How PR influences recruiting, retention, and workforce quality

In this solocast, On Top of PR host Jason Mudd dives into how PR shapes recruiting, retention, and workforce quality through reputation.

Tune in to learn more!

Watch the episode here:

5 things you’ll learn during the full episode:

1. Why candidates evaluate your reputation before your careers page
2. How PR influences recruiting outcomes before HR gets involved
3. The role of visibility, credibility, and interpretation in hiring decisions
4. Why employer brand perception is formed in search and media results
5. How PR reduces hiring friction and improves talent quality

Listen to the episode here:

Quotables

• “Candidates don't start with your careers page; they start with your reputation.” — @jasonmudd9
• “Your careers page doesn't create perception. It confirms or contradicts what they already perceive or believe.” — @jasonmudd9
• “Recruiting is a reputation-driven system.” — @jasonmudd9
• “PR didn't create demand; it removed the friction that prevented their growth.” — @jasonmudd9
• “Public relations doesn't just influence how customers see you, it influences who wants to work for you, who shows up, and how they perform.” — @jasonmudd9

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend. You may also support us through Buy Me a Coffee or by leaving us a quick podcast review.

Resources

Guest’s contact info and resources:

• Jason Mudd on X
• Jason Mudd on LinkedIn
• LinkedIn Talent Solutions - Employer’s brand matters
• Glassdoor - Employer Branding 101: Why, How and Proven ROI
•  ratethispodcast.com/ontopofpr

Additional Resources:

• Case study: Improving a company’s recruiting
• How to turn award wins into long-term assets
• Warning signs your online reputation management is failing
• How to improve your company’s Glassdoor reviews
• Find out more about Axia Public Relations.
• Axia Public Relations resources
• Axia’s NewsBureau Service
• Listen to more episodes of the On Top of PR podcast.

If you like this episode, you're going to love this:

• Job search and hiring tips with Nicole Balsam
• Navigating PR and communications hiring with Brooke Kruger
• Networking without an agenda: The key to career longevity

Recorded:  May 02, 2026 

Find more On Top of PR episodes on: 

Transcript

Episode Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:07:00:

Most companies treat recruiting as an HR function, but the quality of your applicants is determined long before HR gets involved.

00:00:07:00 - 00:00:32:00:

The same PR strategy that builds trust with customers also determines the quality of your future workforce. Candidates don't start with your careers page, they start with your reputation. Before they even speak to a recruiter, they evaluate what they find in search results, media coverage, and third party validation. That perception shapes whether they apply, how they evaluate your company, and whether they accept your offer.

00:00:32:00 - 00:00:45:00:

Today I'll walk you through how that works and how to use public relations to influence those outcomes.

00:00:45:00 - 00:00:50:00:

Welcome to On Top of PR. I'm your host, Jason Mudd with Axia Public Relations.

00:00:50:00 - 00:01:18:00:

If you find On Top of PR useful, leaving an online review is one of the simplest ways to support our show. Reviews help more people discover us, which helps us grow and keeps bringing you strong guests and useful insights. As a thank you, we run a monthly drawing for podcast swag and an occasional gift from me. Here's how to enter. Go to ratethispodcast.com slash on top of PR. That's ratethispodcast.com slash on top of PR.

00:01:18:00 - 00:01:44:00:

Leave a quick review and then take a screenshot and email that to us at podcast at AxiaPR.com, podcast at axiapr.com. Once you enter, you stay in the drawing until you win. It takes two minutes and you're in. And pro tip, the sooner you enter, the more likely you are to win because you're going to beat the crowd to entering. So take a moment, go to ratethispodcast.com slash on top of PR.

00:01:44:00 - 00:01:48:00:

and enter and I bet you have a good odds of winning right out of the gate.

00:01:48:00 - 00:02:07:00:

Let's jump into today's episode. It's a solo cast, which means it's just you and me. No guests today. That's what we do every fifth episode where I'm bringing you the latest topics, tips and trends from what I'm observing in the marketplace. And today I want to talk about how PR influences recruiting, retention and workforce quality.

00:02:07:00 - 00:02:34:00:

Most marketing leaders already influence recruiting. They just don't realize it. Research shows that 75 % of job seekers consider an employer's brand before they apply. That stat comes from LinkedIn Talent Solutions. And 86 % review company reputation and online ratings before they apply. That's according to Glassdoor. So by the time a candidate reaches your careers page, they've already formed an opinion.

00:02:34:00 - 00:02:51:00:

So your careers page doesn't create perception. It confirms or contradicts what they already perceive or believe. belief comes from what they see in the market. That might include media coverage, leadership visibility, thought leadership, search results. And that's where PR operates.

00:02:51:00 - 00:03:18:00:

Most organizations separate recruiting from reputation. They treat recruiting as job descriptions, compensation, and process. High performing organizations take a different approach. Recruiting is a reputation driven system. If your reputation signals credibility, momentum, and strong leadership, you attract stronger candidates. If it doesn't, you create friction. You compete on compensation instead of perception.

00:03:18:00 - 00:03:41:00:

here's a simple model. This is how PR influences workforce outcomes. First, visibility, earned media, content, leadership presence make your organization visible. Second, credibility, earned media access third party validation. Research from Nielsen shows people trust earned media more than paid or brand controlled content.

00:03:41:00 - 00:04:06:00:

third interpretation. Candidates assess leadership, stability, momentum, and cultural signals. They triangulate across multiple sources. Fourth, internal reinforcement. Employees see the same signals that shapes belief, pride, and alignment. And fifth is talent outcomes. Who applies, who shows up, who accepts, who stays.

00:04:06:00 - 00:04:34:00:

All of it traces back to perception. Let me make this tangible with a real example from our agency. Years ago, we worked with a national financial services company. At the time, they operated four regional centers across the Southeast United States, and they had ambitious plans to expand nationally. They had the capacity to grow. They had the leadership alignment. They had demand, but they couldn't hire fast enough to support that growth.

00:04:34:00 - 00:04:59:00:

They told us they were double and even triple booking interviews, not because they had too many candidates, but because candidates weren't showing up. When candidates researched the company, they found negative reviews and unfavorable media coverage. In fact, seven of the top 10 Google results for that company were negative. That created doubt. Candidates disengaged before the process even got started. That's not a recruiting problem, that's a reputation problem.

00:04:59:00 - 00:05:27:00:

we implemented a PR program focused on earning positive media coverage, sharing the company's side of the story, increasing leadership visibility, improving what appeared in search results. We were able to remove some negative results and push others down through consistent, credible content creation and media placement. As perception improved, behavior changed. Candidates started showing up. applicant quality improved. The company gained access to stronger talent.

00:05:27:00 - 00:05:51:00:

Internally, employees responded as well. They became more engaged. They expressed more pride in where they worked. They were confident in the leadership's vision. what leadership had been saying internally became believable because the market started reinforcing it. That alignment mattered. During our work, the company expanded from four regional centers in the southeast to 14 regional centers across the United States.

00:05:51:00 - 00:06:00:00:

They achieved the growth they've been working towards but couldn't unlock. PR didn't create demand, it removed the friction that prevented their growth. There are a few levers behind this.

00:06:00:00 - 00:06:27:00:

First, earned media, it validates your claims. Second, executive visibility, it signals leadership strength. Third, thought leadership, it communicates direction and expertise. Fourth, consistency, it aligns internal and external perception. Without consistency, employees notice the gap. With consistency, trust builds. If you want better recruiting and retention outcomes, focus upstream.

00:06:27:00 - 00:06:51:00:

Ask what shows up when someone searches your company? What media coverage exists? Are your leaders visible? Is your narrative consistent? Most organizations invest heavily in internal communication. Fewer invest in aligning with external perception. That creates friction. Other organizations will invest heavily in external communication, but do very little with internal.

00:06:51:00 - 00:07:15:00:

you have to think about both audiences simultaneously. Public relations doesn't just influence how customers see you, it influences who wants to work for you, who shows up and how they perform. The same PR strategy that builds trust with customers also determines the quality of your future workforce. If you're not thinking about PR this way, you're leaving a competitive advantage on the table.

00:07:15:00 - 00:07:30:00:

This has been another episode of On Top of PR. I'm your host, Jason Mudd with Axia Public Relations. If you found this episode helpful, do me a favor and either share it with a colleague or friend or go to ratethispodcast.com slash on top of PR and let us know what you thought of this episode. That would be a big help to us and encourage us to continue helping you stay on top of PR.