How AEO and LLMs are reshaping employer brands in 2026
In 2025, 38% of job seekers under 30 used generative AI to research employers - and that number has only grown. Today, many candidates don’t browse five different sites to figure out what you’re like as an employer; they just ask AI. In seconds, they receive a generated verdict on your company's reputation, culture, and opportunities, a few decisive sentences that may well be the only thing they ever read about you.
Your employer brand is much more out of your hands. It's not just your company, your culture and your content - it's also how LLM's (large language models) understand your company.
This blog breaks down what Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) actually mean, how LLMs are changing the talent discovery process, and what you can do to make sure your company shows up first in those all‑important AI‑generated answers.
What is AEO and why does it matter right now
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is all about making sure AI‑powered systems can find clear, accurate answers to the questions people ask, things like:
- What is it like to work at this company?
- Does this company offer flexible working?
- Would this be a good employer for a graduate engineer?
In the hiring world, that’s critical. If AI assistants and search summaries can instantly pick up who you are, what you stand for, and the kind of talent you’re best suited to, you’re already ahead. Given that over a third of people in the US and 70% in the UK now use generative AI for everyday research, AEO has become one of your most important employer branding tools.
But what does this mean for SEO?
You’ve probably seen LinkedIn posts claiming “SEO is dead.” It’s not, it’s just evolved from just “optimising pages” to also earning trust.
SEO still powers everything. AI assistants and answer engines rely on well‑structured, crawlable pages to understand what you’re about. Most traffic to your careers site still starts with someone typing a traditional search query about job titles, salaries, culture, or location.
Your careers site still needs the same SEO basics it always did:
Up‑to‑date content
Clear structure,
Solid technical setup.
Without that SEO foundation, AI can’t trust or surface your content and your brand might stay invisible in both search results and AI answers.
How LLMs are changing the candidate journey
A few years ago, candidates jumped between job boards, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and news articles before deciding to apply. Now it's possible for all that to be formed into a single AI chat.
This is where strategy matters; you don’t need to win the top spot in every AI list. You need to be intentional about the ones you want to appear in, as some will be harder than others, for example, “Top 5 employers for Software Engineers in London.”
Just like SEO, the opportunity sits in specifics, such as location, skill set, working pattern, such as “Software engineers near Farringdon”, “Python developers in fintech”, or “remote-first engineering teams” are far more winnable and far more relevant.
The same principles apply: clarity, structure, and consistency. LLMs reward the brands that clearly define who they’re for, not the ones trying to appeal to everyone.
Building AI authority for your brand
Your careers site still needs to be your main source of truth. It’s where you define your EVP, your culture, and your proof points in structured formats that AI can easily read.
But LLMs don’t take your word alone; they cross-reference with external sources where employees talk openly (in ways that you can’t control). Reddit now drives 40%+ of AI citations across major models, over Wikipedia.
Glassdoor, Fishbowl, and industry forums carry huge weight as external truth because they contain raw employee experiences.
So the new model looks like this:
- Careers site → your structured story.
- External sources → your social proof.
Both need to tell a consistent story, or AI will fill the gaps for you. If you are in a situation where your Glassdoor is in a tough position, acknowledge it, and show what’s changing by responding to comments. AI (and candidates) care far more about consistency and self-awareness than perfection.
What EB Leaders should be doing now
1. Keep track of what’s being said
Set alerts for Reddit, Glassdoor, and relevant online conversations. Every quarter, have a conversation with ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or other AI models that are frequently used in your industry, as if you’re a candidate. Ask it “What’s it like to work at (your Company)?” and see which sources dominate the answer.
2. Stay visible
On Glassdoor, respond to reviews within 48 hours using your EVP language. And on Reddit, encourage employees to get involved in conversations and share real stories organically.
3. Lean into employee advocacy
Build confidence before content by giving people clear, friendly guardrails and support, not rigid rules. Coach and encourage employees to share real stories rather than perfect posts, creating space for questions and learning. Embed your EVP clearly so people understand what the company stands for, how to show up online, and why their voice matters.
4. Close the loops
Make your careers site the undeniable source of truth by featuring your top employee stories. Where issues persist in external reviews, address them head-on with transparency and hard data, not a marketing spin. Use your quarterly check in to identify what you should prioritise. If ChatGPT and other AI models are mainly drawing from Reddit/ Glassdoor, make this your No.1 - if it's your career site, this should be your No.1.
Earning your place in the dataset
If AEO is about being the answer, Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is about ensuring you are included in the source material. To be cited, you first have to be seen.
Here’s what feeds GEO:
- Careers site
- Job descriptions
- Review responses
- Employee stories
- Employer awards or earned media
Quick GEO checklist:
- Date anything important (“Benefits updated January 2026”).
- Use your EVP language consistently across every channel.
- Mirror that same tone in replies on review sites.
- Publish at least 5–10 employee stories on your main domain.
The 5‑Step AEO/GEO Playbook
1. Map the key questions
Pull the 20–30 most common candidate questions from recruiter notes, on‑site search, and socials.
2. Create an answer library
Write 50-80 word answers for your top queries. Keep them in one place so everyone, comms, TA, and hiring managers stay aligned.
3. Audit how AI describes you
Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity how it would describe you versus your competitors. Note what data it uses and fill any gaps.
4. Update job descriptions
Build those pre‑approved brand “answers” right into every job description, so you’re reinforcing your messages at scale.
5. Track and evolve
Quarterly, test again. If the AI’s answers change (or drift), update your content and tighten your consistency.
What Employer Brand Leaders must do differently in 2026
It’s time to re-engineer your employer brand for an AI‑first world.
The standout employer brands this year will:
- Treat their careers site like a structured data hub, not a marketing microsite.
- Write for questions first, keywords second.
- Align every touchpoint from job ads to social posts around a few core proof points.
- Measure visibility by AI query results, not just traffic or applications.
When a candidate interacts with a recruiter, an AI assistant, or a late‑night search, they should always get the same clear, credible story. Nail that consistency, and you’ll quietly dominate the AI shortlists, ensuring that when top talent asks the question, you are always the answer.
