How to create the perfect careers site

How to create the perfect Careers Site

 

For any new and potential employees, your careers site is likely to be the first insight they have into your organisation. It’s how they’ll get a feel for your employer brand, your values and what it would be like to work for you. It has the potential to make or break a candidate’s decision to apply.

 

So, if you want to find out how to create the perfect careers site for your organisation, read on!

 

Careers Site Layout

 

The first thing to think about is the visual look and usability of your careers site. It will need to feed into your employer branding, using your organisation’s colours and style whilst representing your culture and values. You’ll also want to make sure that everything is laid out in a logical order (e.g. you have an introduction to your organisation, followed by the benefits you offer, with the list of current vacancies at the bottom) and that the page is easy to navigate.

 

Headings

 

Once you have the layout, you can come up with a catchy headline to draw people in. Don’t be afraid to go for a pun or play on words. Anything from ‘Are You in the Market for a Career in Marketing?’ for a marketing department’s site to ‘Would You Count Yourself Lucky to Work in Accountancy?’ for your accounting team. From the very first sentence, prospective applicants will then feel engaged with your site; try and be a bit creative whilst remembering your core employer values.

 

Structure

 

Studies have shown that, often, when people are reading pages online, they are scanning the text. Therefore, it would be beneficial to include subheadings and bullet points throughout your site to break up the text and any lengthy paragraphs. You can also use pictures, videos and quotes to do the same thing, therefore placing key information strategically where it is more likely to be read.

 

Benefits

 

The benefits your organisation offers are a key factor in both retaining current employees and encouraging new candidates to apply. Think about everything that makes working for you great, from the bigger things such as an annual bonus to the smaller things like being a short walk from a bus or train station. You want to give applicants as many reasons as possible to want to join you!

 

Equal Opportunities

 

A key aspect of, not just your careers site, but your organisation as a whole is the representation of equal opportunities. It is vital that your equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is not solely a statement of legal compliance placed at the bottom of your job advertisement, careers site or website.

 

Instead, you can be specific and display evidence of your dedication to EDI through statements of encouragement and expectation. These are statements with active engagement and a clear welcome towards prospective candidates who may apply for the role and statements explaining the expectations of candidates once they join your organisation, regarding EDI.

 

You must also be sure to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, ensuring that your careers site is accessible for those who are visually impaired or colour blind, suffer from hearing loss, those who find it difficult to use a mouse or keyboard and people with dyslexia, autism or learning difficulties.

 

Mobile Friendly

 

With almost 70% of job applications in 2021 being made from mobile devices, it is crucial that you ensure the layout of your careers site works just as well on mobile phones as it does on desktops.

 

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

 

Taking advantage of search engine optimisation will ensure your page features more frequently and prominently in searches as well as making sure you’re getting relevant candidates for your roles. If you’re creating a site for your marketing department, you’ll want to make sure you’re using ‘marketing, ‘marketer, etc. throughout so anybody searching for a marketing role will be led straight to your site!

 

It is also important to ensure you have a great meta title and description for your careers site. These are what appear when your link is listed on a search engine. As you will only have a limited number of characters, you’ll need to make sure it engages readers and encourages them to click through to your careers site over others!

 

Employee Testimonials

 

Testimonials from current (or even ex) employees can be the ideal way to encourage new applicants. Reach out to your employees for honest accounts of why they enjoy working with you and how they’ve progressed in their careers. Ask employees who’ve been with you for several years what has drawn them into staying. Hearing recent accounts showing that your current employees are happy can only serve to boost applications!

 

Regularly Updating

 

A final thing to bear in mind is to consistently update your careers site. Post new pictures from company social events, detail any awards won and new benefits that have been introduced. And, of course, make sure you take down an advertisement for a role once it has been filled!

 

Where To Go From Here

 

A great way to see how others are doing it is to search for roles within the same department or sector in which you are creating your site and have a look at the ones that appear first. This way, you’ll be able to see what makes them stand out and how they’re ensuring their site appears in the top results!

 

In addition, integrating your careers site with recruitment software, such as an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can be highly beneficial as you will be able to easily view and organise all of your applicants, for as many roles as you need, in one place.

 

Check out our blog post, all about ATS software or get in touch with us today to find out more about how our ATS can help you!

 

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