Developing Employer Branding Strategy Proposals for Attracting and Retaining Finnish Candidates
Helsky, Emilia (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052616180
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052616180
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis is to research new methods to attract and retain Finnish candidates and was conducted in collaboration with the case company. The primary objective of this study is to provide developmental proposals to help the case company strengthen its employer brand. The findings will support the case company’s growth in new markets by enhancing its talent acquisition strategies and ensuring alignment with the expectations of Finnish job seekers. The beneficiary of this study is primarily the case company, as it includes research of their internal employees and their experiences. However, other international companies looking to attract Finnish candidates may also benefit from the findings provided.
The theoretical framework was collected and draws from existing employer branding and talent attraction literature. The key theories that were used to support this thesis is the dual perception of the employer branding, which are internal and external employer branding and the key factors that build employer branding as a concept.
The methods used to research this thesis were diverse. An interview was conducted with an HR professional working at the case company to provide insight on their current employer branding strategies. Two surveys were sent out exploring the different areas of employer branding through the lens of Finnish employees, one aimed at Finnish job seekers and the second at current employees at the case company. The results from the interview and surveys form the basis for assessing and developing the employer branding strategy to better align with the expectations of Finnish employees and job seekers. Benchmarking was also a method used to research this thesis. For the benchmarking job posts found on Linkedin were analyzed to gain insight into what strategies other international companies use to attract Finnish employees.
The main findings of this study were that for the case company’s external employer branding they have limited brand visibility in Finland, and have no active partnerships with Finnish universities to attract candidates. The case company underutilizes their employee voices in their branding, Finnish employee testimonials and experiences are not leveraged in recruitment content. There is also a lack of localized employer branding content as the company does not post any content in Finnish.
The main findings for their internal employer branding was that career development exists, but is not communicated clearly. There is some uncertainty with the Finnish employees around progression within the company. Another factor that was identified was support with relocation and aligning employee benefits to the Finnish standard.
The case company can take steps to address the identified challenges through the developmental proposals presented in this thesis.
The theoretical framework was collected and draws from existing employer branding and talent attraction literature. The key theories that were used to support this thesis is the dual perception of the employer branding, which are internal and external employer branding and the key factors that build employer branding as a concept.
The methods used to research this thesis were diverse. An interview was conducted with an HR professional working at the case company to provide insight on their current employer branding strategies. Two surveys were sent out exploring the different areas of employer branding through the lens of Finnish employees, one aimed at Finnish job seekers and the second at current employees at the case company. The results from the interview and surveys form the basis for assessing and developing the employer branding strategy to better align with the expectations of Finnish employees and job seekers. Benchmarking was also a method used to research this thesis. For the benchmarking job posts found on Linkedin were analyzed to gain insight into what strategies other international companies use to attract Finnish employees.
The main findings of this study were that for the case company’s external employer branding they have limited brand visibility in Finland, and have no active partnerships with Finnish universities to attract candidates. The case company underutilizes their employee voices in their branding, Finnish employee testimonials and experiences are not leveraged in recruitment content. There is also a lack of localized employer branding content as the company does not post any content in Finnish.
The main findings for their internal employer branding was that career development exists, but is not communicated clearly. There is some uncertainty with the Finnish employees around progression within the company. Another factor that was identified was support with relocation and aligning employee benefits to the Finnish standard.
The case company can take steps to address the identified challenges through the developmental proposals presented in this thesis.