Using Employee Testimonials To Attract Great Candidates – The Power of Employee Advocacy
By Tara Gousseau
Attracting great candidates is every organization’s goal. Traditionally, organizations have relied on polished job postings, carefully crafted descriptions, and lists of perks to catch a candidate’s attention. While those elements are still important, they’re no longer enough on their own.
In a market where candidates are doing just as much vetting of employers as employers are of them, the risk of relying solely on traditional recruitment tactics is clear – they can feel generic, lack authenticity, and fail to differentiate your brand. In other words, they don’t tell the real story of what it’s like to work at your company.
And that’s where employee testimonials come in.
The Power of Employee Advocacy in Attracting Candidates
So, what exactly is employee advocacy? At its core, it’s when your current employees speak positively and authentically about their experience at your organization—whether through testimonials, social posts, or referrals. When done well, this kind of peer-to-peer messaging is incredibly powerful.
Why? Because candidates trust people more than brands. According to LinkedIn, content shared by employees receives 8x more engagement than content shared by the brand itself. And companies with strong employee advocacy programs are 58% more likely to attract top talent.
Employee testimonials also strengthen your company brand. They bring to life your workplace culture, values, and leadership in a way no job description can. Candidates gain a clearer, more relatable sense of what they’re walking into—often leading to shorter hiring times and longer retention.
Addressing Skepticism or Common Concerns
Understandably, some leaders might feel hesitant about rolling out employee testimonials. Common concerns include:
- “What if employees don’t want to participate?”
Start by inviting—not obligating—participation. Focus on those already engaged and enthusiastic about their roles.
- “What if we get negative feedback?”
Negative feedback can feel uncomfortable but use it as a growth opportunity. It provides insight into areas for improvement and shows that your organization is open to listening. When balanced with positive stories, it demonstrates transparency and authenticity.
- “What if the employee leaves soon after?”
That’s always a possibility, but it doesn’t negate the value of their experience. Employee testimonials reflect a moment in time—and that story still matters. People leave great organizations every day to pursue new opportunities, career changes, or personal growth. Their positive experience while they were with you can still speak volumes to future candidates. In fact, when past employees continue to speak highly of their time with your company, it reinforces your reputation as a great place to work.
Best Practices for Effective Employee Testimonials
To be truly effective, employee testimonials need to be real. Candidates are savvy—they can spot generic or overly polished statements a mile away. Here’s how to make them stand out:
- Keep it authentic. The best testimonials sound like real conversations, not scripted statements. Focus on employees sharing personal stories about why they joined, what’s kept them engaged, or how they’ve grown within the organization.
- Highlight a diversity of voices. Showcase employees from different departments, levels, and backgrounds. This not only reflects your commitment to inclusion but also gives candidates a broader sense of your culture.
- Include specific details. Vague praise like “I love it here!” or “Great place to work!” doesn’t offer much insight. Instead, encourage employees to speak about particular projects, mentorship experiences, team culture, or how the company supported their career development.
- Vary the format. Testimonials don’t need to be lengthy to be effective. Short written quotes with photos work great on your careers page or job ads. Video clips are ideal for social media, and longer-form blog-style testimonials can add depth to your employer brand content.
- Let both the employee and organization share them. When testimonials are shared by both your company and the individual employee, it creates double the exposure and authenticity. It also shows employees are genuinely proud of where they work.
- Encourage participation thoughtfully. Make it easy and low-pressure to provide feedback. You can invite participation through internal communications, employee engagement surveys, or by spotlighting employees who are already active advocates. Some organizations even build testimonials into onboarding or milestone check-ins.
- Integrate testimonials throughout your recruitment strategy. Use testimonials on your careers page, in job descriptions, within interview follow-ups, and in social media campaigns. When embedded into multiple touchpoints, they help reinforce your value proposition and build trust consistently.
Employee Testimonials at Work
As a recruitment agency, we often encourage candidates—especially passive ones—to do their own research when considering an opportunity. Beyond the job description or our conversations, candidates are looking for real insights: What’s the culture like? Do employees feel valued? Is there room to grow?
Naturally, many turn to platforms like Glassdoor, Indeed, or Google to read employee reviews and testimonials. What they find can strongly influence whether they move forward, how engaged they are during interviews, and ultimately, how confident they feel in accepting an offer.
In fact, we’ve had dozens of passive candidates call us back after taking time to learn more about an organization, telling us they were impressed by what current or former employees had to say. Positive testimonials often tip the scale from “maybe” to “I’m interested”—and that’s something you can’t always achieve through a job posting alone.
This is why proactive employee advocacy matters. When your people are sharing their stories—whether it’s a simple quote on your website, a staff spotlight on LinkedIn, or a short video on social media—it builds trust. These stories help candidates picture themselves as part of your team. In today’s competitive talent market, that kind of connection is a true differentiator.
Leveraging Employee Advocacy While Working with a Recruitment Partner
At People First HR, we understand that great recruitment is about more than filling roles—it’s about telling your story in a way that resonates. When we partner with clients, we look for opportunities to highlight your unique culture and values, and that often includes amplifying employee voices.
Whether it’s advising on how to gather testimonials or using employee stories to enrich our conversations, we help bring your organization to life for candidates. Employee advocacy, when paired with a thoughtful recruitment strategy, is one of the most powerful tools to attract the right talent—and we’re here to help make it happen.