With the right programmers, top designers and expert copywriters, your corporate website can be made to do just about anything. That’s a great opportunity, of course, but the freedom to create can be overwhelming at times and it’s no wonder that so many top recruiters end up playing things safe. Usually a job description and an application form does bring in applications, but if you want to target the top cut of graduates you need to start thinking creatively. If you’re stuck for ideas, why not take a look at some of the industry leaders when it comes to online recruiting?
Red Bull Racing Internships
Though it’s currently offline, the flashiest (if you’ll excuse the pun) recruitment site I’ve seen directed potential applicants towards an interactive ‘challenge’, including memory tests and spatial reasoning exercises. Only then are applicants allowed to see the application form. It’s a great way of pulling in hits, but also works as a sort of screening process.
Marks and Spencer
Another popular graduate recruiter is right on the mark with a Flash-based site which is simple and designed for the user. The smartphone-like dashboard is a great way of getting users to the right information with the minimum of fuss. It’s creative without being overly ornate.
Nike Design
You’d expect an site looking for product design interns to be top-class and Nike’s is. Putting function over form, Nike offers interns a chance to link a resume, portfolio and a website and allows the applicants creativity to shine. Plus, it allows a link to Facebook which allows recruiters an all-telling look at their applicants pages!
Random House Publishing
Publishing is incredibly in demand from graduates looking for creative roles and, as such, Random House (amongst other publishers) use Facebook almost exclusively for recruiting interns. A post asking for CVs a week before an internship starts will guarantee a committed intern who will have plenty to do!
Ernst and Young
When something a little more formal is required, E&Y are leading the market. It’s on brand and easily identifiable, but most importantly the site layout is incredibly efficient. This sort of model is ideal for large recruiters who offer lots of roles year on year and can easily be tweaked and updated when the branding changes.
Of course, these recruiters are all big brands, but there’s no reason this sort of web estate can’t be generated by smaller recruiters. A well modelled recruitment site is a valuable asset and can stay with you for a long time so it’s worth developing well and looking after.
Tom started his career early; taking on an associate role at Deloitte just a few days after his eighteenth birthday, working in a technical role but with a focus on identifying and recruiting talented undergraduates. He is now entering his final year at Exeter University and he continues to work with the recruitment side of the firm and remains an active brand ambassador on campus.
Over the last few years, Tom has spent time building up a reputation as a freelance writer and has developed both a strong client base and good knowledge of social media along the way. Though there’s still plenty to learn, experience working in both the smallest and the largest of businesses has served him well and given him a feel for balancing strong corporate ideas with a personal tone.
As a student, Tom is able to offer a valuable insight into the way graduate recruitment works from the other side and how students and interns react to particular styles of marketing and recruitment. Eventually he hopes to take off his copywriting business before embarking on an MA in philosophy.
