Your ideal candidate has landed on your careers site. So, what can you do to keep them engaged with your hiring process – all the way to applying? It’s often the extra thought that goes into careers website design that creates the best candidate experience. In fact, exactly like the five features in this month’s blog.
Last month we covered what we consider are 5 ‘must have’ best practice features for great careers websites. After all it’s what we do and win awards for. This month we start with thinking outside the box – or in this case the ‘search box’.
1. Universal search – because candidates aren’t just looking for jobs
Here’s the thing. Candidates are getting more selective in their career decisions. They may well have a role in mind, they may even find that role listed in your vacancies, but first they want to know more. They might be looking for your sustainability statement, a profile on your leadership team or an article about your values. So why make your careers search just about vacancies?
Helping the right people find the right content delivers a far more satisfying user experience. On the brand new site we built for Toolstation we introduced a search bar to the homepage that not only searches the live jobs, but also directs the user towards pages and blog articles that it thinks will also be of interest to them. Since adding this feature we have seen a significant increase in traffic towards content pages and blog articles from the homepage.
Check out the Toolstation careers site inc. Universal search
2. Integration with your ATS – because a seamless application is so much more satisfying
There becomes a point in most applications where your candidate will leave the careers website and end up on an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This shouldn’t spoil their experience. In an ideal scenario it should be almost impossible to be aware of the ‘join’ between your careers website and ATS. The very worst experiences happen when the candidate is finding the careers site a joy to use but the ATS feels disjointed and leaves them cold. At which point you may well lose their interest completely.
The way to overcome this is to integrate with the ATS. We’ve worked with a wide range of ATS partners who offer varying approaches to integration including ePloy, Lumesse, Pinpoint, Hubspot, Sage People and SAP to name just a few. Not only does integration make a far smoother experience for the candidate at the time, it also allows things like better indexing by Google, better formatting of the jobs themselves, accessing the application form through the website and tracking the candidate journey from landing on the site through to completed application. All very handy for the recruiter too.
Find out how we integrated the Jaguar LandRover careers website with SAP
3. Blooper reels – because it shows the lighter side of working for you
We all make mistakes, some of them can be pretty funny. Candidates aren’t just looking for a job, they are looking for a place to work that might just be fun too. So that’s why when we make recruitment films and, when we find clips that show just how human we all really are – we don’t let them go to waste.
For our series of employer branding films for retailer Deichmann there were a few clips that didn’t make it into the final films. But they did make a great ‘Blooper reel’ for the careers website. We think they add to the experience of what it might be like to work for them. And that’s a positive when it comes to deciding whether to apply or not.
Watch the Deichmann careers website blooper roll
4. Use a chatbot – because it’s another way of interacting, and job seekers love it
Candidates often have a lot of questions. So, make it as easy as possible for them to get your answer – via a chatbot. Chatbots aren’t just for consumer websites, or chatting with your broadband provider. They can be just as helpful to candidates.
The site we developed for Manchester Metropolitan University features a chatbot. Developed by eArcu it helps potential candidates with their questions around the University, the roles available, Manchester itself and any hints, tips or advice on making an application. It offers job seekers another way of interacting with the Manchester Metropolitan University recruitment team and is phenomenally popular.
Chat with the Manchester Metropolitan University chatbot
5. Feature a blog – because candidates trust people who already work for you
Remember what we said at the start? Candidates aren’t just looking for a vacancy. A blog is an ideal way to show what it’s like to work for you and profile the many different areas and personalities within your business. What’s more, candidates relate to other people like them, already doing the roles and who they can trust. That’s why a blog is one of the most powerful tools to encourage candidates to go ahead and apply.
Of course, a blog doesn’t write itself. But you will be surprised just how many people do have a story to tell and, with a little coaxing and some outside editorial support (which we can help with), you’ll soon be adding rich and vibrant content that won’t only be a help to potential candidates, but also help your careers site in Google search rankings.
Check out the latest careers stories on the NFU Mutual careers site blog
In conclusion
A candidate is on a journey from awareness to application, just as any form of customer is towards making a purchase. And, like any customer, a candidate will want to do their research, find out more and convince themselves that they trust the employer. Which is why when it comes to your careers website, the more they can discover on their terms, and the more they can get to know and like you, the more likely they’ll be to complete that journey.
Other articles in our careers website series
If you missed these, they’ve all been written to help you plan and create your next, and best, careers website yet.
Five ‘must have’ features for careers website best practice
How to plan and brief your new careers website
The business case for building a new careers website
How to improve the SEO of your careers website
What makes compelling content for your careers website?
What makes a good careers website?
Need a little help?
If you feel that you’d like some help, support or even a little chat around building your next careers website or any aspect of your talent attraction strategy just drop us a line. After all, much of our best work has started with a cup of tea and a Zoom call.
