1

HOW COULD THE EXTERNAL EMPLOYER BRAND

IMAGE OF COCA-COLA COMPANY BE IMPROVED
AMONGST BUSINESS STUDENTS
In todays global market, tough economic situation, and growing competition it has become
extremely important for companies to create an employer brand which will differentiate them
from others. Thus for many companies, employer branding has become a critical management
tool.
Employer branding is the package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provided
by employment and identified with the employing company. Employer brand image is the
perception of what individuals believe about potential employers, and job seekers memories and
associations regarding an organization. Consists of what an organization has to offer that
prospective or existing employees would value and which would help to persuade them to join or
remain with the business.
The target group that will be considered in this business case are business students. This target
group have some characteristics that need to be consider for understanding how to approach this
target group and make a decision which strategy to use. For business students, we can say that
they are very technology oriented, and the company websites offered many important
information about company. They, in the first place, use websites to collect data about an
organization, make their impression of the firm and their belief of whether they will fit in the
firm. So for company, corporate websites and recruitment sites are important to keep up to date
and target the intended audience, such as business students. Social media is also a growing
communication tool and Facebook represent the most popular online networks for graduates
when searching for information on potential employers. In addition to these technical preferences

students also prefer high level of personal contact, for example being introduced to an employer
face-to-face at an event or career fair. Students like to hear about an employer through people
already working for the company, if not directly then via videos on the company websites.
Students are attracted to companies with high level of contact, such as companies that attend
events, fund scholarships and arrange speakers for classes or conferences.

In this case i will give proposals for improve employer brand image of Coca-Cola Company
among students and recent graduates.

1.1 CHANCE

FOR VOLUNTEERING

In the same proposal Graduate trainee program by Coca Cola Company, we can see that is
desirable to have specific volunteer experience, and that activity like volunteering show us
candidates characteristics like proactivity, willingness to learn, team cooperation, etc.
For the Coca Cola company make some volunteer program it would improve their employer
brand image among the students, because they could more closely inform with the activities of
company, especial in activity that related to the social responsibility. Throw this volunteer
program, students get the opportunity to show their talents and in the same time gain confidence
by taking part actively in the implementation of activities and achieving goals. In this way the
students could realize their benefits reach a certain experience, be socially active citizen, and
most importantly for the company, to get to know her business, contribution to the community
and have a positive opinion of the company, so that its recommendations could be transmitted to
other students.

1.2 INTERNSHIP

PROGRAM

The second proposal that i take in consideration is a Internship program. The target audiences for
this program are students in the middle of their studies. As i was already the student of
undergraduate program, i know that in the 3-rd year of studies, students need to do internship in
the field of their education. This internship must be done in one month, so maybe this is
opportunity for students, as well for company to help students in their education and give a
chance students that they get to know with the practical side in the field of their education. On
the other side, benefits for company could be to make a good impact and impression on students
and throw that improve employer brand of company. As a result of this program, students will
want to apply perhaps for some another program or for job position when they finished their
studies.

1.3 PARTICIPATE

AT A CAREER/JOB FAIR FOR STUDENTS

As i am saying about a characteristics of represent target group business students, they also
prefer high level of personal contact, like is being introduced to an employer face-to-face at an
event or career fair. When the students after graduation for the first time trying to find
opportunity and applying for a job, they are in the most cases confused and dont really know
how to properly present themselves or which skills and characteristics should be present. So, this
type of access to students can contribute in the way that students can closely inform with the
company, the positions that offers, the ways in which can best present themselves and also meet
the employees of the company, who thus actually represent the company itself, corporate culture
and working environment. For company the most important is how their employees representing
because that, in my opinion, make the most influence on the construction and perception of the
companys brand as an employer.

1.4 PARTICIPATE

AT CONFERENCES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE/STUDENTS

The conferences for young people1 and students present actually innovative approach and
interact with students. The conference brings together a large number of young people. For
young people this is day when they can spend their time together, get to know and also hear great
and inspiring stories from speakers, which in this way motivate young people to have a proactive
approach to achieving goals and making a success.
You can may have a question, in which way participate in the conference can actually contribute
to improving the companys brand as an employer.
First, participation in the conference brings some publicity to company, which of course isnt
negligible. But for us is more interesting if someone from the company was speaker. Then the
speaker could describes his/her path and efforts undertaken to be in a particular position in a
particular company. For company this is important because speaker could presents opportunities
and chances that company provided to him/her and on that way contribute to developed his/her
career.

2 CONCLUSION
Employer band image is very wide area for analysis because they contain a subcategories that
could be analyzed separately such as employer brand image for recent employees, for attract new
employees, etc.
As in marketing, i think, that most important is to find target group that we want to reach and
present our strategy. For this business case study I choose that my target group were business
graduates student in the middle of their studies, because that target group was more familiar to
1 When use term young people i at first think on students: graduates and students
in the middle of their studies.

me. Then i make some proposals that i think could improve employer brand image for target
group.