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Four years ago I was researching what it was like to work for Salomon Brothers, the prestigious investment bank. Hearing that the company had recently launched a new recruitment website, I got online to take a look. After quickly locating the URL, I then proceeded to wait... and wait... and wait while an extremely large and graphically intense copy of the company logo downloaded through my 14.4 modem. When the site finally did come up on my computer, I found that the entire site--pictures and all--were exact replicas of the glossy recruiting brochure I had just picked up from the Stanford career center. At the time, Salomon Brothers was a leader among investment banks, and indeed among corporations, in using the Web for recruiting purposes. Many companies did not even have a corporate website, and most did not have a section devoted to recruiting. The general practice among those that did was to rely heavily on "brochure-ware" as the core content for the site. Few used it as a way to differentiate themselves and offer candidates a compelling reason and process to join the company. Today, fortunately, most recruiters would agree that a recruitment site simply is a "must have." Most companies now have a website with a decent recruiting section, many use their websites as a key component of their recruiting program, and a few even rely on their site to give them a competitive advantage in the war for talent. However, many people--even website designers--remain confused about the best recipe for success on the Web. One hint: it doesn't depend on expensive, cutting-edge technology. Contrary to popular opinion, there are a small number of relatively simple components that characterize effective recruiting sites. Better yet, many of these things can be done quickly and for relatively little cost. Following are the top 10 steps WetFeet recommends to turn a corporate website into a powerful recruiting tool. 1) Use a simple navigation scheme. Far and away the most important attribute of a great career website is that it be easy to use. In a recent WetFeet survey of nearly 1,000 job seekers, candidates identified simple navigation as the single most important factor that made a recruiting website good--and identified "poor navigation" as the single biggest flaw in bad websites. What can you do? First, provide an obvious link to the career section on the homepage. Second, use a clear and consistent navigation scheme within the career section. Candidates want obvious links to career-related information (such as jobs, compensation, culture, online application, and contacts). The McKinsey site offers a great example. The career tab is one of three main options on the homepage, and the career site has commonsense sections, including "What we offer" and "Who We Look For," as well as a section providing advice on how to succeed in the interview process. 2) Put a prominent link to the recruiting site on the homepage. Do you know how much of your company's Web traffic comes from candidates? Several WetFeet clients report that more than 75 percent of all traffic to their corporate site comes from people looking for job information--and most companies tell us that it is one of the top three reasons people come to their site. And yet, some companies still bury their recruiting information deep within the site, or have a microscopic or misleading link to it on the homepage. For example, Coca-Cola makes it very hard for candidates to find out how to apply. There's no obvious link from the homepage to a recruiting page. A site-wide search for "jobs" returned information on "operations stewardship" and "higher education." The "Coca-Cola on Campus" section, which is hard to find, contained more information about the company and positions for entry-level candidates, but offered no guidance to a non-campus candidate. Not only does this kind of presentation frustrate users, it sends a message that the company does not care about the job applicant. 3) Use pleasing and simple design. Sites that are simple and pleasing to the eye leave a positive impression and invite usage. Sites that are crowded with text, odd colors, flashing buttons and misleading links cause frustration and rapid exit. In a recent survey, 31 percent of respondents identified "bad design" as the reason they disliked their least-favorite recruiting websites (this was the third most significant factor). Likewise, 29 percent identified "fresh, attractive design" as the reason they liked their favorite recruiting websites. American Airlines offers would-be pilots a particularly confusing interface. Not only does the site require a Flash plug-in, it is filled with confusing moving images and sounds that divert attention from the valuable information that lies within. While design is a matter of taste, successful design facilitates communication. Remember, candidates really are looking for information and assistance with the job search, not an electronic art exhibition or technical wizardry. 4) Give candidates the basic information they need. Candidates want to know what your company does, what opportunities you have available, and how to apply. If you answer these three questions clearly--and do nothing else--I estimate that your site will meet a good 75 percent of job applicant needs. US Airways offers an interesting counterpoint to American. Although American has far more information about the company, as well as specifics about a career as a pilot or flight attendant, and a big photo gallery, USAir's site tells candidates what positions are available, what qualifications are needed, and allows candidates to e-mail their resumes directly from the site. Although it falls short of expectations in terms of depth and breadth, the site design is simple and logical. 5) Write compelling job descriptions. Half of experienced, professional-level candidates say that job listings are very influential in their decision to pursue a job with a specific company. Far too few companies take advantage of this opportunity to paint a picture of a job that people would really want. For example, consider the Home Depot site. Not only is the job page hard to find--it's buried several layers down--but the job descriptions are static and uninviting. At the end of each description, there's an asterisk: "* There are no guarantees for career progression." Compare this with a sentence in the Assistant Store Manager position that appears on the Patagonia site: "Be a voice in the community on environmental and community issues by using the store as a theater to bring the issues to life to educate and inspire our customers." 6) Tell candidates what they really want to know. This does not mean providing downloadable copies of the corporate history; it does mean providing accurate information about the company culture, compensation and benefits, opportunities for advancement, and tools to help candidates understand and do better in the recruitment process (such as the names and contact information for real recruiters, office locations, and information about how you choose among applicants). Procter & Gamble provides candidates with a wealth of information, from details about compensation and benefits, to a walk-through of the application, interview, and offer process, and its recruiting schedule at more than 60 core schools, as well as names of alums of those schools currently employed at P&G. 7) Provide an online application. Although the online application is not universally desired by candidates, it is the core engine of an effective recruiting website, and the best way to turn an interested candidate into a live and manageable applicant. By collecting a little basic demographic information, asking a few key screening questions, and capturing the candidate record electronically, a company can build its own private talent database. Even a relatively simple system can allow the company to source and screen candidates, communicate with them, and measure the performance of the recruiting process. Better yet, many of these systems are now available from vendors who offer the additional benefit of allowing recruiters to minimize the need to rely on scarce internal technical resources. 8) Offer candidates a personal touch. Although the Web has changed the face of recruiting and allowed companies to automate and modernize many of their processes, it has not replaced the need for human interaction between candidates and recruiters. Even the most tech-savvy candidates still want to have high-touch aspects to the recruiting process. Although it may not be realistic to have personalized interactions with each candidate that applies, companies can do a number of things to make their process feel more personal to candidates. For example, Cisco Systems allows candidates to establish e-mail contact with a real, live Cisco employee by sending a message to friends@cisco.com. Even companies that don't have the inclination or resources to set up a program like this can soften the hard-edged feel of their recruiting site. The Boston Consulting Group offers a searchable database with pictures, first names, and profiles of its current staff. Although entirely electronic, this feature, which is technically very simple, gives users a positive impression of the company and its people. 9) Think about the impression you leave with ALL visitors to the site. Some of the strongest reactions to corporate websites come from people who have been unintentionally ignored. In focus groups we conducted, minority candidates were quick to note whether diversity issues were addressed on corporate sites. And when a particular company listed all of the schools it recruited from, it left students from other campuses wondering why they had been omitted. A few words explaining whether the company was interested in applicants from other schools and how they could apply would have avoided misunderstandings among visitors. 10) Make your case. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the very best recruiting websites are the ones that convince candidates why they should come work for the company. Many of the sites mentioned above do this, and they do it in a way that attracts the kinds of candidates they most want to hire. If you're an engineer, the Cisco site is designed for you--it's simple, it works very well, has exactly the information you're looking for, and it tells you why Cisco is a great technology company. Likewise, the BCG and McKinsey sites make aspiring consultants feel the allure and importance of consulting, and give a feel for the personality of the firms. In contrast, philosophy, principle, and attitude permeate the Patagonia site--and capture the heart of a would-be "dirtbag" (the name that Patagonia employees call themselves). This doesn't require a lot of money or a lot of technology--but it does require a solid understanding of the recruiting target, and skill in identifying and communicating the things that really make the company unique and attractive to those employees. Great recruiting websites are hard to build. However, a good recruiting website is within the reach and budget of any company. Moreover, the truly exceptional sites are distinguished more by their simplicity of message and their ability to interest a desirable candidate in the position and the company than by their technology and cost. The general rules are that doing a good job on a smaller, less ambitious site is far better than doing a poor job on a flashy site. Also, filling the basic needs of candidates will serve you better than trying to impress everybody with a really fancy design. Ultimately, however, a website alone will never make a successful recruiting program. The best the site can do is to get the candidate to apply for the position. The harder part is understanding who you want to hire, what makes you attractive to those candidates, and communicating that message clearly and consistently throughout the website and all of the marketing materials. And that challenge is no different today than it was years ago--but, fortunately, because of the Web, success at meeting this challenge is very much within the grasp of any company, small or large. Author Bio: Steve Pollock is President of WetFeet Inc. |
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