Week 8 of Indeed Alternatives: Career Sites

We've reached the final installment in our 8-part series on Indeed Alternatives, Career Sites.?

Companies often overlook Career sites. They see them as only connecting an Applicant Tracking System to the company's website. They are often full of stock photos, poorly designed pages, and archaic site architecture. What should be a major asset is an eye sore and drop-off point in the process.?

So what should a career site be? Most will say the role of career sites is employer branding. That's too limiting.

A career site should operate like a job board. It must be easy to use, focus on helping candidates navigate to the right positions, and reduce friction wherever possible. It can be a tool for telling the company brand story, but that should be a secondary objective only when the candidate actively seeks more information.?

A few companies that do a fantastic job of this are:

Uber ?- Uber doesn't spend valuable real estate talking about them. They focus on what the applicant is getting. Their page is simple and mobile-friendly and includes minimal fiction to get started.?

AirBnB ?- It's on brand and a straightforward page. You can reach all of the jobs from the main page, and while they do highlight the brand, they've kept it to a tiny portion of the site.?

Marriot ?- Again, this page is about the user, not the brand. It's about how working at Marriot helps you, not them. They make finding and searching for jobs easy and highlight workers' benefits and opportunities.

Regarding candidate acquisitions, I've seen career sites succeed in three ways.

1. SEO?- For career pages, you shouldn't be trying to rank for broad searches like "part-time jobs." You should focus on having all the fundamentals in place so that you are the top result when a user is looking for your brand. Once the user clicks, you want to ensure they can quickly find and apply to the relevant jobs they are interested in with minimal friction.
2. Email/SMS?- When applicants reach your career page, they are often interested in working specifically for your brand, even if you don't have an ideal role. You can capture their email or phone number and contact them when you post new positions in their area or division. The last thing you want to do is send them away empty-handed.
3. Google for Jobs?- If your career site isn't driving you, high-quality applicants, please DM me because this is a fantastic source of candidates. Employers should ensure their jobs are indexed and available to Google for Jobs since this widget is currently 100% free traffic.

As budgets tighten across the TA space, finding ways to increase conversions and drive high-converting low-cost traffic is critical for every employer. Career sites can be a crucial part of making that happen. If your career page is a barrier and not an asset, now is the time to address this.

That's all for this week's newsletter. Next week we'll have a bonus edition on why Indeed is still the go-to for most Recruitment Marketers and how you can maximize your traffic on the platform.