Every recruiter knows how important their company’s Web site is for attracting new hires. But without a few key features, some sites may not be pulling their weight.
The recruiting site is critical to every company’s hiring strategy, says recruiting consultant Gerry Crispin, who spoke at this year’s Society for Human Resources Management conference. Even when candidates hear about you from another source, virtually all of them are going to visit your site at one point or another.
Here are seven key features HR can add to make sure you’re getting the most out of your site:
- No roadblocks to applying — The more clicks it takes to apply for a job, the more people you’re likely to lose along the way. You might not want to make candidates register and create a username and password, or jump through other hoops before submitting a resume.
- An easy-to-find link on the company’s home page — Sure, if people go to the site specifically looking for the “Careers” section, the link will probably be easy to find wherever it is. But fighting for more visible real estate can help you grab the attention of people who are browsing for other reasons.
- Visitor involvement — These days, people want their Web browsing experiences to be interactive. Many companies put a simple poll question on their recruiting pages. Often, they ask people questions about their job search experience, which will also help you collect useful information for boosting your recruiting efforts.
- Separate sections for different groups — Most soon-to-be graduates approach the job search differently than, say, mid-career professionals. And anyone who applies for a job wants to see that people like themselves work at your company already. Creating specialized sections for different demographics — for example, including a button that says “Recent graduates, click here” — can help you reach all of them equally.
- A look into the future — Some companies have started including information for new hires on the Careers page and making it accessible to everyone on the site — for example, details about orientation, what to expect on the first day, etc. That gives potential applicants a view of what their early days on the job will be like and makes them more comfortable about sending a resume and accepting an offer.
- Alternatives to applying — A good chunk of the people who go to the site won’t be ready to apply or won’t be qualified for any job you have open at that moment. But they might be later, so don’t let them get away. Some companies offer a recruiting newsletter to periodically update interested folks on new opportunities. Others link to company-sponsored groups on social networking sites to keep them in touch.
- Acknowledgment of every candidate — You need to keep candidates interested in your company even after they apply for a job. The least you can do is create an automated “thank you” note that gets sent to everyone who applies online.
How about your recruiting site? What features are you using that are getting good results? Let us know what’s working for you by dropping us a comment below.
