A company’s career page is a crucial part of its online presence and recruitment strategy. It allows potential candidates to learn about the company, search for open positions, and get a feel for the company culture. An effective career page goes beyond just listing open roles – it should provide a compelling overview of the employee experience and convince candidates that this is a great place to work.
Company Overview and Mission
The career page should begin with a brief but powerful company overview that gets to the heart of the organization’s culture and mission. This should showcase what makes the company unique and highlight company values. The goal is to quickly communicate the company’s identity and get candidates excited about what the organization does. Mention notable facts like years in business, number of employees, office locations, interesting company history, and recent awards or recognition. Keep it brief but make sure key differentiators shine through.
Benefits and Perks
One of the most important sections of the career page is the benefits overview. Candidates want to know what’s in it for them if they choose to work here. Go beyond just listing health insurance and PTO – showcase fun and unique perks that capture company culture. Think retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, work from home options, paid volunteer days, annual retreats, fitness incentives, continuing education stipends, employee discounts, etc. Use visuals like photos and icons to bring benefits to life. This section should get candidates excited about the extras that come with the job.
Company Culture and Values
Job seekers today care deeply about company culture and want to align with an employer whose values match their own. Use the career site as a platform to demonstrate company culture through photos, videos, employee spotlights, and concrete examples of values in action. Show rather than just tell. Back up claims about the “collaborative” or “innovative” work environment with stories, events, and images that bring those descriptors to life. Candidates want proof that these values impact day-to-day work life.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Showcase diversity and inclusion efforts through both words and images. Feature employees from underrepresented groups and discuss specific initiatives that promote DEI in the workplace. Link to diversity reports and make any demographic data public. Authentic commitment to these issues is crucial for attracting today’s job seekers across all demographics. Describe employee resource groups, leadership programs for women/minorities, anti-bias education, and any partnerships with diversity-focused organizations.
Professional Development
In a competitive hiring market, candidates look for employers who will nurture their long-term career growth. The career page presents a prime opportunity to highlight development opportunities like mentorship programs, employee training, tuition reimbursement, and internal mobility. Share stories of employees who advanced their careers through internal promotions. Outline leadership development initiatives. Show how you empower employees to chart their own career paths and pursue skills development relevant to their interests and ambitions.
Company Awards
Earned media offers social proof that your company is a leader in its field and industry. Spotlight press mentions, media coverage highlights, speaking engagements, industry awards, and recognitions like “best workplace” awards. If you have been recognized as a top place to work, champion diversity, or excel in other areas, don’t be shy aboutshowcasing those achievements. It lends third-party credibility.
Open Positions
Of course, the career page should contain current job openings divided into clear categories (department, location, etc). Offer options to filter by criteria important to candidates, like remote positions or entry level openings. Provide job teaser descriptions that overview role responsibilities but also give a flavor of team culture and day-to-day activities. Link clearly to the formal position descriptions.
Employee Testimonials
Candidate skepticism means they take marketing language with a grain of salt. Combat this by featuring genuine employee perspectives on the company experience. Share video, written, or audio testimonials from a diverse range of staff speaking authentically about why they love working here, what keeps them engaged, and how they have grown on the job. This lends credibility and allows candidates to imagine themselves in the role.
Job Application Process
Transparency around the application process combats candidate frustration and demonstrates your respect for their time. Briefly explain the steps in your hiring process along with timelines. Share what your application requires (resume, cover letter, work sample portfolio), key interviews and assessments they can expect, and general decision time frames. Give a clear picture of what it takes to get hired.
Company Social Media and Events
Prominently display links to your social media accounts and encourage following, especially for Candidates who want an inside look at company culture and employee activity. If the organization hosts open-to-the-public events, spotlights these to encourage interested candidates to attend and engage. This might include guest speaker series, community volunteer projects, industry conferences, or open houses. Promote engagement pathways.
Employee Referral Program
Research shows employee referrals generate excellent applicant quality. If you have an employee referral program, promote this prominently as an advantage. Share why referred Candidates have a leg up in the hiring process and highlight any incentives you offer employees for successful referrals. Referrals signal pre-vetting and save recruiters time while tapping into workers’ trusted networks.
Use Visually Engaging Design
Today’s candidates expect an aesthetically pleasing, mobile responsive online experience. Use visually arresting design like large compelling photos, bold fonts, color palettes reflecting brand identity, ample white space, intuitive navigation, and engaging graphic elements. Optimized design demonstrates you are a modern, tech-savvy company in tune with contemporary expectations. Prioritize visual storytelling over dense text.
Keep Language Conversational
Stuffy, overly formal language can alienate and bore Candidates. Instead, adopt a conversational, friendly tone. Write in second person (“you”) and use active verbs. Avoid cliched, generic corporate-speak. Maintain the human touch with warm, approachable language that sounds like you are speaking directly to the candidate. Let the brand personality shine through.
Spotlight Employee Stories
Today’s candidates respond to storytelling that tugs at emotions and helps them envision life at your company. Spotlight diverse employees from interns to executives sharing their experiences in written profiles, video testimonials, podcast clips, and even user-generate social content. These stories make the culture, values, and passion come alive in relatable human terms.
Optimize For Mobile
The modern job hunt happens largely on mobile devices, so your career site must offer excellent mobile user experience. Test thoroughly on phones to remove pinch/zoom barriers, excessive scrolling, clutter, and elements that don’t translate to small screens. Mobile optimization reassures candidates you understand contemporary candidate behavior.
Refresh Content Frequently
Stale, outdated content on the career site signals that recruiting is not a true company priority. Candidates will wonder why you don’t invest more in attracting top talent. Counter this by keeping content fresh and dynamic. Continuously add new employee spotlights, culture examples, press mentions, available jobs, events, and design elements that reflect what is happening currently at the company.
Include Salary Bands
Candidates want to understand potential compensation without jumping through hoops. Disclose salary bands or ranges for open positions on your careers site. This manages expectations, breeds trust, and prevents wasted time applying for jobs outside someone’s pay requirements. Be as transparent as possible about pay.
Streamline Online Application
Nothing frustrates candidates more than a lengthy online application requiring them to manually enter information already on their resume. Instead, enable auto-population of fields from LinkedIn and resume uploads. Use a single-page form focused only on essentials. Minimize hassle and barriers to convert applicants.
| Section | Key Elements to Include |
|---|---|
| Company Overview | Mission statement, values, history, # of employees, office locations |
| Benefits | Insurance, time off, retirement, tuition help, unique perks |
| Culture | Values in action, diversity, collaboration stories |
| Development | Training, mentorship, promotion opportunities |
| Open Positions | Job descriptions, application process |
| Testimonials | Authentic employee stories |
| Awards | Certifications, best workplace recognition |
Conclusion
An effective career website is so much more than just an online job board. It offers candidates an authentic inside look at your company culture, values, and passion. The most compelling career sites use engaging visuals, transparent communication, and compelling storytelling about real employee experiences. Prioritize showcasing your genuine workplace community and why this is a rewarding place to build a career. With strategic planning, creativity, and design optimization, your career site can become a magnet for top talent across every department and level.
