Career Site Optimization – Bringing it All Together

We’ve spent the last month or so picking apart what it means to have a high functioning and optimized career site to ensure that you’re getting the best return on your hiring investment. Throughout the course of this journey, we’ve discussed some basic theories like switching your approach from one that’s HR focused to one that is Marketing specific, and delved into some more technical concepts like Google Analytics.

Now that we’ve provided you with some tools to get you started, it’s time to discuss how to bring it all together. In other words, I’m hoping you walk away from this and feel like a Career Site Guru.

Single out the metrics that are most important to your department and your company whether it’s time-to-fill, turnover, or cost-per-hire

The way I see it, there are three main components here:

Understand Your Hiring System

This is going to be unique to both you as an HR Professional and also specific to your organization as a whole. So, get to know your process. If you don’t have a process, then refer back to the last few weeks’ posts so you can start to develop a solid plan for executing employer excellence. Start by singling out the metrics that are most important to your department and your company whether it’s time-to-fill, turnover, or cost-per-hire. Understand that while each of these metrics impact one another, they’re not the same. Cost-per-hire and time-to-fill are calculated differently and affect your budget in various ways.

Step Inside the Shoes of your Applicants

You shouldn’t ever have to tell a Marketer that in order to be successful, you have to think like your consumer (if you have to remind them, it’s unlikely they’ll last very long in the department). The same should be said for HR when it comes to hiring. If you’re looking to hire great people, you have to draw those awesome people to apply. I know it’s a shift in perception from the old school mentality of trying to scare as many potential bad applicants away as possible with boring job ads and long-winded legal descriptions, but step back and think about it for a second. What type of message do you want to send to your job seekers? How do you portray your company? If the roles were reversed, would YOU feel compelled to apply for the position if you were in the job market? Market your company to future employees the same way your Marketing team sells the company to potential clients. Highlight the benefits. What’s in it for them? If you play your cards right, you’ll attract dedicated people instead of desperate ones.

Market your company to future employees the same way your Marketing team sells the company to potential clients”

Trim the Fat

This may be the most important piece of advice I can extend, and yet, it’s often the hardest to digest: let go of processes that no longer serve you and your team. I know, I know . . . easier said than done. Our entire focus of this series has been to adapt to your technologically advanced surroundings and evolve with the times. You can’t do that effectively if you’re dragging around unnecessary weight that costs you time since time equals money. It doesn’t matter if the person before you had been doing it for ten years, if it doesn’t align with our current online dominated world, then cut your losses. Trust me; the sooner you can do this the better. It’s actually more liberating than you think.

And lastly, since we consider ourselves experts in bridging the gap between outdated hiring methods, and automated processes, feel free to make some changes to your plan and then ask us how you’re doing or other ways you can make improvements.

If you’re more of a self-motivated learner, then check out our free HRCI Webinars