Best Practices: Career Section on your Website

By Juan Guerrero
Director, Interactive Services
Shaker Recruitment Advertising & Communications

So youíve got a corporate Web site and a careers section where applicants can peruse opportunities, maybe even apply online. But given the few seconds that you have to capture a jobseekerís attention, are you certain itís user-friendly and engaging enough to keep them on track to seriously consider pursuing an opportunity with your company? Is it helpful, informative, impressive even? Just how can you distinguish yourself from your competitors, and create a standout experience for the jobseeker? Below are some best practices you can consider applying to the careers section of your Web site to create a more streamlined experience for the jobseeker, which is of help to them, and as such, of benefit to you.

Career Section Best Practices
Overall look/feel and design
Clean, uncluttered look
Less can certainly mean more. Respect your reader. Share with them what they need to know, and no more.

Employer branding consistent with corporate site
Bolster your employer brand by creating a seamless extension of your corporate brand,both through imagery and messaging that communicates a unified look/feel of who you are as an organization, both internally and externally.

Logical, user-friendly navigation placement (i.e. ñ across top and down left side)
This is not a place to experiment. Be upfront and direct ñ guiding the user where they need to go to easily access the information theyíre looking for.

Overall Content
Concise, conversational, straightforward copy throughout
Speak in your language, but one that doesnít alienate potential candidates. If you donít say it like that, donít write it like that.

Dynamic content to interest and engage jobseekers
People like pictures, a little pizzazz. Hereís an opportunity to show some company personality ñ can be conservative to ultra funky. You choose whatís right for who you are, and who you want to attract.

Content refreshed quarterly to reflect up-to-date activities and openings
Current information is crucial for a jobseeker. They want to (and need to) know whatís happening now. Whether theyíre passive or active, yesterdayís news is one way to risk losing a jobseekerís interest.

Additional helpful content considerations
Hiring process FAQs
Educate the jobseeker on the process so they know what to expect.

Events page
Let the jobseeker know whatís happening when and where.

Employee testimonials
Share real employee stories in their own words.

Culture section
Demonstrate value and importance of diversity.

Additional helpful features
Email-a-friend feature ñ at the click of a button.

ìApply Nowî ñ clear and visible to respond to job postings.

Resume feature ñ upload created resume, or build one on site.

Job posting dates ñ identify when job was posted or updated.

Job cart function ñ enable jobseekers to save searches.

Privacy concerns ñ address confidentiality for applying online.

Keyword search engine marketing ñ facilitate online job search for jobseekers.

User Registration ñ do not require this. Allow users to access info freely.

In the simplest of terms...keep it simple. Donít make the user hunt for information, as youíll risk losing them. Start by providing easy access to the careers link from the corporate homepage, and from there, consider how a user would need to click through information on your site. Keep design pleasing to the eye, and content straightforward and helpful.

Create and maintain an organized and streamlined recruitment section on your site, because it does matter. Itís an opportunity to not only reinforce your corporate brand, but also to bolster your employer brand. By implementing these best practices, you can ensure that you are actually collaborating with potential jobseekers in becoming educated about your organization, and discovering opportunity within.

If you would like more information on best practices you can apply to the careers section of your Web site, please contact Juan Guerrero, Director, Interactive Services, at juan.guerrero@shaker.com.