Career pages can be more than just a repository for your company’s job postings. Done right, these pages will improve your employee recruitment process, promote your company values, showcase employer recognition awards, and much more. A compelling careers page grabs the attention of job seekers and helps your organization to attract top talent.
Why should you create a careers page?
Creating a careers page on your company website is essential for attracting top talent to your organization. By showcasing your company culture, mission, and available job opportunities, you can entice prospective employees and promote your brand as an employer of choice.
Implementing careers page best practices, such as including a clear and concise job description, outlining potential career paths and growth opportunities, and showcasing employee testimonials, can help potential hires get a sense of what it’s like to work at your organization.
A comprehensive careers page has several benefits, including:
- Streamlining the recruiting process.
- Creating a central location for job postings and applications.
- Reducing the need for traditional recruitment methods.
- Increasing job applicant quantity and quality.
- Highlighting your company culture.
- Drawing attention to employer recognition awards.
Investing time and effort in a careers page will help your organization stand out from the competition and attract the best talent to your team.
What do applicants look for on a careers page?
When job seekers visit your company’s careers page, they are looking for a clear picture of what it’s like to work at your organization and what sets you apart from the competition. Here is what makes a good careers page:
- Clear job descriptions, including required qualifications and job duties.
- An overview of your company culture and values, including diversity and inclusion initiatives.
- Employee testimonials that provide insight into what it’s like to work at your organization.
- Information on potential career paths and growth opportunities within the company.
- An easy-to-use application process, including the ability to upload resumes and cover letters.
- A mobile-responsive design that allows job seekers to browse and apply on the go.
By incorporating these features into your careers page, you provide job seekers with the information they need to decide whether your organization is a good fit for them. A compelling careers page will help you attract top talent and build a strong employer brand that sets you apart.
12 tips for creating a successful careers page
Creating a robust careers page is essential. So, we’ve put together some useful tips to help you get started. You may be thinking it would be quick and easy to fill the page with an abundance of company information. But it is important to focus on the basic rules of creating an effective careers page:
1. Make it easy to find your careers page
The first step in creating a good careers page is making sure it can be easily located. Your careers page should be accessible from the homepage as well as the footer. Making the page visible enables users to access it quickly without searching through your website’s navigation.
2. Emphasize what makes your company unique
A great way to make your company stand apart from competitors is to showcase what makes your company unique. There are many ways to do this, such as highlighting company culture strengths, promoting your mission statement, and featuring employee testimonials. Remember to stay true to your employer brand and company values.
Your company blog is another excellent opportunity to give job seekers a peek into your company culture. The employee experience impacts employee engagement, so consider adding details about company events or allowing employees to author posts about their experiences working for your company. The online content is an excellent addition to careers pages.
3. Create a user-friendly careers page
HCM Technology Reports that nearly 70 percent of job seekers apply using mobile devices. That’s why mobile-friendly, user-friendly, intuitive navigation is more important than ever. Here are some careers page best practices to consider:
- Ensure essential information, such as job listings or a search bar, is displayed prominently.
- Add anchor links to get users to content quickly and easily.
- Avoid heavy text blocks. Bulleted or numbered lists are an effective alternative.
4. Showcase your employees through multimedia
Use various eye-catching, interactive media options such as videos, images, graphics, or infographics to capture your audience’s attention. Be careful to include a tasteful mix of media options to keep your audience engaged with the page content. Including images or videos of employees throughout the page is a great way to infuse personality and encourage job candidates to connect with your employees and the company’s mission.
5. Create creative job postings to stand above the competition
Job postings need to sell the job. Craft well-written descriptions that capture attention and excite the user to read them; don’t just list the requirements and duties of the job. Strike a balance between setting expectations and providing an accurate description by promoting the unique features that encourage the job candidate to apply.
6. Ensure job postings are accurate and up to date
Ensuring that job listings are up-to-date and accurate is a careers page best practice. Refresh job postings and remove filled positions to provide a positive user experience and show potential candidates that your organization is transparent and professional.
7. Simplify the application process
A simple job application process is essential for attracting and retaining top talent. Lengthy and outdated applications can deter applicants and make them abandon the application process altogether. Creating a streamlined, easy-to-navigate, and complete application process can increase the likelihood of qualified candidates following through and applying for your open positions.
8. Include benefits and perks
Job seekers consider benefits and perks important factors in their decision-making process when choosing an employer. Offering a range of benefits and perks can attract and retain top talent, increase employee satisfaction, and improve overall productivity. Some examples of benefits and perks an employer can offer are:
- Comprehensive health insurance plans.
- Generous paid time off policies, including vacation, sick leave, and personal days.
- Workplace flexibility offerings such as job sharing compressed work weeks.
- Professional development opportunities, including training and mentorship programs.
- Retirement savings plans, such as 401(k) or pension plans.
- Employee wellness programs, including gym memberships or mental health resources.
9. Optimize your careers page
Posting new job listings to your careers page is just the first step in promoting job opportunities. Integrate your job listings with other career-related sources such as LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, ZipRecruiter, Top Workplaces, and others. Additionally, optimize your job postings to be keyword-friendly, so they become visible for job seekers when they’re searching for jobs in the related topic areas.
Measuring careers page conversion rates is essential to gauge its effectiveness. Track the number of visitors who land on the page and the number of those who take action, such as submitting a job application or signing up for job alerts. Next, calculate the percentage of conversions. Web analytics tools like Google Analytics provide access to these metrics.
10. Make the careers page attractive
Increase engagement with your careers page by presenting a clear picture of your company culture. Some ideas to consider include:
- Visually appealing design and graphics to make the page easy on the eyes and stand out.
- Employee testimonials that highlight what it’s like to work at your company.
- Videos and photos that give a behind-the-scenes look at your workplace.
11. Showcase your teams’ diversity
Your careers page should aim to make applicants of all demographics feel welcome and encouraged to apply by promoting a culture of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Including an equal opportunity employer disclaimer helps to reinforce this message and signal to potential candidates that your organization values fairness in its hiring practices, regardless of race, gender, age, or other factors.
12. Earn and feature employer recognition awards
Another way to improve the strength of your careers page is to feature notable achievements and awards. Earning reputable, third-party employer recognition, especially those based on genuine employee feedback, validates and supports your message while providing your company with additional visibility.
Avoid common mistakes on careers pages
Now that you understand what makes a good careers page let’s review some of the most common mistakes. Here’s what to avoid:
- Cluttered or confusing layouts that make it difficult for candidates to find the information they need.
- Failing to provide enough detail about job responsibilities, qualifications, and benefits.
- Vague or generic language that doesn’t give candidates a clear sense of what it’s like to work at your company.
- A complex or time-consuming application process leading to a high drop-off rate.
- Excluding contact information, guidelines, and expectations.
- Outdated job posts and other information causing missed opportunities and job-seeker frustration.
Earn a Top Workplaces award to attract top talent
Employer recognition programs like Top Workplaces awards give your organization something to celebrate, a sense of pride, and a much-needed morale boost. Participating companies use them to improve recruitment, but there are additional benefits of employer recognition, including opportunities to:
- Develop a credible, positive online reputation.
- Build your employer brand.
- Gain media exposure as a great place to work.
- Lower hiring costs and improved retention.
Take the first step toward earning credible employer recognition to feature on your careers page. Nominate your company for a Top Workplaces award.
