No matter how your job applicants come to you, whether it’s online, through a colleague/friend, or via a recruiter, one thing you can be sure of, at some stage they’ll check out the careers page on your website.
So, what is it that candidates expect from your website, and how can you be sure that it’s supporting your recruitment objectives?
Drawing on recent research, we’ve trawled through some of the best careers pages, and picked out some examples from which you can take inspiration.
1. Tell a story and get candidates engaged
Job listings don’t have to be at the forefront of your careers page. In fact, it’s more effective to tell your story first – to connect at an emotional level – before getting into the details. Candidates want to be inspired by what you, their potential future employer, stands for, so hit the prospect with your company’s value proposition straight away.
And, don’t forget the human factor. There’s no better way to learn what it’s like to work at a company than from the people who already do. You can’t go wrong with smiling, happy employees on a careers page, so why not make this a main feature of your site.
Example: AirBnB
www.airbnb.co.uk/careers
Air BnB nail the emotional and human aspect of their careers page. You’re greeted with one bold headline: ‘Create a world that inspires human connection’, a simple piece of copy that tells you why this is the place you should want to work. This, along with some nice company culture shots makes for a well-polished, effective careers page.
2. Don’t sit on the fence
It’s no good having a tonne of applicants if only a handful identify with your company’s culture and values. Highlight key words on your site to showcase your company’s core beliefs and you’ll ‘alienate the non-prospect’. This is a bold strategy that many companies tend to shy away from, fearing they’ll frighten off top talent. But in doing this, your candidate pool will be filled with better suited applicants and your recruitment process will become more efficient and streamlined as a result.
As well as culturally unsuitable candidates, it’s also important to filter out those who are underqualified for a role early in the application process. Having a bunch of new graduates applying for a job that requires 5+ years of experience and a PhD is a waste of yours, and their time. A series of qualifying questions is a quick and effective way of letting an applicant know they’re not suitable for a role.
Example: Everlane
www.everlane.com/careers
With the headline, ‘Dear rule-breakers, questioners, straight-A students who skipped class: We want you,’ Everlane immediately define the type of candidates they’re after. It has attitude, and will resonate with the kind of people they want working for them.
3. Include video content
If a picture paints a thousand words, then a video surely paints a million. Videos are a great way to engage with potential applicants, and one video can show everything a prospective employee needs to know about what your company stands for, and what it would be like to work for you.
Example: Rolls Royce
https://careers.rolls-royce.com/united-kingdom
Check out engineering giant Rolls Royce’s recruitment video. In 90 seconds, they cover the company’s core beliefs, successes and the benefits of working there. Granted, you might not have anywhere near the budget they do, but videos can be put together much more economically than in the past, and can make a big difference to your careers page.
4. Explain how the application process works
Breaking down exactly what candidates can expect from the process is a great way to prove the professionalism of your organisation, set appropriate expectations, and provide reassurance that their application will be properly considered.
Examples: Air Canada Rouge and NEXT
https://flyrouge.com/ca/en/careers/apply.html
https://careers.next.co.uk/stores/how-we-recruit/
Air Canada Rouge and NEXT both tell applicants what to expect on their careers page, outlining the process from submission, right through to the job offer.
5. Make it user-friendly on all devices
Your prospects may well be looking at your site on the go, so it needs to be optimised for phone and tablet as well as desktop to ensure the best possible candidate experience. Job seekers won’t waste time trying to navigate themselves around a dodgy interface or waiting for images to download. They’ll leave before they can engage with your content, and you’ll lose potentially good candidates.
Example: Marriott International
http://www.careers.marriott.co.uk/
Marriott International developed an easy to use mobile careers page that gives their audience everything they need to know. Visit their site on your smartphone, and then visit yours. How does it compare? Put yourself in the shoes of an applicant – what’s it like to navigate around your careers page? Is it easy, or do you find it frustrating?
Getting candidates to your recruitment site is only the first step of the hiring process of course. An HR system can go a long way in making the rest of your recruitment process run smoothly, whether that’s facilitating a consistent communication between candidate and company, posting job vacancies online, or identifying the most suitable CVs in your candidate database.
If you want to find out more about how Cezanne HR’s in-recruiting module can help you, why not check out the product page, or book a demo with one of our consultants today.
Chris Wells
A graduate of the University of Birmingham, Chris is an experienced marketing manager who now works for prestigious publishing firm HarperCollins.
