Employer branding: small and medium-sized IT companies gain ground using image

One in five graduates consider employer ratings
novomind among the three best IT employers in Hamburg

Small and medium-sized IT companies moving into the spotlight on the job market  
A good position in the employer ratings gives you a competitive edge. One in five university graduates looks at ratings when considering who they want to work for. Eighty-eight per cent of those responsible in the IT industry consider employer branding activities crucial for the recruitment of qualified staff. And, more and more small and medium-sized companies are taking steps to improve their image so that trained workers perceive them as attractive employers. Successfully, too: IT service provider novomind, for instance, was recently awarded the "Hamburg’s best employer 2009" seal. 
  
Large corporations suffer image setbacks  
Small and medium-sized IT companies are fighting especially hard for a profile as top employers alongside the big corporate groups. In the past, smaller enterprises were not able to compete with the lucrative conditions and powerful brand image of big business, so graduates tended to look towards familiar giants like Google and SAP. But now, small and medium-sized IT companies are catching up with the big boys in terms of image, with more and more of them winning out over the groups in the employer ratings. Their flexible personnel development programmes, transparent staff communication and strong focus on families are all things that attract particular attention. 
  
It’s not enough to just beat the drum  
As well as its presence in the public eye, novomind operates an employer branding approach which is internalised and lived by its staff. "We take care to ensure that our staff are aware of the benefits they enjoy from their employer," explains Peter Wiedekamm of novomind’s Managing Board. Take the uncomplicated corporate culture for example: three-quarters of novomind employees consider their company open to change and not very hierarchical in its structures, according to the jury at "Hamburg’s Best Employer 2009". 
  
IT industry score well in personnel marketing  
The IT industry is quite progressive in its employer branding compared with other sectors of the economy; two-thirds of all IT companies have addressed the subject. This is a direct result of the shortage of trained workers over recent years. The quality of work in IT companies is better than the average for all industries as a whole, according to a survey by the Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB, or Confederation of German Trade Unions). For example, IT companies score especially well in terms of helpfulness among colleagues. 
  
novomind AG: innovative software for professional customer communication  
Hamburg-based software company novomind is the fastest-growing company in the fields of electronic customer communication and mail management. As a leading provider of innovative solutions for digital customer communication, novomind AG offers software for service-based, personalised interaction with customers. This achieves noticeable increases in the efficiency of customer administration, as well as a fast return on investment. The service portfolio of the Products Business Unit includes the novomind Self Service Suite™. This software package contains all of the communication modules required for a customer service centre, which revolve around a central knowledge base: e-mail management, virtual customer consulting and systems for interactive real-time communication. In its Services Business Unit, novomind AG implements complex eBusiness applications. More than 40 big-name companies have already opted for novomind technology, including Citibank, Otto and the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund (German Pensions Association). Club Bertelsmann, EnBW and Mexx, as well as public sector institutions such as the German Bundestag and the Federal Ministry of Economics, are already using novomind systems successfully to back up their customer communication, increase their turnover and improve their public relations. 

---