Outside of your own employees, your career site is your #1 touchpoint with candidates and the top employment branding asset in your arsenal. It is your “handshake moment” with candidates and often it is their first impression of your organization. First, candidates have to be able to find your site. Next, they need to be inspired to apply. Finally, they want a simple and easy search experience. Here are some tips on how to get there.
Tip 1: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is fundamental
When you think about a career site, it’s not just about the stand-alone career site itself; it’s about how it interacts with the greater web. One thing we do know about candidate behavior is that it constantly changes. Therefore, it is vital to consider how candidates are initially searching for jobs and how your career site is a component of that search.
SEO is a method of inbound marketing that makes your content findable and trackable by Google, Bing and other search engines. Data suggests that anywhere from 70% to 86% of candidates start their job search on their preferred search engine, typing in a search string such as Engineering jobs near Denver Colorado. They get served up content that is deemed most relevant by the search engine – content which may not include yours if you are not SEO-savvy or do not have the right technology in place.
