Career Website Research and who owns the website?

In today's digital age, career websites have become vital tools for companies to attract and engage with potential candidates. However, a common question arises: Who should be responsible for the career website - Marketing or Talent Acquisition? I hear often at our events, that TA would LOVE to get their hands on their website, improve and own it but Marketing see if very much as their domain. There have been some brilliant examples of TA building strong relationships with Marketing at many of our events.? We know it can be done.? It just takes some understanding, perseverance and that good old TA charm!? And data!? Always data!

Marketing's Perspective: Marketing teams are responsible for branding, promoting the company's image, and attracting potential customers. They utilise various strategies, such as content creation, search engine optimisation (SEO), and social media marketing, to drive traffic to the website. As a result, they argue that they should be responsible for managing the career website to align it with the overall marketing strategy and the company brand.

Talent Acquisition's Perspective: On the other hand, Talent Acquisition teams focus on attracting, recruiting, and hiring the best talent for the organisation. They understand the importance of a user-friendly and informative career website that effectively showcases the company's culture, values, and available opportunities. Talent Acquisition teams have unique insights into candidates' needs and expectations, making them more equipped to optimise the career website to appeal to the target audience. They argue that career websites should be tailored to the candidate's experience, which aligns with their responsibilities.

However, difficulties arise when there are limited resources on both sides and the needs of the business and the needs of TA make it difficult for these teams to work together.

The Research: Our 2023/4 career website research shows that we still have a long way to go to give our candidates what they are asking for.? Things like our websites being accessible to people with a disability and pay transparency are glaring omissions.?? There were many websites with out of date information or not enough information around contingent and graduate opportunities.? ?One of the biggest areas that is often missing is training and promotion opportunities. We are entering an era where reskilling and using adjacent skills are going to be how we retain our workforce.? People are looking for that as part of what a company offers.? Our last winner, Coles Group, created their website with each recruiter working closely with their hiring manager on the messaging for each of their areas or job families. The management bought into the process of ensuring the candidates understood very clearly what it was like to work there so it's a website that is very personalised to what candidates are seeking.? And it's built on a platform that is owned by TA.?

So Houston, TA has a problem… If we are being asked to do more with less, while it looks like this talent short market will be our new normal, how do we bring marketing on the journey to build a brilliant career site and campaigns, plus use social media effectively?

Bridging the Gap: To effectively communicate the need for more work on the career website, Marketing and Talent Acquisition teams can adopt several strategies:

→ Data-Driven Insights: Talent Acquisition should gather data on website performance, including metrics like bounce rates, conversion rates, and application drop-offs. These insights can demonstrate to the Marketing team that improvements are necessary to enhance the candidate experience and ultimately drive better results. Often the career site is the most visited page. Use that.

→ Collaboration and Communication: Encourage open lines of communication between Talent Acquisition and Marketing. Regular meetings and discussions can help both teams understand each other's perspectives and identify areas where collaboration is required. Building relationships and finding common ground can lead to a shared understanding of the importance of a well-designed career website.

→ User-Centric Approach: Talent Acquisition can emphasise the significance of a user-centric approach to the career website. By focusing on candidates' needs and expectations, they can convey that a well-optimised career website directly impacts attracting and engaging with high-quality talent.

→ Benchmarking: Comparing the organisation's career website with competitors can be a persuasive tactic. Talent Acquisition can highlight areas where the company's website falls short and demonstrate the potential impact on the overall recruitment process. This approach can spur Marketing to take action and improve the website's performance. Use our annual research showing what the best websites are doing.

→ Pilot Projects: Suggest running small-scale pilot projects to test new campaign strategies or website features. These initiatives can provide tangible evidence of the impact on candidate engagement and conversion rates. By showcasing positive results, Talent Acquisition can make a convincing case for further investment in the career website.

Conclusion: The ownership of the career website can be a contentious issue between Marketing and Talent Acquisition teams. However, by establishing effective communication channels and sharing data-driven insights, Talent Acquisition can help Marketing understand the importance of continuously improving the career website. Collaboration between the two departments will ensure a user-centric approach that enhances the candidate experience and ultimately contributes to the organisation's recruitment success. Remember, the ultimate goal is to create a powerful online presence that attracts and engages the best talent in today's competitive job market. Want to know more: join us for the announcement of the top career site in Australia and further information on what our findings were.?

Stay creative, my friends

Andrea

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