Have you ever visited a company’s website for whatever reason and something there makes you say I wish I could work there. This is the main function of a career site, a place where you post whatever vacancies you may have at the moment, for people that wander into your website for whatever reason.
Making a good career site can be a little tricky; they don’t directly attract candidates the way a job board or aggregator does, but that doesn’t mean they’re not useful. When a potential worker goes on your website it’s because there is something about you that has already caught their attention and they’re already considering the possibility of applying, even if they’re just “browsing.”
In order to help you get the most out of your career site, we’d like to present some of the key elements that will increase its overall efficiency:
We can’t emphasize enough how important it is that all of your websites are optimized for mobile devices. According to our own data, a whopping 69.3% of job seekers log in from their cellphones while the rest do it from either a desktop (27.2%) or a tablet (3.5%).
People are constantly on the go and chances are that if someone is going to look at your website they will be doing so from their mobile device. So, if your site doesn’t support mobile explorers, you can be sure that instead of pinching and squinting, your candidates are going to hit that X faster than you can say employer branding.
Search Engine Optimization is the latest game changer. If you’re not on the first page of Google, you basically don’t exist. Here’s the deal, when someone looks up your company or the type of service you provide on Google, you want to show up on top of the results page. Furthermore, you want different sections of your website, including your career site, to be directly accessible from the results page.
The best ways to boost your SEO is by using the right keywords to attract the right people to your content, setting custom URLs, and coming up with good website titles. All of these things are meant to make it easier for search engines to find you and give you a good rank.
It’s not what you think, it’s about employer branding. If there’s ever a place and a time to really put the spotlight on your brand, this is it. Show everything you’ve got to offer to your potential new hires. From your workplace environment, company culture and philosophy, to your EVP; bring out the big guns!
Use this space to deliver a clear message of who you are as a company. A video presentation is often a good idea you should consider investing in, although it’s not essential. And it’s always nice to end with a strong call to action in order to engage your candidates.
Good references and reviews are the new currency. If you want prospective candidates to give you the time of day, they need to know what your company is like from the inside. Have your current employees share their thoughts and opinions on what it’s like to work with you. You can choose from either written reviews or video testimonials.
Here’s the complicated part, though, you need to make sure that those testimonials are honest, but don’t show you in a bad light. Let them write their own testimonials, you don’t want to put something that looks clearly scripted and fake.
When you have several job opportunities available or several locations, it can be a bit troublesome for your visitors to find something that catches their eye.
An excellent way to help your candidates find what they’re looking for, even if they don’t quite know what that is, is by adding a search bar to your career site. Implementing certain filters is also another way to help visitors navigate the site. Allow your candidates to sort the job opportunities you’re offering by location, area of expertise, or even by skills required.
It’s also worth mentioning that your career site should be visually attractive. Take the time to make it dynamic and stimulating. However, avoid making it too flashy or otherwise it might become distracting.
Finally, make sure that the career section is easy to find from your home website. The best thing to do, and it will also help with your SEO, is using a call to action as the title of your career site, maybe something like, "Work with us!" or "Join our team!"
Whenever you’re describing any job opportunities you might be offering, it’s always advisable to give a detailed explanation of what the application experience will be like. Start from the basic responsibilities of the job, the benefits, and the growth possibilities; don’t forget to lay down a clear application process. The key here is being clear, sincere, and thorough.
Remember: your career site should be easy to find and navigate, it should reflect everything your company stands for, and it should be an inviting gateway through which new talent can walk right in. Having a website for your company and not including a career section is a waste of resources you simply can’t afford. Go ahead and use every means available to get ahead in the candidate race.