Quick question: how is your company’s web presence helping with recruitment? Take a minute to think about it.
Got your answer? …No? Well if you aren’t sure, then it’s likely not helping at all. In fact, a poor or neglected web presence may actually be hurting your recruitment efforts.
Luckily for you, today we’re going into detail here at Spring Insight on the best ways to spruce up your website design for recruitment – and we’re taking you along for the ride. Buckle in and get ready to appeal to even more potential candidates.
Recruitment is a huge challenge right now across the board, with professional services and government contractors being hit especially hard. But despite what you may think, this isn’t because there aren’t great candidates or people who want work. With the “Great Resignation” in full swing, many job seekers are simply more cautious these days.
Think about how you acquire new clients. Good customers who purchase frequently and in large quantities don’t just walk in the door ready to buy. You have to sell them on your product or service – show them that your business is reliable, your products are high-quality, and your customer service is top-tier.
Job seekers are no different. Before a potential new hire signs on the dotted line, they want to do their due diligence on your company and know if you’re the right fit for them.
So how can you pivot your approach to recruitment to attract candidates? Well, there’s only one place people research nowadays: the internet. So if your website is not appealing to job seekers and providing the information they’re looking for, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. In short, you need a website design for recruitment.
Most people look for three main things in their job search, so you want your website design to emphasize that your company is:
Now, before you start panicking, trying to figure out how exactly to do that, stick with us. Because we have five ways to make sure your website design is fit for recruitment.
When a person discovers your company during their job search, your website is likely the first place they’ll go after viewing your job listing. If you don’t currently have a Work for Us page, you are missing out on prime real estate to sell your company to potential candidates.
Use this page to tell the story of why people should want to work for your organization. Outline the benefits, culture, and perks that come with the job. Candidates also love hearing from current employees, so consider adding testimonials about why your team loves where they work (bonus points if they’re videos).
Once your future employees are sold and ready to work for you, show them how they can easily apply right there on the same page.
Your team page is another place to optimize your website design for recruitment. Show job seekers what working at your organization would look like for them by including names, pictures (even if they’re remote), and job titles of everyone on the team. Outlining your current team structure helps give candidates a sense of your company culture, who they would potentially be working with, and how they would fit into the company overall.
Small businesses especially seem to shy away from these pages. Regular staff turnover and the level of effort needed to manage these pages can seem overwhelming, but we can’t stress how important this page is during a candidate’s job search. But if you really don’t have the time, we can help you get started and keep the page current.
Social media is one facet of digital marketing that everyone wants to do, but it’s rarely done well. Most often, candidates visit your social media after visiting your website. Regularly posting and staying active on social media shows job seekers that someone is home and keeping things moving.
Be sure to include links to your social media profiles in a prominent place on your website so job seekers can easily find them. And, remember, you don’t need to be on every social media platform to have a top-notch social media engagement. Choose ones that your audience uses and that work well for your business. At a minimum, make sure your company has an active, current, and informative LinkedIn page. This should also be true for your primary subject matter experts.
Content is typically used to inform clients and give them a call to action, but it’s even more important as it can show your potential team members that you know your stuff. Blogs, white papers, and well thought out social media posts give candidates a sense of what they’ll learn as a part of your organization and how they’ll be able to grow.
More than anything, though, content is often client-focused. Candidates reading your content will begin to connect the dots between the company and the customer. This will give them insight into what their day-to-day might be like working for your organization. They’ll also see the passion for what your company does and that you’re willing to spend the time and money on content to share that passion and expertise.
And, hey, it doesn’t hurt if your content is search engine optimized as well – the more website traffic, the better.
The other day I was working with a client on this very topic, and while we were reviewing their recruitment website I noticed two big things. First, the copyright date was still 2020. Second, their most recent blog post was from 2019. The best website is no longer the best if it’s outdated.
An excellent website design for recruitment never looks abandoned. Dated content or design is the online equivalent of having an office with wood paneling, shag carpet, and an avocado fridge. That wouldn’t be a good look for your business, would it?
Candidates don’t want to work for a company that looks like it’s going under, either – keeping your website current shows them that business is still booming and evolving. It also creates a great user experience for candidates, making them want to continue to research your opportunities.
A website may feel like something you can just set up and forget. But regular updates, redesigns, and blog topics will make any job seeker want to be a part of your organization. And although social media may seem like a hassle now, it could be the key to drawing in your next employee of the month. By making your company story easy to navigate and research, you’re setting your HR department and hiring managers up for success.
Even with your newfound knowledge, creating a website design for recruitment might seem out of reach. In that case, we got you. Contact Spring Insight today, and we’ll help you get a fresh influx of new talent with our website creation services.