Take advantage of the potential candidates visiting your site on a daily basis by advertising vacancies on a dedicated careers section. Integrating seamlessly within your existing website, this free recruitment channel creates the potential to centralise vacancy applications from multiple sourcing methods and provide a streamlined application process for all candidates.
Some of the best recruitment websites are highly effective due to their simplicity. Just as your main website is designed to reflect your target audience, the careers section should reflect the candidate market. Simply by considering every aspect from a candidates perspective will help your website become a very powerful and efficient recruitment solution.
As a priority your careers section needs to reflect the fact that job seekers want to be able to quickly identify any suitable roles you may have, understand whether they have the required skills and apply for vacancies effortlessly.
You may well have to consider who your target audience is as this often differs from your customer audience and the recruitment area needs to reflect this.
A good of example of this is www.maplinjobs.co.uk
Acting as a means of centralising applications from multiple attraction methods (including media advertising) your vacancy section also needs to have a memorable URL. Whether situated seamlessly within the existing structure of your website or as a separate site candidates a dedicated URL ensures even more candidates will visit your website in search for current vacancies.
Once they arrive at your job section, candidates should immediately be provided with the option to search for vacancies that match their specific criteria. Unfortunately all too often companies get this wrong by reflecting the company structure and not the search logic of candidates, therefore minimising the level of exposure certain vacancies receive and the consequent number of applications For example, many companies use internal job titles on there vacancy adverts which may not provide a clear understanding of the role or reflect a more commonly used job title which more candidates can relate to.
In order to fully capitalise on the number of job seekers visiting your site, candidate registration and job alert functionality needs to be clearly visible. Allowing candidates to register speculative applications not only helps build a pool of potential talent but dramatically reduces sourcing costs for future vacancies.
The key to selling a vacancy is to keep it simple. By ensuring all adverts are consistent (in terms of fonts, layout and branding) well written and nicely formatted and by providing access to information relating to the benefits of working with your company will not only present a professional company image but help entice more candidates to apply.
When explaining the benefits of working for the company try and use bullet points. This allows candidates to quickly understand what is being offered without having to trawl through large chunks of text.
Avoid requesting candidates to download applications or submit information by email and allow them to apply immediately online. This will not only help improve the response rate but also the quality of information received too. Role specific application questions gather information in relation to the specific vacancy supporting CV’s and facilitating the selection process by identifying quality candidates quickly.
Explanations of the application process can be beneficial at both the beginning and the end of the application process but beware of using links within the first stages of your application as this may divert candidates away from submitting their details.
Many cMany companies still do not understand that the process does not end when the application is made – especially from a candidate’s perspective. Adopting the right technology to help manage candidates through the selection process is not only essential to efficiently manage applications but acknowledgement of applications and feedback throughout the process is vital for companies who wish to deliver a quality candidate experience from start to finish.
In summary, the best recruitment areas need not only to reflect the business but the needs and wants of the candidates. Making it simple for candidates to identify or register for suitable vacancies ensures that they receive a positive and professional image of the company, reduces the need to conduct advertising or pay placement fees and introduces a streamlined and efficient recruitment process for all candidates regardless of source.
Candidates should be able to search for and view suitable vacancies quickly, understand the requirements of the role and the benefits of working for the company immediately and apply for vacancies effortlessly.
Many companies fail to consider who they are targeting.
By adopting best practise companies can portray themselves as a more innovative and forward thinking business to work for, attract potential candidates free of charge, centralise multiple attraction methods and deliver a positive candidate experience to each and every candidate.