Does your company’s careers page have what it takes? Is it both attractive and efficient? Or are you turning off potential job applicants with a clunky design and process? The importance of a great careers page cannot be overlooked. It’s the first interaction a potential candidate has with your company and its internal administration. A positive candidate user-experience adds to your reputation, while a negative one may stop the candidate from completing the application process. In fact, you are quite likely to turn away some of the best talent with a poorly designed careers page. Here are 7 things you can do to build a great careers page that combines simplicity, efficiency and ease-of-use.
A great careers page is both inviting and interesting. A good, polished design is a must-have to make it clear that your company is aware of modern design and more importantly – that it cares about its employer brand and how it is perceived. The design should be fresh and in line with your company’s brand, yet also user-friendly. Don’t get too caught up in a design concept to the point that you hinder the candidates in finding the information they need and submitting their applications with ease.
In addition to having a good design, a great careers page also needs to reflect your company’s culture. Is your company formal or relaxed and casual? What are its key values? Whether your company focusses on innovation, client-service, quality, community, or any other values, a great careers page is one that illustrates this culture. The look and feel of your branded careers site should give candidates a glimpse of the team they might join.
A great careers page is one that avoids unnecessary signups. The more steps that you require from a candidate, the more likely it is that the candidate will stop before completing their application. A serious mistake is to require a candidate to sign in or create a new account to start the application process. You stand to lose out on many qualified applicants, as it is only natural that they want to see their time spent on something worthwhile. Registering to create a new account is often a time-waste for job seekers.
In addition to avoiding the unnecessary signups, the whole process of viewing opportunities, finding out about the company and applying for a job should be simple and efficient. Searching for a new job is a time-consuming activity so a great careers page is one that simplifies the whole experience for a prospective applicant. The applicant should be able to easily complete the application on the go from whatever device they are using.
A great careers page has carefully written job descriptions. An effective job description clearly identifies the experience and skills you are looking for, provides a snapshot of the job, demonstrates your company culture, and more. Take the time to edit and reflect on your job descriptions. You want them to be succinct, inviting and accurate — a misleading job description is only setting you up for receiving and reviewing scores of applications that don’t match your actual requirements. Or it could lead to costly hiring mistakes and unhappy employees.
A great careers page is one that saves everyone time. If your job description states that a certain amount of experience or type of skill is essential, include questions about these in the application process. A few yes or no questions and some pointed questions about job experience can eliminate the need for cover letters and make it easier for your human resources staff to screen out applicants who do not meet the necessary criteria. It’s a win-win for candidates and employers.
Finally, a great careers page will let the applicants know when their online applications are successfully submitted. A properly drafted email that automatically notifies an applicant that you have received their completed application sets the applicant’s mind at ease. This eliminates extra emails and calls to your human resources division from applicants who simply want to ensure that their application was received. And it’s also an opportunity to set expectations about common concerns like how long the hiring process will take and whether you will be contacting all applicants or only those selected for interviews.
Now that you know what goes into a great careers page, it’s time to put the above points into action. An important tool to help you do this is an effective modern applicant tracking system. With a user-friendly recruiting platform as your foundation, you are well on your way to creating a great careers website that attracts applicants, eases their way through the application process and sets up your human resources team to quickly proceed with screening and interview management.
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