Inditex: Employer branding enhancement

Inditex: Employer brand enhancement | Talent Portugal Blog
At Inditex, the strategy of Employer Branding It is fundamental and its main objective is to enhance the brand as an employer and provide a quick response to business needs.

This article is part of the special “Employer Branding Best Practices” published in the January 2024 edition of Human Resources, within the Employer Branding Conference 2024, promoted by Talent Portugal.

We have been evolving as an employer brand. We have approached universities, created ambassador programs, improved internal talent management through digital platforms, and learned how to better communicate our culture and values.

João Antunes – Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding

Despite the differences between companies (depending on the sectors and areas of activity), the job market is increasingly competitive. In this sense, and according to João Antunes, Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding from Inditex, the need for specialized recruitment was fundamental to the creation of the strategy of Employer Branding of the Group.

In the Inditex group – owner of brands such as Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Zara Home – the strategy of Employer Branding thus involves four fundamental pillars: promoting an inclusive culture, professional development, employee recognition and transparent communication about company values.

Specifically, and from an internal point of view, this strategy “involves team loyalty and appreciation of employees as the main brand ambassadors – employee advocacy», says João Antunes. The same person in charge talks about programs like INSPIRE, and the group's internal social network – the Instories –, which place “employees at the center of the strategy and give them the opportunity to share their journey first-hand”. In the field of external attraction, the Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding He says that communication is done “essentially on social media through the creation of content aimed at the target audience. Our digital campaigns are based on sharing what makes us one of the best fashion retail companies – our culture and values”.

As a way of retaining the best talent and simply presenting itself as an attractive company to work for, Inditex is committed to competitive value proposition, which aims to impact employee satisfaction and goes beyond salary. “Stores are our DNA, the origin of everything. Working in them means understanding how Inditex works, how people work and what our customers are looking for. We create opportunities for growth, continuous learning, competitive salary e 25% discount on any brand in the group», highlights the same person in charge.

Talent Center Portugal

In 2018, the Talent Center was created in Portugal, a project that already existed in markets such as Spain and the UK, and which arose from the need to centralize Inditex's recruitment operations in Portugal. Five years after its launch, "this center has responded to the needs for specialized talent, internal talent management and Employer Branding of the Group in Portugal – which already has 288 stores and around 6500 employees”, highlights João Antunes.

This is one specialized recruitment center, whose main objectives are: to centralize the selection of employees for the stores; to promote Inditex as an employer brand; to reduce the administrative workload of the stores; to analyze information about the competition; to manage internal talent to analyze and manage all applications; and to work on efficiency and quality in the selection process.

Assuming that the job market is indeed very competitive, the Head of Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding from Inditex adds that the big challenge is to attract specialized talent, which makes recruitment very challenging. In this sense, João Antunes adds that there are certain challenges that need to be addressed. «This is the case of innovation e tech, it is important to adopt new technologies to optimize the recruitment and selection process; Diversity and Inclusion, which is an ongoing challenge for which we have created specific programs, such as the projects “Jump” e “I Include”, which include people at risk of exclusion or with some type of disability; speed in the process, given the dynamic nature of the fashion sector, in which ensuring an efficient and agile recruitment process is crucial to attracting and retaining the best talents”, he adds.

After five years of existence of the Talent Center, in the words of the person responsible for Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding, the result does not disappoint: «We have been evolving as an employer brand. We have approached universities, created ambassador programs, improved internal talent management through digital platforms, and learned to better communicate our culture and values».

The world is the limit

Betting on a inclusive and motivating policy, the goal is for each person, as they are, to develop their potential as part of a diverse, creative and innovative team, without geographical boundaries. “Talent moves in all directions and we help in this journey through internal promotion both nationally and internationally”, explains João Antunes.

This bet on talent and the ability to do the unique characteristics of each employee prevail, has proven to be fruitful for the Group's objectives, which go beyond borders. «Over the years, we have had many examples of employees who started part-time while studying and now have a store management role. On the other hand, we continue to export a lot of talent to the headquarters in Spain and to several international markets», he shares.

For João Antunes, this has been “an incredible journey!” And although they didn’t work on employer branding at the beginning, they soon realized that initiatives like the Talent Center are essential for the employee’s life cycle. From the first contact with the Talent Center to the integration in the store, every step has proven to be important and there is always a structured monitoring. With this mission in mind, for a strategy of Employer Branding successful, the same professional identifies several areas that must be addressed and worked on: strong organizational culture; professional development; transparent communication; innovation and creativity; sustainability and social responsibility; employee experience; strategic online presence; feedback and recognition; participation in events and fairs; and continuous adaptation. «I also reinforce that consistency e authenticity are crucial to develop these areas, in order to build a solid reputation as an employer e attract the best talent», concludes João Antunes.

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