When it comes to the recruiting process, there are so many moving parts that it can be easy to overlook your careers page. However, that could have a significant negative impact on your recruiting efforts. How so? 

If your job postings are directing potential candidates to your careers page to complete the application process and the page looks outdated, uninteresting, or even illegitimate, it may deter them from submitting an application. This is why it’s so important to make sure your careers page not only looks professional and represents your company’s values, but also includes useful information for potential applicants. 

If your careers page has fallen off your radar, now is the time to fix it. With a lot of people out of work and looking for new jobs, this is a great opportunity to refresh your recruiting materials and strategy, which includes updating your careers page. To get you started on the right foot, here are five things to include on your careers page.

1. Informational Job Descriptions

One of the best things you can do on your careers page is to include detailed job descriptions for each position. Doing so will help candidates better discern whether the position is right for them—based on the job duties, experience requirements, and skills. This also benefits you because it will (hopefully) significantly reduce the number of unqualified applicants submitting their resumes for you to review.

Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean a long laundry list or multiple paragraphs. A list of the key responsibilities and a well-written explanation of the position is a good start. You can also have a “read more” button that leads them to a more detailed description and application link.

While you may have already included a full job description in your job posting, not everyone is coming to your careers page from the posting. Maybe someone did a quick Google search of “marketing companies in San Diego” and went straight to your careers page to see if there were any openings. No matter where most of your applicants are sourced from, you want to make sure they have as much information as possible before they apply. 

2. Who You Are

You might be thinking to yourself, do candidates really care so much about who you are as opposed to how much money you’re offering for the job? Well, according to Collegefeed, nearly 80% of millennials look for people and culture fit with employers when hunting for jobs.

Clearly demonstrating your company culture is important on the careers page because it helps attract candidates who align with your values and work environment. Here are a few things you can do to convey your company culture:

• Include a short intro about your company 
• Touch on your work ethic/company values
• Talk about the benefits and what you have to offer
• Talk about what’s most important to your company: philanthropy, customer experience, data, clients feeling like family, etc.
• Highlight some of the fun things you do (social events, team building getaways, community service, etc.)

Essentially, you want to give candidates a good idea of what it’s like to work for you, so they can decide if you’re a good fit for them. Some people thrive in open space offices with lots of opportunities for social interaction, while others need quiet and seclusion to focus—showing people what type of workplace you fall into will help you reduce the risk of quick employee turnover. 

Here’s a good example of clearly communicating your benefits and why they should apply with you:

Source: Undergrads

3. Media 

Not only do you want to tell prospective candidates who you are, you also want to show them. You can do that by adding media—photos, videos, or both—to your careers page. What should you include? Here are a few recommendations based on what other companies tend to have on their career pages, and more importantly, what job seekers seem to be interested in seeing.

• Group photos: This allows job seekers to get an idea of the demographic/persona of the team 
• Photos from company events and trips: These show that there’s a good team dynamic and you know how to have fun when you’re not working. 
• Photos of people working in the office: Give candidates a realistic view of the office in action and what the work environment actually looks like.
• Videos of life at your company, interviews with the CEO, etc.: Anything that brings your company to life is great to include. 

In addition to reinforcing what you’ve said about your company culture, adding media makes the page more visually interesting and encourages job seekers to continue learning more about your business.

4. Review Carousel

Reviews serve as further testimony for why it’s great to work for your company, especially because it’s coming straight from current employees. Social proof is powerful in every capacity, and just like product reviews, company testimonials are very persuasive. 

Ask a few employees in different roles or departments to write (or even record) a testimonial about what they love about their job and the company. You can add a few of these testimonials to your site in a sidebar or review carousel, allowing applicants to read more if they choose.

5. CTA Buttons

Once you’ve given prospective applicants the information they need to decide whether the job and the company sound like something they’d be interested in, it’s time to help them take the next step. The most effective way to do this is with CTA (call to action) buttons throughout the page. 

Source: Undergrads

Most importantly, you want to have these CTA buttons next to each job position, so once a candidate has read about the duties, they can immediately apply. When you’re setting up your CTA buttons, make sure that they:

• Are noticeable (use a color that stands out from the surrounding elements)
• Use motivating language (“Apply Now,” “Get Started,” “Join Our Team,” etc.)
• Include the link to the job application (whether it’s a form or an external site)

Other Things to Keep in Mind

When updating your careers page, here are a few other things to keep in mind:

• Make sure your website and careers page are optimized for mobile—many candidates look for jobs using their phone. 
• Check that all links work—broken links may frustrate and deter applicants. 
• Keep SEO in mind when listing job titles/responsibilities—this may help you draw in more candidates. 
• Use a clean layout that’s easy to read and navigate—if applicants can’t find what they’re looking for quickly, they may abandon ship.  
• Highlight what makes your organization unique—what makes you stand out from other employers?

Create a Useful Careers Page

Recruiting isn’t easy. In fact, Manpower Group reports that 54% of companies worldwide report labor shortages. However, your careers page is one tool you can use to make recruiting easier. Start with these five recommendations when checking over your current page. You can also set aside some time to review your careers page with your team. Getting some feedback can help you identify weak points, what’s missing, and how to make your careers page a powerful selling tool for building the best team possible. 

About the Guest Author

Alexis Maness has a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications and is a contributing editor for 365businesstips.com. As a professional content writer, she has over five years of experience and is a contributing writer for several San Diego magazines. Alexis specializes in topics related to business, marketing, finance, and hospitality and tourism.