FAQs or Frequently Asked Questions are important in every business sense but perhaps especially in Recruitment.
Upon application, there are a lot of things that applicants usually ask. Some of these questions could be shrugged off as something that is not important, but for the applicant it would really be a great help.
Take for instance the acceptance of online application. Some candidates would assume that all applications could be submitted online. If there are positions that really need personal appearance at the on-set of their application, it would be better if the applicant could be informed first-hand as opposed to wasting their efforts and knowing in the end that they would be processed much easier if they are a “walk-in” applicant.
Aside from answering normally asked questions, FAQs could also serve as a way to explain the norms and culture of the company in terms of considering candidates, interviewing them and the status of the position that the applicants are interested in. Here is one good example of an FAQ from Tesco’s careers homepage:
Can I apply through this careers site for Store based or Distribution roles?
We currently conduct all local recruitment for Team Members / General Assistants through each local location. Use the Store Finder to find your nearest store or else our Distribution Centre Finder to find the contact details of your nearest Distribution centre. However all office support and management positions are advertised on and applied for through this site.
Remember that the best approach in an FAQ is a casual yet a very explanatory manner. Through this way, you are still enticing candidates to apply but at the same time still informing them about the things that they should expect when applying and the characteristics that they should have in the first place.
I’ve always loved FAQ pages and thought they were underutilized.
“Remember that the best approach in an FAQ is a casual yet a very explanatory manner.”
That’s definitely good advice. People do not want to hear corporate speak on FAQ pages. Questions should be answered in terms that your target demographic can understand, not in marketese.
Another great way to improve your FAQs is to make them searchable and to update them regularly. I’ve create BreezyFAQ, a simple way to add FAQs to your site. You can search through them and visitors can ask questions.
As visitors ask questions you can answer them directly and/or add them to your list of questions.
You can see a demo here: breezyfaq.com
Sorry for posting on such an old post but I’ve been yammering on about FAQs for a while now and can’t seem to stop.