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Skilled candidates are in high demand — and an effective careers site can help you attract, engage, and convert them. In fact, job seekers say careers sites are the most valuable resource when they’re researching companies.
A careers site is a dedicated section of your website where job seekers can learn about your company culture, explore job opportunities, and submit applications. It allows you to showcase what makes your company unique and encourages the right candidates to express interest in joining your team.
Benefits of dedicated careers sites
While recruiting can be done via external job boards, investing in a dedicated careers site has many worthwhile benefits.
Better candidate quality
Candidates applying through your careers site have usually already learned about your company and culture. This self-selection process means you receive applications from people who genuinely want to work on your team and who believe they have what it takes to be successful.
Reduced recruiting costs
Centralizing your job descriptions on a careers site enables more employee referrals and allows candidates to join your talent network. These sourcing channels can help you save money on costly external recruiting fees and job boards.
Enhanced employer brand
Your careers site is often the first impression candidates have of your organization. A professional, engaging site demonstrates that you value your team members and invest in proper recruiting processes. This positive impression extends beyond candidates to customers, partners, and other stakeholders who visit your site.
Time savings
A properly designed careers site sends applications directly into your ATS, eliminating manual data entry and reducing administrative time. You can easily filter and sort applications, schedule interviews, and communicate with candidates — all from one centralized platform.
Improved candidate experience
Job seekers expect a smooth, intuitive application process. A careers site gives you control over this experience, allowing you to create a simple path from job discovery to application submission. When candidates have a positive experience, they’re more likely to accept offers and refer others to your company.
Data-driven recruiting
A careers site provides valuable analytics about your recruiting process. You can track which positions receive the most interest, where candidates come from, and how they move through your application process. These insights help you refine your recruiting strategy over time.
What to include on your careers site
Creating an effective careers site requires thoughtful planning about what content will engage potential candidates.
Here are the essential elements that make your careers site stand out:
Detailed job descriptions
Your job descriptions are critical to attracting the right candidates. They should be clear, engaging, and accurately represent both the role and your company culture.
Start with a compelling introduction that sells both the position and your company. Focus on what makes this opportunity special and why someone would want to join your team.
Each posting should also provide a comprehensive but concise overview of the position, including:
Avoid generic descriptions that could apply to any company. Instead, highlight what makes the role unique at your organization and how it contributes to your overall mission.
Compelling visuals: Pictures and videos
Text alone rarely captures the essence of what it’s like to work at your company. Adding visual elements brings your workplace to life and helps candidates envision themselves as part of your team.
Include authentic photos of your office space, team events, and day-to-day work environment. Staged stock photos are easily spotted and undermine your credibility, so use real images whenever possible. Videos are particularly effective — consider creating short clips that showcase your workspace, introduce team members, or explain your company mission.
Interactive maps
Location matters to candidates, who want to understand their potential commute and surrounding area. Embedding an interactive map on your careers site helps candidates visualize where they’ll be working and what amenities are nearby.
Include a map showing your office location for each job listing. If you have multiple locations, make sure candidates can easily see which positions are available at each site. This simple addition provides valuable context and answers a common question before candidates need to ask.
Team profiles
People want to work with great colleagues. Featuring profiles of current team members humanizes your company and helps candidates connect with your team before they even apply.
Include photos, names, and brief bios of key team members — particularly those who would work directly with new hires. Consider adding quotes about what they enjoy about working at your company or what attracted them to join your team. These personal testimonials carry more weight than generic company statements.
Talent network
Not every visitor to your careers site is ready to apply for a specific position. Some are exploring options or might be interested in future opportunities. A talent network (sometimes called a talent community) captures these potential candidates for future consideration.
Add a simple form where interested professionals can submit their information and areas of interest without applying for a specific job. This builds your candidate pipeline and gives you a pool of pre-interested talent when new positions open up.
Referral rewards and social sharing
Skilled talent knows other skilled talent. Enable job seekers and your team members to share open positions with their networks by adding social sharing buttons to each job listing.
Consider implementing a referral program that rewards candidates and team members for successful hires. Prominently display information about your referral program on your careers site, and make the process simple and transparent.
Careers site best practices
Building an effective careers site involves more than just assembling the right elements.
These best practices will help you maximize the impact of your careers site:
Connect to your company website
Your careers site should be seamlessly integrated with your main company website.
This integration serves several purposes:
Match company website branding
Ideally, your careers site should look and feel like a natural extension of your main website, reflecting your company’s visual identity. Use the same color scheme, typography, and design elements as your main website to create a cohesive brand experience.
Modern applicant tracking systems allow you to customize your careers site to match your branding. Take advantage of these options even if you’re using a third-party platform to host your careers pages.
Use tracking links
Understanding how candidates find your job postings helps you optimize your recruiting strategy. Implement tracking links that identify where applicants are coming from, whether it’s social media, job boards, or referrals.
These links provide valuable data about which channels are most effective for different types of positions. You might find that technical roles generate more applications through certain platforms, while marketing positions perform better on others.
With this information, you can make data-driven decisions about where to focus your recruiting efforts and budget, maximizing your return on investment.
Create custom landing pages
Consider creating dedicated landing pages that speak directly to specific candidate personas for specialized roles or departments. These micro career pages allow you to customize your messaging for different audience segments.
For example, you might create a landing page specifically for software developers that highlights your tech stack, development methodology, and engineering culture. Another page might focus on your sales team, emphasizing commission structures and growth opportunities.
These tailored pages are particularly effective when used in targeted recruiting campaigns. They allow you to direct candidates to content that’s most relevant to their interests and career goals.
Set up Google Analytics
Data drives improvement. Integrating Google Analytics with your careers site provides valuable insights into how candidates interact with your content.
Track metrics like page views, time on page, bounce rates, and conversion rates (job seekers who actually apply). This data reveals which job listings attract the most interest and where candidates might be dropping off in the application process.
Regular analysis of these metrics allows you to refine your careers site over time, addressing pain points and capitalizing on successful elements. Modern applicant tracking systems offer Google Analytics integration, making this a relatively simple best practice to implement.
Customize your job application
The application form is where many candidates decide whether to proceed or abandon the process. In fact, 33% of workers said they’d abandon a job application if it was clumsy, repetitive, or not easy to fill out. Strike the right balance between gathering necessary information and creating an unnecessarily burdensome experience.
Consider what information you truly need at the initial application stage. Do you really need a candidate’s full employment history, or can some details wait until later in the process? Many companies find success with a simplified initial application that requests only basic information and a resume.
You might also consider a two-step application process. Start with a simplified initial application that captures essential information: name, contact details, resume, and perhaps a brief statement of interest. After reviewing initial applications, request additional details only from candidates you’re interested in pursuing. This approach respects candidates’ time while ensuring you eventually get all the information you need to make hiring decisions.
Customize application forms for different roles. A senior executive position might warrant a more detailed initial application than an entry-level role. Whatever approach you choose, make sure the form is intuitive and easy to complete.
Ask your team for help
Your current team members provide valuable perspectives on what attracts great candidates to your company. Involve them in developing your careers site content.
Ask for input on job descriptions, especially from people who currently hold similar roles. They can help ensure that descriptions accurately reflect day-to-day responsibilities and highlight the aspects of the job that would appeal to qualified candidates.
Team members can also contribute authentic testimonials about why they chose your company and what they value about working there. These personal endorsements carry significant weight with potential applicants.
Make your careers site mobile-friendly
Ensure that your entire careers site – from job listings to application forms – functions seamlessly on smartphones and tablets. Test the mobile experience regularly to identify and address any usability issues.
Mobile optimization isn’t just about layout – it also means enabling features like document uploads from cloud storage services, which allow candidates to attach resumes and cover letters without needing to access a desktop computer.
Final thoughts on careers sites
Building an effective careers site is a significant step toward modernizing your recruiting process. It creates a central hub for your hiring activities, improves the candidate experience, and helps you attract higher-quality applicants.
Modern applicant tracking systems offer careers site functionality built in, allowing you to streamline your hiring efforts. Start your free trial of JobScore to learn how we can help.
