The best-designed career websites go well beyond a simple laundry list of job openings. They are living, breathing examples of a company, its culture, and its employment brand. They give candidates a genuine look at your organization and its work style, so they are driven to apply for your open positions.
Elements of such sites include strong message delivery, engaging visuals, and compelling content, all of which add up to an emotional connection with your company. When all of these elements are woven into your site, the result is a powerful fool for getting the right people on board.
Optimize the Candidate Experience
When job seekers visit your career site, they should:
- Quickly gain a clear understanding of your brand message: Ask your employees what they value most about their workplace. Then, convey this to prospective hires via a compelling pitch, or unique employee value proposition. This will help candidates connect on a deeper level. Include a strong call to action to make it easy for them to take the next step.
- Be drawn to your visuals: People are inundated by visual elements online, so make yours stand out. Use vibrant photos and videos that showcase your location and workspaces, employees interacting and having fun, and whatever unique offerings will catch candidates’ interest and make them want to hear more.
- Get excited when reading about your openings: Think of each job ad as a marketing tool. Sell your company, your team, and the opportunity to be a part of it.
Also, be sure your site has search engine and mobile optimization, as well as an easy application experience and full integration into your social media channels.
A Look at Some Best-Practice Sites
Here are three sites that have best practices for candidate experiences locked down:
- Bank of America: When you visit this site, you can immediately click and find the workplace location of your choice. There’s emphasis on growth and development, what to expect from the company’s hiring process, support for women, and benefits, including financial and emotional, as well as physical wellness. You also get a look at Bank of America’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and how to make connections – and a difference. All things today’s candidates are seeking, and all within just a minute or two.
- Microsoft: Like Bank of America, Microsoft features employee testimonials and strong, vibrant images on its career site. It portrays inclusion, community involvement, innovation and growth – with great testimonials, such as one from an engineer with Asperger’s syndrome and a group of family members sharing their unique story. In addition to searching jobs, you can click immediately on student opportunities including scholarships and internships.
- Walmart: More strong visuals here, illustrating employees at work in various areas and functions, from cashiers to warehouse staffers, pharmacist and technicians. You can easily search by location and division. There’s a look at the next generation of e-commerce, as well as company culture and values in action.
An effective career site helps empower your company to build the robust branding you need to differentiate yourself as an employer of choice. For more tips on building your successful site and rounding out your full recruitment marketing strategy for 2022 and beyond, contact the Haley Marketing Recruitment Marketing team today.
