Recruiting is a pain point for most companies, even those with a team designated to sourcing talent. So, why not let your website do some of the heavy lifting for you?
You’ve heard that your website is the first impression for customers, but it’s also the first impression that potential candidates have of your company. In this blog, we share tips for turning your website into a recruiting tool that reflects your company’s brand and culture and helps you attract candidates.
Showcase Your Company’s Brand Story
Brand is important in helping people feel connected to your company’s values, mission, and culture. However, there is more to branding than design, logos, and taglines. It’s a visual and written story of who you are as a business—and that story helps build a connection that attracts new talent and helps retain current employees.
Does your website and brand genuinely reflect who you are as a company?
Read the pages of your website or, better yet, have someone outside the company review it for you and provide feedback. Does the tone and voice of the writing reflect who you are as a business? Do you share the history of your company and what it means to customers and employees? Does the website feel unique to your company, or does it look and sound like your competitors’ websites?
If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” it’s time to enlist the help of your internal marketing team or a branding expert to give your website content and design a little refresh.
Highlight Your People and Company Culture
Getting people to connect with your brand is the first step. Next, you need to convince them why they should want to work for you. Most candidates want to learn more about a company before reviewing and applying to open roles. Here are a few things you should highlight to make your people and culture shine on your website:
- Your story and history. So many companies have a fascinating history and story of their founding—this is an important piece of helping candidates (and customers!) connect with your business.
- The day-to-day employee experience. Show photos of workspaces throughout the building and include a few video tours of the interior and grounds. Describe any schedule or remote work flexibility, and mention benefits packages, education, and growth opportunities.
- Commitment to the community. Does your company participate in activities and events that benefit the community? Talking about community involvement and charitable acts shows people the more compassionate side of your business.
- Company events and employee appreciation. Candid photos of company outings and team events are a great addition to your About Us or Careers page. Show people the “work hard, play hard” part of your company culture!
- Awards and recognition. Have you been awarded a “Great Place to Work” title? Make sure you place that badge in a prominent spot on your website! These awards are based on employee surveys and give credibility to everything you say about your company culture.
Make Your Careers Page Easy for People To Find and Navigate
Your careers page can be a powerful recruitment tool. Yet, for some reason, companies often neglect to update this part of their website. Here are a few things you can do to help your careers page stand out and captivate potential candidates:
- Make the page easy to find! If recruiting is a priority, your Careers page should be prominent in your website’s navigation bar. If you don’t have enough space for a standalone section, the next logical spot is adding it as a sub-page of your About Us page.
- Organize the page layout. A cluttered page makes for a horrible user experience. Use descriptive headings and short paragraphs to organize content, and add relevant visuals to help break up the text.
- Use filters or a search function for job listings. The last thing someone wants to do is scroll through a long list of jobs to find what’s relevant to them. Companies with multiple locations and available positions should use filters or a search box to help candidates tailor results to their job preferences.
- Include calls-to-action (CTAs). Add clear CTAs throughout the page to encourage users to apply or learn more about open roles. Another great idea is to include a “sign up for job alerts” option so candidates can receive updates on future openings.
- Simplify the application process. Nothing is more frustrating for candidates than a clunky application process. Keep it simple by minimizing steps and allowing candidates to save their progress so they can return later to finish the application. Tip: a big “pet peeve” for candidates is having to re-type job history details after uploading a copy of their resume.
- Highlight careers throughout your website. A small banner or content block on your website homepage provides a perfect opportunity to promote that you’re hiring. All you need is a headline, a few sentences, and a CTA directing people to the careers page to learn more,
Make Sure Your Website Is Optimized and Mobile-Friendly
All the efforts mentioned above go to waste if your website isn’t mobile-friendly and optimized with keywords. Why does this matter?
First, many job seekers search and apply from their phones, so creating a user-friendly mobile experience across your website is critical. Everything from your navigation menu design to the size, color, and placement of CTA buttons and linked text can make or break the user experience. And if candidates get frustrated trying to use your website, they are less likely to proceed with submitting an application.
Next, good search engine optimization (SEO) helps ensure your website pops up when potential candidates search for jobs online. Your strategy should include optimizing your Careers page and individual job descriptions with relevant keywords and industry terms to attract visitors to your website.
Promote, Promote, Promote!
Now that you’ve invested time and effort in updating your website, it’s time to make sure it gets noticed. SEO is a great long-term strategy for getting your Careers page to appear in search results, but that alone isn’t enough. Promoting your company and job openings through email marketing and social channels is the fastest way to get noticed. Share job postings across all channels and encourage your employees to do the same!
Let the Experts Help You Develop A Successful Strategy
Do you need help fine-tuning your marketing strategy to get results? The experts at Evolve Systems are here to help you meet your business and recruiting goals with data-backed strategies that set you up for success. Schedule a consultation with us today to get started!
