Building a Better Careers Site for the Future, Today

Odds are that the number of quality applicants applying for jobs via your career site is significantly lower than they should be, even in the current market. On paper, the majority of quality applicants have the necessary qualifications outlined in your job posting but they’re uncertain you’re an organisation they’ll even ‘fit in’ with.
 
In fact, they want to be absolutely sure of the possibilities with regards to their potential future position (technically, culturally), prior to even applying. And, it’s likely that your careers site isn’t encouraging them enough to investigate any further (nor, perhaps the rest of your digital footprint).
 
Today, more than ever, amplifying career opportunities across the digital landscape, particularly to potential candidates with unique skill sets or high-end skills, requires a more focused approach overall. You can’t expect the perfect talent to suddenly ‘promote’ themselves to you simply by making a position available.
 
You have to sell to them. So understanding what’s motivating them & what drives their behaviour is key. Keep reading & we’ll show you how….
 

Changing Behaviours

Over the past couple of years, we’ve noticed a huge change in candidate behaviours. In the same way that consumer behaviours & motivations have significantly shifted purchase decisions & outcomes, for similar reasons – heavily due to the advent & evolution of the digital landscape – candidate behaviours are starkly different today, to even a couple of years ago.
 

Consumers tend to demonstrate a variety of personalities while shopping. So too, so candidates

 
Many shoppers are trying to find the best deal. They want good quality at a low price and will visit multiple stores until they find what they’re looking for. In the same vein, some candidates will shop around, not fussed about the employer brand, the reputation or undertake much delving into the company’s background, the leadership team or the culture. They’re just keen to land a great gig, at the right price.
 
Other consumers make purchases based primarily on their emotions. Their attachment to a brand. They illustrate a high level of store and brand loyalty and will recognise the key features of the brand’s products – potentially thinking these products are made specifically for them. Likewise in the talent world, some prospective hires are
 
They usually pass on buying anything that they don’t feel a sense of connection to on a very personal level. Both types are great customers, and you’ll want to accommodate both. However, each category has different needs and desires.
 

The Character of a Passive Shopper

 
Even in today’s job market, it’s incredible how applicant behaviour has evolved into something that’s more passive or emotionally based in nature. According to the Recruiting Roundtable, most of the U.S. workforce, as much as 20 percent, are extremely active while about 20 percent are considered passive. The other 60 percent have a combination of both active and passive behaviours.

This indicates that most job applicants, whether they’re working or currently unemployed are showing a more emotionally based, passive type of behaviour.

And so, this may be the prime reason why your careers site isn’t attracting more applicants who may potentially be a good fit for any positions within your organization. Applicants are looking for a new career and are simply waiting on you to tell them why they should want to join your company in general. What proactive steps are you taking to connect with more candidates?
 

Best Practices that Attract Passive Behaviours

In order to connect to someone on an emotional level, you must start offering more aspects that facilitate a more personal connection in addition to using effective messages that will express the value proposal in such a way that piques their interest. Consider the following practices.
 

Give applicants a chance to interact with recruiters, whether it’s on social media or via live chat on your site.

Once you attract the ideal person you’ve been looking for, you’ll want to engage in a discussion with them to explore your possible connection.

Show a ‘day in the life’ of one of your employees doing their job.

This makes the job opportunity seem quite real and helps applicants to identify with those key aspects of the job that they can clearly see themselves doing.

This kind of testimonial lets you express various aspects of your job value proposal in a manner that’s far more engaging and genuine than just content that’s static and not engaging.

Use testimonials in order to let applicants know how they can contribute to your organization.

Testimonials are a powerful way to strongly emphasize certain areas to allow your unique and interesting job value proposal to come through on a more personal level. For example, if your company is motivated to fulfill a certain mission, show how your staff can contribute overall to accomplishing that mission. If you provide services or make products that positively alter and enrich lives, express to the applicant how their job is an integral part of making that come to fruition.

Create a talent network that will let those applicants who aren’t quite ready to apply to your organization yet the opportunity to start a lasting relationship with your company.

This will allow them to keep in touch and process key information they get from you by choosing their job interests. This also lets you keep potential applicants informed of the latest developments and current achievements, and to stay abreast of new and exciting opportunities as they come up.

Videos can offer certain details that standard content can’t.

That’s precisely why video is the perfect medium for attracting and engaging applicants that typically show passive behaviour. Although it’s quite common to view testimonials in videos, consider taking it a step further by showing a virtual tour of your particular facility or campus, or allow applicants to meet high level managers to learn some insightful details regarding their leadership style. Show them exactly how far they can take their potential career by profiling certain team members as well as the projects they’re working on.

 
How can you accurately predict what key aspects or techniques will best connect you to your potential applicants? We suggest using a combination of market research along with continuing measurement and expert analysis. This will allow you to consistently change your page as needed as the behaviours of your applicants inevitably change and to also create more interactive relationships for people who visit your site on a regular basis.
 

If you want to learn how to improve your branding, marketing and engagement to recruit more innovators, join Nicole at  ATC2015 in Sydney. Limited spots are still available, here.