Abstract:
Branding is a significant aspect for organizations in the present day. Brands are one of
the dearest assets an organization produces. The concept of employer brand is
relatively new in Pakistan. The companies have an employer brand within them, but
they need effectively promote this image inside and outside the company. There is a
continuous war between companies today to attract the best employees as it is the
employees who run the show and make the organizations stand out in the deluge of
competition. Companies are striving to align the goals of their employees with those
of organizations to create a favorable image in the minds of existing employees, the
potential employees and the stakeholders of the organization as being a good place to
work. NUST remains behind in this phenomenon and therefore is facing difficulties in
gaining competitive advantage achieved through a spirited workforce, promoting
employees to internalize company values, employee retention and creating a favorable
impression in the job market. To study employer branding at NUST, a sample of 100
employees were selected who filled a self-administered questionnaire, this was
enough to give a comprehensive analysis of the gaps prevalent at NUST with respect
to employer branding. Furthermore, interviews of employees at organization which
are considered employer brands in Pakistan were conducted to get an idea of the
existing practices. The existing literature on international practices of employer
branding was studied as well. The data was analyzed through pie charts and bar charts
which facilitated the streamlining of available data. The analysis showed that
employees at NUST are not completely unhappy with their organization but it is not
thinking on the lines of employer branding. There is a lot of room for improvement
internally and externally to make the organization an employer brand. Respondents to
the questionnaire indicated that they needed career growth and development
opportunities through trainings and global exposure, indicated a need to be made a
part of the decision making, and looked forward to a culture which nurtures and
promotes Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Externally NUST needed to promote
itself in a way that potential employees, and graduates from top tier universities
choose NUST as their preferred employer. The process for applying should be made
more user-friendly and accessible. At the end of this study, a detailed plan is given to
NUST for helping it in the process of employer branding.
