As the sun begins to set on another British summer and the steady hum of business picks up again, many organisations are looking at how to re-engage talent, reconnect with their people and refocus on their recruitment goals.
Summer brings a natural slowdown – candidates go on holiday, hiring managers take a break, and hiring campaigns often take a back seat. But as we head into the final quarter of the year, it’s the perfect time to breathe new life into your employer brand.
So, how do you go about revitalising your employer brand after the summer lull? Let’s look at a few practical, people-focused steps.
Before you jump into planning content or updating your careers site, take a moment to reflect. Has your organisation changed in any way over the summer? Have there been any leadership updates, new business wins or changes to culture, values or working practices?
Your employer brand is a living, breathing thing – and it needs to reflect what’s really happening in your organisation. If you've embraced more flexible working, introduced new wellbeing initiatives or even just refined your internal comms, these are all valuable elements of your brand story.
Reassess what you stand for as an employer. If your vision or values have evolved, your brand should too.
When it comes to attracting top talent, the candidate experience matters more than ever. So this is a great time to review the key touchpoints candidates encounter when engaging with your organisation.
That includes:
Your careers site
Social media channels
Job adverts and job descriptions
Your applicant tracking system (ATS)
Interview and onboarding experiences
Ask yourself: are all these aligned, up to date and reflective of your values? Is your messaging consistent across every platform?
Our ATS plays a key role here – it’s often the first real interaction a candidate has with your brand. So we make sure it feels like a seamless extension of our website, not just a bolt-on process. That means clear communication, mobile-friendly design and branding that reflects who we are.
If you're using our ATS, now’s a good time to review your application workflows, email templates and candidate journey – are they helping or hindering the experience?
Your current employees are the best ambassadors for your employer brand. They bring your values to life and shape how you're seen from the outside.
So after the summer, bring them into the conversation. Run short pulse surveys to understand how they’re feeling. What’s going well? What could be better? Use this feedback not only to improve engagement but also to spot powerful, authentic stories that show what it’s really like to work with you.
An autumn refresh doesn’t have to mean a complete rebrand – but it’s worth checking whether your messaging still resonates.
Start with the basics. Are your job descriptions engaging and inclusive? Do they reflect your tone of voice and offer a clear picture of what someone can expect from the role?
Then look wider. Review your careers site content, employer brand videos, team profiles and values statements. Do they tell a compelling, consistent story?
If not, a few tweaks can make a big difference. A short explainer video, a rewritten team intro or some refreshed photography can help you stand out in a crowded market – especially as job seekers become more active in the autumn months.
If you paused recruitment activity during the summer, chances are your talent pipeline needs some attention.
This is where your ATS can do some heavy lifting. Use it to identify candidates who previously applied, joined your talent pool or showed interest in past roles. Then reach out with personalised, engaging messages – not just a standard job alert.
We often help our clients build automated nurture campaigns within our ATS to re-engage talent, highlight new opportunities and showcase content that reflects current culture. It’s a smart way to keep warm candidates close without starting from scratch.
Revitalising your employer brand isn’t just about bouncing back from summer – it’s about preparing for what’s next.
Think ahead to your hiring plans for Q4 and even into the new year. Are you expecting to grow in certain areas? Will you need to attract skills you haven’t targeted before?
Now is the time to align your employer brand strategy with your business goals. Whether that means targeting new demographics, investing in inclusive hiring or simply getting sharper on social media, make sure your brand is ready to support your next phase of growth.
The post-summer period is more than just a return to routine – it’s a strategic opportunity to boost visibility, attract great people and remind candidates (and colleagues) why your organisation is a great place to work.
A refreshed employer brand isn’t about starting over – it’s about building on what you already have, with renewed clarity and confidence.
Because great hiring starts with a great story – and your brand is where that story begins.
Key statistics
Applications that take under 5 minutes receive over twice the applications per vacancy than those taking 60 minutes or more – lengthy or non-mobile‑friendly forms deter talent.
26% of candidates decline offers due to a poor hiring experience.
47% of candidates pull out of processes due to poor communication, and 62% lose interest if the process drags on.
89% of candidates prioritise career progression and 21% weigh employer reputation before applying.
Further reading from us
A candidate experience checklist for 2025 – practical steps for auditing and improving your process.