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Employer brand content ideas: a 12-month content calendar mapped to your careers website
See other posts from by Melanie Murphy
CMO
A free employer brand content calendar: 100 prompts across 12 months, each with a content type, a place on your careers website, an owner and an effort rating.
100prompts
12monthly themes
47updates to pages you already own
18prompts that show the Get
Executive summary
- This calendar has 100 prompts across 12 months, in 12 themes, each with a content type, a place on the careers website, an owner, an effort rating and a way to measure it.
- It starts with an audit of your promise, moves to job pages, stories, the Get, early careers, places and teams, progression, inclusion, hiring process, managers and pay, and finishes with review and refresh.
- Of the 100 prompts, 37 show the Give, 18 show the Get and 45 show both. Month 4 is dedicated to the Get.
- The largest share, 47 prompts, are updates to pages that already exist on your careers website. Almost half the calendar is maintenance of pages you already own, not new campaigns.
- Download the spreadsheet, filter by owner or by place on the site, and pick the prompts that fit your five most important roles.
- All counts are of our own calendar. They are not market statistics. No claims about what other employers publish.
How the calendar works
Each month has a theme and eight or nine prompts. Every prompt is mapped to a place on the careers website, so the work lands where candidates will see it. Month 1 is whichever month you begin in. Treat the effort rating (S, M or L) as a first guess.
Grid of twelve monthly themes for an employer brand content calendar, from saying what you really offer in month 1 to review and refresh in month 12, with the number of prompts in each month
The 12 themes
Month 1: 9 promptsSay what you really offerAudit the promise before you publish more of it.
Month 2: 8 promptsMake job pages honestThe page candidates read before they apply.
Month 3: 8 promptsPeople and proofEmployee stories that prove the claims.
Month 4: 9 promptsShow the GetSay what the job asks in return.
Month 5: 8 promptsEarly careersContent for people who do not yet know what to ask.
Month 6: 8 promptsPlaces and teamsWhere and with whom.
Month 7: 8 promptsGrowth and progressionWhat happens after the first year.
Month 8: 8 promptsBelonging and accessInclusion and accessibility, shown in practice.
Month 9: 9 promptsThe hiring processTake the mystery out of the steps.
Month 10: 9 promptsLeaders and managersThe people who decide whether it works.
Month 11: 8 promptsPay, benefits and plain EnglishSay it simply, and take legal advice first.
Month 12: 8 promptsReview and refreshLook back, remove what is stale, plan the next year.
Where the content goes
Every prompt has a place on the careers website. The largest areas are job pages and stories, team and progression pages.
Bar chart of the 100 employer brand content prompts by careers website area, with most prompts for job pages and for stories, team and progression pages
Prompts by careers website area
Counts within our own calendar, not market statistics.
- Job pages and role hubs23
- Stories, team and progression18
- Benefits and FAQ13
- Whole site, home and channels11
- Internal (no public page)11
- Early careers9
- Hiring process and apply9
- Locations6
Almost half the calendar is maintenance of pages you already own.
Give, Get or both
A calendar that only shows the Give reads as marketing. Month 4 and a number of prompts across the year are written to show the Get: what the job asks in return.
Bar chart showing the balance of the 100 prompts: prompts that show the Give, prompts that show the Get, and prompts that show both
Prompts by what they prove
Counts within our own calendar, not market statistics.
- Show the Give37
- Show the Get18
- Show both45
Month 4 is dedicated to the Get.
The 12 months, prompt by prompt
Open a month to see its prompts, with the type of content, where it goes on your careers website, whether it shows the Give or the Get, and who owns it.
Month 1: Say what you really offer (9 prompts)
Audit the promise before you publish more of it.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | List every claim on your careers website about culture, pay, flexibility and growth, and mark which ones have proof on the page. | Audit | Whole site | Both | Employer brand |
| 2 | Write your Give and Get on one page: five things you give, five things you ask in return. | Strategy note | Internal | Both | Employer brand |
| 3 | Interview five recent joiners and five long-serving staff with the same three questions. | Research | Internal | Both | Employer brand |
| 4 | Read the last 20 candidate withdrawals or rejected offers and note what they say about the job. | Research | Internal | Get | Talent acquisition |
| 5 | Pick the five roles you hire most and make them the focus of the year. | Planning | Role hubs | Both | Talent acquisition |
| 6 | Set a baseline: job page visits, apply starts and apply completions for those five roles. | Analytics | Job pages | Both | Analytics |
| 7 | Check what your careers website shows in Google for your five roles, on a phone. | Audit | Job pages | Both | Web |
| 8 | Create a one-page content brief template with the candidate question, the claim and the truth test. | Template | Internal | Both | Employer brand |
| 9 | Agree who owns each type of careers content, and who can say no. | Planning | Internal | Both | Employer brand |
Month 2: Make job pages honest (8 prompts)
The page candidates read before they apply.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Rewrite the top of one job page so the first paragraph says what the person will actually do. | Page update | Job page | Give | Hiring manager |
| 11 | Add pay or a pay range to one job page, after taking legal advice for that market. | Page update | Job page | Give | Talent acquisition |
| 12 | Add a "What we ask" section to three job pages. | Page update | Job page | Get | Hiring manager |
| 13 | Replace one list of vague duties with five concrete tasks, each with an example. | Page update | Job page | Give | Hiring manager |
| 14 | Add working pattern, location and travel to the top of each job page. | Page update | Job page | Both | Talent acquisition |
| 15 | Add a short "who you will work with" line naming the team and manager role. | Page update | Job page | Give | Hiring manager |
| 16 | Write a plain English version of one jargon-heavy job title. | Page update | Job page | Both | Talent acquisition |
| 17 | Add a "Is this for you?" box with three reasons to apply and three reasons not to. | Page update | Job page | Both | Employer brand |
Month 3: People and proof (8 prompts)
Employee stories that prove the claims.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Publish a day in the life from one frontline role. | Story | Stories hub, job page | Both | Employer brand |
| 19 | Run a Q&A with six people in one team using the same five questions. | Story | Team page | Both | Employer brand |
| 20 | Film a 60-second video with one employee on one topic, captioned, with a transcript. | Video | Employer home, job page | Both | Comms |
| 21 | Add a quote beside each benefit that proves it, with name, role and years in the business. | Page update | Benefits page | Give | Employer brand |
| 22 | Publish a career path story, including the sideways move. | Story | Progression section | Give | Employer brand |
| 23 | Collect one story from a returner after a career break. | Story | Early careers or returners page | Both | Employer brand |
| 24 | Collect one story from someone who joined from another sector. | Story | Stories hub | Both | Employer brand |
| 25 | Publish a "first 90 days" story from a recent joiner. | Story | Job page, offer stage | Both | Employer brand |
Month 4: Show the Get (9 prompts)
Say what the job asks in return.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Publish "the hard part" story for one role, written with the person who does it. | Story | Job page | Get | Employer brand |
| 27 | Write a blog post called "What we ask of you" for your most senior role. | Blog | Insights | Get | Employer brand |
| 28 | List the three most common reasons new joiners leave in the first year, and say how you are addressing each. | Page update | Careers FAQ | Get | People |
| 29 | Publish shift patterns, on-call or peak periods for the roles that have them. | Page update | Job page | Get | Talent acquisition |
| 30 | Add a "what people find hard here" line to three team pages. | Page update | Team page | Get | Hiring manager |
| 31 | Run a "Would you still say it?" check: the line manager reads every Get story and says if it is hard enough. | Review | Internal | Get | Employer brand |
| 32 | Post a thread on the realities of one role, with an employee answering. | Social post | Social channels | Get | Comms |
| 33 | Record a short audio clip from a team leader on what makes the job difficult. | Audio | Job page | Get | Comms |
| 34 | Add a "What would make someone not enjoy it here?" question to every Q&A profile. | Page update | Stories hub | Get | Employer brand |
Month 5: Early careers (8 prompts)
Content for people who do not yet know what to ask.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Write a one-page guide to how to choose a first job, with links to your early careers roles. | Guide | Early careers hub | Give | Early careers |
| 36 | Publish a "what the application process looks like for graduates" page. | Page update | Early careers hub | Both | Early careers |
| 37 | Film a campus alumnus on their first year, including the hard parts. | Video | Early careers hub | Both | Early careers |
| 38 | Publish a day in the life of an apprentice. | Story | Early careers hub | Both | Early careers |
| 39 | Write an FAQ for parents and guardians on training, pay and support. | FAQ | Early careers hub | Give | Early careers |
| 40 | List the skills you hire for in plain English, with examples from school, volunteering or part-time work. | Page update | Early careers hub | Give | Early careers |
| 41 | Run an open session with current trainees and publish a summary of the questions. | Event | Early careers hub | Both | Early careers |
| 42 | Create a printable one-page programme overview for schools and careers advisers. | Download | Early careers hub | Give | Early careers |
Month 6: Places and teams (8 prompts)
Where and with whom.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | Publish a location page for your busiest site, with a photo essay by an employee. | Page update | Location page | Both | Employer brand |
| 44 | Add travel, parking and public transport details to each location page. | Page update | Location page | Give | Facilities |
| 45 | Write a "meet the team" page for one department. | Page update | Team page | Both | Employer brand |
| 46 | Describe a normal week in one site, including the hours and the busy periods. | Page update | Location page | Get | Hiring manager |
| 47 | Publish a short guide to the area for people moving to a new site. | Guide | Location page | Give | People |
| 48 | List the hybrid or remote expectations for each team, as written rules rather than slogans. | Page update | Team page | Both | People |
| 49 | Photograph one ordinary day at a site, taken by an employee, with alt text. | Photo essay | Location page | Get | Employer brand |
| 50 | Add a map and entrance details to the "visiting for an interview" page. | Page update | Location page | Give | Facilities |
Month 7: Growth and progression (8 prompts)
What happens after the first year.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Publish a map of how people move between roles in your organisation, with real time spent at each stage. | Graphic | Progression section | Give | People |
| 52 | Write up one internal move from a frontline role to a team lead. | Story | Progression section | Give | Employer brand |
| 53 | List your learning budget and how many people used it last year, only if you can prove the number. | Page update | Benefits page | Give | People |
| 54 | Publish what a performance review actually looks like here. | Page update | Careers FAQ | Both | People |
| 55 | Add a mentoring story from both sides of the relationship. | Story | Stories hub | Give | Employer brand |
| 56 | Share an honest account of someone who tried for a promotion and did not get it, and what happened next. | Story | Progression section | Get | Employer brand |
| 57 | Create a skills page that shows the skills each level needs. | Page update | Role hub | Give | People |
| 58 | Publish the typical time to first promotion, if you can calculate it. | Page update | Progression section | Give | People |
Month 8: Belonging and access (8 prompts)
Inclusion and accessibility, shown in practice.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | Publish your accessibility statement for the careers website, and the date of the last audit. | Page update | Footer, careers website | Give | Web |
| 60 | Offer reasonable adjustments information on every apply page, in plain English. | Page update | Apply flow | Give | People |
| 61 | Caption and transcribe every video on the careers website. | Page update | Whole site | Give | Web |
| 62 | Write alt text for every photo on the top ten pages. | Page update | Top pages | Give | Web |
| 63 | Publish a story from an employee with a disability about adjustments, if they want to tell it. | Story | Stories hub | Both | Employer brand |
| 64 | Show your working pattern options and the process to request flexible working. | Page update | Benefits page | Give | People |
| 65 | Check that every job page works with a keyboard and a screen reader. | Audit | Job pages | Give | Web |
| 66 | Share an honest note on where you are still improving on inclusion, and what you have changed. | Blog | Insights | Get | People |
Month 9: The hiring process (9 prompts)
Take the mystery out of the steps.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | Publish a plain English guide to each stage of the hiring process. | Page update | Hiring process page | Give | Talent acquisition |
| 68 | State how long each stage normally takes, and how you tell candidates the outcome. | Page update | Hiring process page | Both | Talent acquisition |
| 69 | Publish the types of interview question you ask, with examples. | Page update | Hiring process page | Give | Talent acquisition |
| 70 | Write a "what to bring and what to expect" page for in-person interviews. | Page update | Hiring process page | Give | Talent acquisition |
| 71 | Explain how you use any automated tools in screening, after taking legal advice. | Page update | Hiring process page | Both | Legal |
| 72 | Show a short video from a recruiter on how they read an application. | Video | Hiring process page | Give | Talent acquisition |
| 73 | Add a "what happens if you do not get the job" page, with how to ask for feedback. | Page update | Hiring process page | Both | Talent acquisition |
| 74 | Test the apply flow on a phone with five people and fix what stops them. | Audit | Apply flow | Both | Web |
| 75 | Add a job alert sign-up on every closed job page. | Page update | Job page | Give | Web |
Month 10: Leaders and managers (9 prompts)
The people who decide whether it works.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | Write a "how I manage" note from five hiring managers. | Story | Manager pages | Both | Employer brand |
| 77 | Ask each manager what they find hard about the role, and publish the answer. | Story | Manager pages | Get | Employer brand |
| 78 | Publish a leader Q&A with the five questions candidates ask most. | Story | Employer home | Both | Comms |
| 79 | Film a one-to-one conversation between a manager and a team member, with permission. | Video | Stories hub | Both | Comms |
| 80 | List how feedback is given in each team. | Page update | Team page | Both | People |
| 81 | Add the manager role and tenure to each job page. | Page update | Job page | Give | Talent acquisition |
| 82 | Run a manager training session on writing a good job page. | Event | Internal | Both | Talent acquisition |
| 83 | Publish how decisions get made in one team. | Page update | Team page | Both | Hiring manager |
| 84 | Publish how a new manager is supported in their first six months. | Page update | Careers FAQ | Give | People |
Month 11: Pay, benefits and plain English (8 prompts)
Say it simply, and take legal advice first.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Explain your benefits in plain English with examples of how people use them. | Page update | Benefits page | Give | People |
| 86 | Publish pay ranges for your top roles, after taking legal advice on pay transparency in each market. | Page update | Job page | Give | People |
| 87 | Write a "benefits you will not find here" note, so candidates are not surprised. | Page update | Benefits page | Get | People |
| 88 | Explain your pay review process and how often it happens. | Page update | Careers FAQ | Both | People |
| 89 | Show a worked example of a pay package, with the Give and the Get in numbers, using your own real data. | Graphic | Benefits page | Both | People |
| 90 | Add a note on how to compare your offer with others, without pushing. | Page update | Benefits page | Give | Employer brand |
| 91 | Write an FAQ on pensions, holidays and time off. | FAQ | Benefits page | Give | People |
| 92 | Publish your approach to flexible working, with the numbers of people who use it only if you can prove them. | Page update | Benefits page | Both | People |
Month 12: Review and refresh (8 prompts)
Look back, remove what is stale, plan the next year.
| # | Prompt | Type | Where | Proves | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93 | Review every story on the site: still true, still liked, still published with permission? | Review | Whole site | Both | Employer brand |
| 94 | Remove or update every page older than two years. | Review | Whole site | Both | Web |
| 95 | Compare apply completion for the five focus roles with the Month 1 baseline. | Analytics | Job pages | Both | Analytics |
| 96 | Ask the year's joiners which content they read before applying. | Research | Internal | Both | Talent acquisition |
| 97 | Write a "what we learned" post and share what did not work. | Blog | Insights | Get | Employer brand |
| 98 | Update the Give and Get page with what has changed. | Strategy note | Internal | Both | Employer brand |
| 99 | Plan next year with the five roles you will focus on. | Planning | Internal | Both | Talent acquisition |
| 100 | Thank the people who took part, and tell them where their story is published. | Internal comms | Internal | Give | Employer brand |
How to use it
- Pick your five most important roles. Choose the prompts that apply to them first.
- Set a baseline in Month 1 for job page visits, apply starts and apply completions.
- Give each prompt an owner and a date in the spreadsheet.
- Check the Give and Get filter once a quarter.
- Review in Month 12, and remove what is stale.
Free download
The calendar as a spreadsheet
Download the calendar as a spreadsheet with a status dropdown, filters and a themes sheet. It is a free download.
Frequently asked questions
What should be in an employer brand content calendar?
A theme for each month, the specific piece of content, who owns it, where it goes on the careers website, and how you will measure it.
How many employer brand content ideas do you need?
Enough to cover the questions candidates ask. This calendar has 100 prompts across 12 months, which is about eight a month. Most teams will use a part of them.
Where should employer brand content go?
On the careers website, next to the claim it proves, as well as on social channels. A job page, benefits page or team page does more work than a post that disappears.
What is the Give and Get in employer branding?
The Give is what an employer offers. The Get is what it asks in return. Showing both is how you Sell The Truth, so the right people apply and the wrong people opt out.
How do you measure employer brand content?
Set a baseline for job page visits, apply starts and apply completions for your focus roles, then compare after each change. Treat the results as a guide, not proof.
Do I have to follow the months in order?
No. Month 1 is the start, whichever calendar month you begin in. The order moves from audit to job pages, stories and process, then back to review.
Can I use the spreadsheet for free?
The calendar is a free download.
Do the prompts cover legal advice?
The prompts that touch pay, privacy, accessibility or equality say to take legal advice for your markets. The calendar is not legal advice.
Related reading
Employee stories on careers websites: 12 formats, when to use each, and what great looks likeJob description makeovers: 10 before and after rewrites that show the Give and GetCareers Website Accessibility Audit Guide 2026: automated results for 60 employers and a 10-point manual test
Sources
- Happydance, Give and Get Employer Branding and Sell The Truth: https://www.happydance.love/books/
Limitations
- The prompts are planning suggestions by Happydance. They are not based on market data or on a count of what other employers publish.
- Effort ratings and measures are first guesses. Replace them with your own.
- Prompts that touch pay, privacy, accessibility or equality need legal advice for your markets.
- The calendar names no employer, vendor or tool.
Download the employer brand content calendar
Filter by owner or by place on the careers website, then pick the prompts that fit your five most important roles.
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