In this episode of the VMJPod’s Employer Brand Series, hosts David and Brie sit down with Rachel Mehlan, Talent Acquisition and Management Lead (ANZ) at AstraZeneca, to explore what it really takes to step into an employer brand role and drive impact from day one.

Drawing on more than two decades in recruitment and talent, Rachel shares practical advice for employer brand professionals, particularly those stepping into newly created or standalone roles. She unpacks the importance of understanding business strategy, navigating stakeholder relationships, and demonstrating value through outcomes rather than outputs.

Rachel also highlights the realities of working within global organisations, including balancing global brand assets with local authenticity. From building internal trust to leveraging employee storytelling and aligning with marketing and communications teams, this episode is packed with actionable insights for employer brand, talent and HR professionals looking to establish credibility and momentum quickly.

For anyone starting a new employer brand role, or looking to sharpen their internal influence and strategic alignment, Rachel offers a grounded and practical roadmap for success.

Key Topics:
02:05 – Understanding industry, economic and business strategy before building employer brand initiatives.
03:00 – Conducting internal listening tours and meeting stakeholders to uncover challenges and opportunities.
03:50 – Why employer brand is often misunderstood internally — and how to communicate its value effectively.
05:10 – Shifting conversations from content outputs to measurable business outcomes like hiring quality and speed.
06:40 – Building strong partnerships with hiring leaders, marketing, and corporate affairs teams.
08:40 – Leveraging internal influencers and marketing allies to advocate for new employer brand ideas.
10:00 – Using global brand assets while maintaining local authenticity and relevance.
11:00 – Capturing real employee stories and imagery to strengthen credibility and engagement.

If you want to learn more about activating your employer brand strategy and EVP then you can check out podcast.videomyjob.com for a library of industry perspectives and how-tos.

Now, if you’re ready to level up your activation strategy then you need an employee story video platform and that’s what we do! Go to videomyjob.com/demo to book a walkthrough with one of our video specialists or click on the pricing page to learn about our new 60-day pilot program.

Lastly, we’d love for you to help us spread the word about the VMJPod to attract new experts and practitioners to share their activation strategies, so please take a screenshot and post it on LinkedIn, don’t forget to tag us at VideoMyJob, we are so grateful when you do that!