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Candidates today have higher expectations for their job searches. In the digital world we are in, the expectation is that everything required is a few clicks or taps away.
Creating a new careers site to support your recruitment strategy can be a daunting task and one that is often done badly.
However, creating the right candidate experience through your careers site is your best chance of making a great first impression and as the cliché goes you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
As competition for talent continues to rise, attracting talent is one of the most critical factors to scaling up your business. In attracting talent your employer brand dramatically influences your ability to attract, influence, hire and retain top talent.
69% are likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages its employer brand (e.g., responds to reviews, updates their profile, shares updates on the culture and work environment). (Glassdoor U.S. Site Survey, January 2016; *Updated from 94%, Glassdoor survey, October 2014)
Careers Site Check Points:
1.What does your careers site say about you?Are you doing enough to sell yourself as the best employer out there?Your careers site should provide an introduction to your brand and communicate your vision.
It is a great way prospective employees can quickly learn about the company and bring your brand to life.
2.How easy is it to navigate your site? Do visitors have to search for information?
Navigation to enhance the candidate journey is a key priority. Often overlooked is the responsiveness to candidates preferences as they switch from laptop to tablet to smartphone (and with different browsers).
3.Often, careers sites and the job search and application functionality provided by an applicant tracking system are two separate websites with different domain names such as
Careers.mycompany.com and atsname.com/mycompany. This can confuse candidates at the application stage when they are transferred to the ATS site and result in high levels of application ‘drop-outs’.
From the outset, be clear on your aims and objectives. Be visual and engaging to enhance the journey and priorities of your candidates. Where possible, aim for the full candidate experience, from viewing your careers information through to applying for a job, to be delivered on a single domain and seamlessly branded throughout.
4.Having access to analytics and insights into candidate interaction will help you continually improve. Having the ability to track, review and improve is a must. This Recruiters guide to Google Analytics will provide revolutionary insights
Having the right career site is a competitive advantage in attracting and engaging talent so you can’t afford to get it wrong. The annual Resourcing and talent planning survey, published in June by the CIPD reported that 74% of survey respondents believe their most effective attraction method is their own corporate website. You can read more about designing the perfect careers site in this free e-Book.
Success Story
Find out how David Lloyd Clubs, one of Europe’s largest racquets, health and fitness operator have reduced their cost of hire by 98% by funnelling their applications through their Eploy powered careers site. 70% of new hires are now acquired directly through their website. Read the case study below.
