At RecFest 2026, Claire Knights (Chief Growth Officer at Great Place To Work UK) delivered a clear message: The strongest EVPs aren’t created in workshops – they’re discovered in your culture data.
Key Takeaways:
Didn't make it to RecFest? Keep reading for the highlights from Claire's talk. And the conversation doesn’t stop there. At the For All Summit™ London this November, we’ll be diving deeper into EVP, culture and what it takes to create great workplaces for all.
In a market where candidates can now ask AI “Is this a good place to work?” before they ever visit your careers site, the gap between what you say and what employees experience is more visible than ever. With one in three employees saying they’ve felt misled about an organisation’s culture or values, it’s clear that credibility is now the biggest challenge in employer branding.
Candidate behaviour has shifted. Potential employees are checking multiple sources, comparing reviews with your employer brand and – increasingly – asking AI for a verdict.
Those systems prioritise information that is specific, verifiable, consistent and repeated over time. That means vague statements like “we care about wellbeing” no longer carry weight – for candidates or AI.
As Claire shared on the day, “EVPs must be discovered, not invented.”
Too often, EVPs are built around aspiration rather than reality. The risk is generic messaging, lack of differentiation and claims that don’t stand up to scrutiny.
Instead, EVP should start with what’s already true – and provable – in your organisation.
That’s exactly the mindset Vicki Saunders, founder of the EVP Consultancy, builds on in her EVP methodology, which combines culture data with broader talent and market insight.
The key takeaway is clear: You can’t fix weak ingredients with strong packaging. When these align, the story holds up. When they don’t, candidates see the gap.
It’s also something you’ll be able to explore hands-on in Vicki's workshop at the For All Summit™ London.
To move from theory to action, Claire shared a two-step approach, detailing how organisations can use data from their Great Place To Work Trust Index™ survey to bolster their EVP:
Before making a claim, test it against your data, making sure it is:
This ensures you’ve earned the right to say it.
Then make that proof visible. It should be:
Put simply: your EVP needs to be discoverable as well as believable.
The shift is clear:
This doesn’t just build trust – it makes your EVP visible to the systems increasingly shaping candidate decisions.
Claire outlined four tests every EVP should pass:
The organisations that stand out in today’s talent market aren’t the ones with the most polished messaging. They’re the ones where the experience is real, the data is clear, and the story holds up. That’s what turns an EVP into something people believe – and something AI can validate.
At the For All Summit™ London, you’ll go deeper – into EVP, employer branding, and how culture can drive performance. Find out more.