Hiring the right people can be expensive. Most of the online HR specialists we talk to don’t like spending valuable time reviewing job applications from candidates who aren’t right for a role. And they certainly don’t like investing key resources in training a new recruit who leaves the company six months later, because the job isn’t what they thought it would be.
We think the key to successfully recruiting online is providing great content on a career outpost. But what do we mean by “great content”? Well, we think its content that operates on a number of levels. For the purpose of this post, however, we’ll take a look at two basic objectives for your content. Firstly it has to be content that provides clear answers to most (if not all) of the questions jobseekers might have about new roles and the hiring company. Secondly, it has to say something about company culture, so your next recruit understands what drives their potential new employer, and what it’s like to work for them.
There are lots of great examples of good carefully targeted career content out there, and for this post I wanted to talk about one particular site we’ve recently been admiring.
At first glance, the J. D Wetherspoon career outpost is a smart, modern-looking site, with new roles (and their locations) prominently displayed on the home page in an eye-catching rotator section. But look closer and you’ll find much more to like on this deceptively simple looking website.
The first thing that really caught my attention was the impressive depth of information on employee rewards and benefits for different role types. By being clear and up-front about what kind of reward new recruits can expect, J. D Weatherspoon is quickly answering the core question that all recruits have: What’s in it for me? Sharing detailed information like this also sends out a powerful and subtle message about the company culture, suggesting openness and a desire to take care of their employees.
The hospitality chain takes a similar in-depth approach when discussing training, with content shaped to convey another powerful cultural message. Under the Career Ladder title, there’s lots of detail on development options for specific role types, and a link to the next natural role on the career ladder. The focus on development and next steps here says one thing to me – This is a culture that provides opportunities and clear promotion paths for the ambitious and aspiring.
And then there’s the company recruitment magazine. Now, there may be some of us who think downloadable PDFs are a little old-hat in a world of Twitter updates and recruiting apps. A well-designed, easy to read magazine can still be useful however, especially if it reflects those key company messages found online. The good news here is that J. D Wetherspoon’s recruitment magazine does just that, with a clear “Why work for us” message included alongside employee profiles, training options, and how to apply tips.
With both the online and downloadable content reflecting the same emphasis on reward and development, this can mean only one thing – There’s obviously a consistent and well thought-out strategy for career communications going on here, which is also very nice to see.
So, in conclusion…
The J. D Wetherspoon site may not look radically innovative at first glance, however it really does deserve a second look, as it’s well-designed with plenty of valuable jobseeker content, and, perhaps most importantly, promotes some key cultural messages about the company.
Of course no website is ever going to be perfect, and the pace of online innovation means there is always going to something new to learn for even those best in class websites. If you would like to find out more on how to take your careers content to the next level, why not drop us a line and we’ll be happy to share our knowledge.