply just one hilarious podcast
- Armchair Expert – informational, funny, insightful, and something much different than other podcasts out there
- The Gentlemen (Netflix) – sharp, witty, comedic, and much different than anything I’ve seen in a while.
How do you know when it’s time to take some time off to avoid burnout and take care of your mental health? How do you recharge?
When I feel like I’m just drained, lacking energy, and lacking any sort of passion. I recharge by watching a good YouTube video, TikTok, or a TV show.
What motivates you professionally? What is your biggest professional goal for 2024?
What motivates me professionally is educating more people on employer brand and why it matters. My biggest goal for 2024 is to hit home at the true ROI of employer brand, and growing our Employee Ambassador Program.
How would you describe your job to people considering transitioning into recruitment/talent management? Any tips on where to start?
I’d say EB requires you to be a jack of all trades, a phenomenal team player, empathetic, and someone who is comfortable with being uncomfortable. I’d recommend starting by learning content marketing, recruitment marketing, and taking any HubSpot or Google Ad classes.
Thank you, Alex, for all your insights! You can check out GoDaddy’s career site here.
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