Creating an ideal career website - Day 2 at #TRULondon5
With the research carried out on day 1 the Design & User Experience Team at 4MAT started to create the user journeys and the framework for the career site web pages. The objective being to create a prototype site which 4MAT use to test sites by allowing users to clearly see how the site works and their journey through various areas.
The common theme throughout our research was that a visitor wanted to be able to easily find jobs in a retail style browsing manner. Once a job or jobs had been identified, visitors wanted to be able to see what it was like to work for the company and hear from real employees. If they wanted to apply for a job, they wanted several options, not just an application form or LinkedIn, but other options to use their existing social media login and profiles.
#TRUCareers Home Page
Keeping in touch and offering to join in the conversation, without applying, were also included as options to start the engagement socially.
Relevancy is critical throughout TruCareers, linking meaningful content, so that a personalised experience can be experienced by visitors. Many statements were put forwards such as “Don’t show me HR jobs when I’m looking at customer services information” or “If I land on a vacancy page, I want to be able to see relevant information, not view an impersonal ATS page and have to hunt for a way back to the career site”.
During the afternoon 4MAT demonstrated how the research carried out during day had been brought together to create a career website designed around the visitor and their requirements.
Creating relevant content pages benefits both the visitor and helps with search engine optimisation
A Job Family Landing Page for Customer Services
Help visitors decide whether a job is right for them by providing relevant supporting content
Customer service jobs supported with relevant information on working in those teams
Customer Service Job Details are supported with relevant information
Let candidates connect in a variety of methods not just apply for a job
In Summary:
A good career website is personal to an organisation, but by researching the target audience mistakes driven by assumptions can be minimised.
Personalised, relevant and authentic content, which includes jobs is essential to help visitors decide on whether a company is suitable. If this isn’t easy to find, invariably higher numbers of inappropriate applicants would be generated, as there is no easy self filtering.
Although search engine optimisation and the ATS integration weren’t held as essential by many, ironically the latter coupled with a good technology platform and relevant content, can really help to address the former. In other words a good career website platform should automatically manage SEO and link content, allowing resourcing teams to focus on writing good adverts.
What was apparent was that the career website isn’t dead or even dying, it just needs to evolve in to a modern dynamic and interactive platform which acts as the hub. The conversation may be starting on social media, but ultimately companies need their career website to be the final destination.
The question is how quickly will the career website evolve and how many represent TruCareers?
If you would like to have a closer look at the #TRUCareers prototype site, please contact me and I will be only too happy to show it to you.
David Johnston
