How to make your way inside companies

How can you stand out to make your way inside companies? If you have a dream job in mind, how can you make it a reality? If you are a company, how can you attract the best people?

Today I’m going to show you how organisations are using stories as part of their recruitment efforts.

Plus I’ll let you into the secret of what happened when my dream job at LEGO came up a few months ago.

How do you communicate what it means to be an employee?
Regular readers of my blog will know I’ve written before about the need to align how you recruit and the messages you use, with your employee experience.

We know storytelling works and that people remember stories better than stats and facts. We also know peer-to-peer communication is incredibly powerful. 

I’ve discovered examples of how companies are using videos to combine both these elements.

Have you experimented with 360º video? Clothing firm ASOS is using it to recruit and it’s seriously smart.

asosI love ASOS. As a customer, the way they communicate works for me and their Apple Watch app is excellent.

They are also the only brand I found that create work clothes and cocktail dresses suitable for a 5ft petite woman sporting a rather large twin-bump.

I was thankful for that while pregnant with my sons in 2014. Thank you ASOS!

LinkedIn has partnered with them to release a new campaign to give you a new way to explore the jobs at ASOS through a fully immersive 360º video experience.

With LinkedIn you don’t just see the job, you see the way in

The video guides you through the company; how they operate, what it’s like to work there and much more.

LinkedIn is using video so you can see stories about how to stand out to find your way in. They’re also highlighting how your passion can help you land a job you love.

You can view the ASOS video below and I recommend watching via mobile to fully experience the 360º effect. You get to explore the office and have a proper look around.

The opportunities to use this for internal comms are endless.

I spoke to a client last week who had just hired a 360º camera for the first time for their internal comms. Her feedback was that it’s excellent but expensive.

If you are using 360º cameras and have a story to share, do please read my guest article guidelines and get in touch.

Other companies who are using videos as part of LinkedIn’s campaign include John Lewis.

The ever-popular retailer is often ahead of the curve and I like how their employees are sharing their own stories about what it means to work there.

A glossy recruitment advert or an authentic story told by a real employee… I know which one I find more engaging.

What works for you?

Companies are also looking at their employer brand, I wrote about how ODEON designed it employer brand strategy a few months back and the work they’ve been doing with Synergy Creative, who just won best agency at the IoIC Awards on Friday night.

Here’s a look at the John Lewis one…

Transport for London (TfL) is also using the new format via LinkedIn.

In their video recruiter Rebecca Foden and candidate Subash Tavares talk about what it takes to stand out and get noticed at TfL:

What do you think?
How are you using LinkedIn to find your next role?

If you’ve not used their publishing platform I recommend checking it out. Anyone is able to write articles which are then linked to their profile.

I’ve published 42 articles on LinkedIn – check mine out to see what I mean.

How to have a career in comms
I’ve shared my comms career story, including this profile by PRcareers.co.uk earlier this year and you can find lots more articles below.

I promised I’d share a secret with you. A few months ago one of my dream jobs came up – Internal Communication Director at LEGO.

allthingsic_legoOh my goodness. I would love that role! Being faced with the reality of being able to apply made me examine everything. Would I go back in-house? Should I apply?

I questioned and examined everything, as you would expect when faced with a crossroad like that.

Plus it’s LEGO, and therefore has an incredible pull for me. (See my minfig, right, she sits on my desk holding my iPhone cable with her hands).

I came to the conclusion that I love running All Things IC consultancy too much to put my hat in the ring.

What I do invigorates and inspires me, particularly the opportunity to work alongside so many different companies to help them achieve communication excellence.

But what a choice!

I think it sometimes takes being faced with another path to make you truly appreciate the one you’re on. 

At the big yak last week I was approached by a delegate who said she had spotted the role on my jobs page and applied.

She is now the brand new Director of IC at LEGO, she’s still in her current role and moving there next month. I am genuinely delighted for her, as I said to her in person.

Comms is such a small world!

Find a new comms job
Find your new comms role at allthingsic.com_jobsIf you are looking for a new role, don’t forget to keep an eye on the All Things IC jobs page.

It’s updated constantly and you can also find the roles on Twitter @AllthingsICjobs.

If you’re looking to fill a vacancy, here’s how to do it.

Learn about internal comms
allthingsicmasterclassIf you’re looking to boost your knowledge of comms, don’t forget to check out the All Things IC Masterclasses website.


Further reading on my blog about comms careers

Why should you consider a career in internal comms?
Do you have the rights skills to do your job?
Building your IC team: competencies and skills 
What future skills do practitioners need?
All you need to know to develop your IC career
Welcome to internal communication: a guide for you if you’re just starting out
How to explain comms to a toddler
How to find your next comms role
How to advertise your comms role
What events are on for comms pros to attend? – See the comms calendar
How comedy can prepare you for internal communication
How the history of IC can be traced back to the 1920s
How to master communication through education .

Post author: Rachel Miller

First published on the All Things IC blog 26 September 2016.

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