Updated in October 2023.
1 - What is a careers website?
2 - What makes an effective careers website?
3 - Your company values
4 - What your company does
5 - Employee testimonials
6 - Benefits and perks
7 - Recruitment campaigns
What is a careers website?
A careers website, or careers page, is where a company can highlight information about careers within the company, and nurture & grow their Employee Value Proposition.
Careers content can come in all shapes and sizes, such as careers progression opportunities, company culture, job schemes, interviews with current employees, company benefits - you name it.
The content should be constructed with the objective to drive engagement and attraction with prospective candidates. Done well, it can even help candidates to decide if they want to apply for a job in the first place (or encourage them to apply!). For instance, by showcasing your company culture candidates can decide if it’s for them - you'll then only need to concentrate on those who are a fit for what you’re looking for.
A recent survey found 15% of candidates who applied for a job did so because they were influenced by what they read on the company’s careers website (JobBrain™). In a candidate-driven market, it’s important to capture every last candidate.
What makes an effective careers website?
Having the right technical tools in place is the first place to start – most applicant tracking systems should include an option to use a careers site builder/Content Management System, like the one we have developed!
Once you have the tools in place to start, below we've picked out the main content points you should think about covering in your own careers website to enhance and grow your employer brand.
Consider when you’re writing careers content – what would you like to know about a company before you decided to apply?
Your company values
Company values are your core values that guide the way your business operates. They should sum up what your company stands for, influence the culture and drive how and why you do things. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) should also form a key part of these values too.
Here’s an insightful read from Indeed with core company values from top employers.
Think about what makes your company different and the employees within it happy! Your values are important and helpful to prospective applicants when you’re competing for the best talent. It will help you retain staff too because those hires who already have a good grasp of your values and culture before joining know what to expect.
Here's a great example from one of our clients, CrossReach, showcasing their culture to prospective applicants.
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What your company does
This might seem an obvious thing to add, but is it plainly clear what your company does?
Including information about your company’s business will help applicants understand if you’re the right kind of company for them. Even better is if the content is steered towards being careers specific – the locations of your company’s offices (if you have multiple sites), specific business areas that could drive interest from applicants in those areas, etc.
Employee testimonials
Employee testimonials are interviews or statements from existing employees. They consist of them talking about their experience working at your company - what their typical day is (these are sometimes called ‘a day in the life of’ interviews), what has made them stay working there, what they like about it, etc.
A "day in the life of" video or interviews are particularly useful if you frequently hire for the same (or similar) roles, such as care workers. A testimonial of someone who’s already doing the job is a huge asset for prospective applicants to help them decide if the job and culture is right for them before they apply.
A corporate message versus a genuine employee testimonial is invaluable - they go beyond buzzwords and company straplines. They could be the difference between candidates applying for a position with you or not.
How do you to present an employee testimonial? They can simply be in the form of some text along with a photograph of the employee. Or short thirty-second video testimonials work well too – these don’t need to be complicated either. All you’d need is a quiet room, a mobile phone and a tripod.
Benefits and perks
With the cost-of-living crisis, most applicants will be heavily influenced by what’s included in the job package and benefits & perks available to all.
Make sure you’ve included every detail of the benefits available. Remember, it doesn’t always have to be monetary – early finish Fridays, flexible or remote working, private medical insurance, free mindfulness sessions, etc.
Recruitment campaigns
If you’re running a specific recruitment campaign, like a graduate campaign, having as much information available on your website for prospective applicants is critical for it to run smoothly.
The content you include for specific recruitment campaigns will be particular to your company’s needs but having a careers website with all information included will help things run smoothly.