Career Site Series - Part 2: “Top 5″ List for Deploying an Effective Online Career Center
Posted by JasonThis is a 3 part series, focused on deploying and managing effective corporate career sites. The 3 posts will include:
- Part 1: Effective Corporate Career Sites & Measuring Results
- Part 2: Top 5 List for Deploying an Effective Online Career Center
- Part 3: Results unveiled: Integrating SEO and PPC Tools
Part 2: Top 5 List for Deploying and Effective Online Career Center
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series (Effective Corporate Career Sites & Measuring Results), there are articles and white papers all over the web outlining the need to build an engaging, leading-edge corporate career site. In addition, there are hundreds of ideas and tactics on what those elements should be.
While it is not realistic to incorporate every best practice into every career site, it is important to understand your target audience and what elements will create the most engaging experience yielding the highest conversions of quality applicants on your site. Equally important is capturing some basic information from those visitors you don’t convert.
Here are 5 ideas to consider for engaging a candidate on your career site:
- Incorporate a blog. Easier than it sounds given the policies in many organizations, fear of the unknown, and possible risks involved. There are enough success stories in this space, dating back several years. Hats off to those who have pulled it off, they must be ecstatic there is little competition in the blogging space. Blogging is an effective way to build a true candidate community and mutual exchange between candidates and organizations.
- Integrating a chat feature into your site. Experts agree, today’s sites are static, and provide one-way communication. There are several inexpensive ways to build chat into a site, and the payoff can be big. The ideas are endless… Highlight workplace awards, discuss diversity and inclusion strategies, hold information sessions, profile work teams, or discuss new ideas.
- Provide interactive elements. These could include maps, live video streaming, webinar offerings, and career information that is meaningful and excites your target audience.
- Option to download gadgets and feeds. These are important for both active and passive candidates. Options can include information on jobs, postings, company information, press releases, and related career information.
- CRM capabilities to capture leads. 90%+ of most career site visitors do not apply, for a variety of reasons. This provides a significant opportunity to develop and implement a strategy to communicate with this audience.
Technology plays a big role in the recruiting process but it does not replace or address the human element. Not having the resources with the competence or drive to get aggressive about recruiting is a recipe for disaster. A site incorporating these or other best practices is only one element of a broader solution.
Options:
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May 21st, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Blogging, tweeting, live chat, videos, etc…These are all great social media ideas. How does one begin to wrap thier arms around all of this if they have a small HR/recruiting staff?
[Reply to this Comment]
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Mike,
Good question. I think it is important to balance resources, size of the organization you are supporting, and demographics of the target candidates. With that said, let’s take blogging as an example. For around $250, you can get a blog set up and launched through http://www.localna8ion.com/products/percolator-brew-up-new-local-customers/ - so then you would need to decide how much time to focus your efforts on the blogging vs. other traditional methods. Over time, through a blog, you should be able to build a strong talent community, with targeted readers. While there is no magic formula for any given company, those that continue to ignore social media will find it more and more difficult over time. If you had to start somewhere I would start with building an interactive career site even if it is with basic elements. Next, I would go with the blog as there are so many benefits. Thanks for the question - I hope that helps.
[Reply to this Comment]
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:13 am
[...] out the newest recruiting blog to enter the blogosphere - The Talent Buzz, and a post on creating an engaging experience for candidates on your career site. The Talent Buzz also offers a link with recruiting [...]
June 3rd, 2008 at 2:49 am
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July 8th, 2008 at 2:21 am
[...] your site engaging, with a clear “call to action”? Check out my “Top 5″ for creating an engaging career site for some ideas. In addition, consider the call to action every step of the way, on every [...]
July 8th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Hi Mike
You mention chat functionality, have you any examples of career or jobsites who have done this successfully?
thanks
v
[Reply to this Comment]
July 13th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Vicki,
Here is a link with several examples of organizations utilizing chat: http://talesfromthedigitalside.com/2007/03/30/chat-the-virtual-recruitment-tool-for-real-life/
[Reply to this Comment]
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:01 am
[...] Part 2: Top 5 List for Deploying an Effective Online Career Center [...]
October 14th, 2008 at 4:47 am
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