A lot of FMCG employer brand work starts with the message and the careers page. Candidates judge something else: whether the employer promise holds up in daily work and in the candidate experience they receive. If the two do not match, better copy will not fix it.
This piece draws on Building Trust in an Artificial Age, a CTF session from December 2025 with Emily Firth, Co-Founder, TheTruthWorks. The group looked at how trust in an employer grows, and where AI might help.
Trust grows from everyday behaviour
Trust in an employer builds in much the same way as trust in a person: gradually, through behaviour people can see. A clear message helps. But candidates also notice whether you answer the questions they actually have, and whether you do what you said you would.
Small moments test the message: outreach, interviews, feedback, the offer and the first weeks in the job. So start by comparing what you say with what people experience at each of those points. Where the two differ, work on the experience before you rewrite the copy.
Show what your FMCG employer brand means locally
Broad promises are easy to write and hard to prove. Words like development and flexibility sound good on a careers page, but a candidate wants to see what they look like in the job on offer.
Global businesses face a local version of the same test. A global EVP needs examples a candidate can see in the role and place they are weighing up. For example, if the promise is development, show what it means in that office, factory or team. Point to the learning, the chance to take on more, or the moves on offer. The word alone does little. And if head office runs the careers page, other channels and colleague voices can show the local reality.
Let colleagues answer the real questions
Colleague voices help when they explain the work honestly, demands included. Start by collecting what candidates want to know about pace, flexibility, management, development and the reality of the role. Then give colleagues useful facts, and be clear on what they can share. Keep their own words and experience visible.
Choose people and formats that fit the audience. An unpolished but informative account can explain more than a generic brand statement. The aim is a story that helps someone make an informed decision about joining, not one that simply sounds positive.
Make the hiring process keep its promises
Every advert, interview and rejection email tells a candidate something about what working for you would be like. So decide what candidates should hear at each stage, and who will tell them. Then check that what they hear matches the promise. Our article on improving the FMCG recruitment process covers the process side in more detail.
The group also discussed AI as a possible way to make updates more timely and relevant. Start with the need: where do candidates wait, repeat information or lack clarity? Technology also needs an accurate account of the business and the role. It cannot fix doubt about what you are offering. Keep people accountable, and check that candidates get facts that are accurate and useful. The CIPD's employer brand factsheet is good further reading on building an employee value proposition.
Questions to take to your team:
- Which employer claim needs stronger evidence from the workplace?
- What does our global message mean in a specific local role?
- Which candidate questions could a colleague answer better than a careers page?
- Which conversations still need direct human contact?
The full session
Members can watch the recording of this session, download the slides and read the member ebook. The ebook includes two practical worksheets: one to check your employer brand promise and one to plan colleague stories. You will find it all in the CTF Session Library. If you lead People work in a consumer business, apply to join or see what membership includes.
