In a world of shrinking attention spans, snap judgments are a way of life. First impressions can be the difference between happily sifting through a slew of applicants and managing an underused, twiddling-their-fingers hiring team.
In the hunt for talent, that initial impression—the first time you really get to make your case to potential applicants—is usually your website's recruiting page. When you think about your organization’s recruiting page, how would you rank yourself? Are you making a compelling first impression? Is your content illustrative and enticing? Do you clearly explain who you are and the candidate you’re looking for? Perhaps most importantly, does it speak to Millennials and Gen Edgers? These two (often misunderstood) generations make up the majority of the talent pipeline, and if you’re not making a concerted effort to speak to their values and interests then, frankly, you need to rethink your strategy.
These are the types of questions we’ve been helping our clients answer, and, where necessary, work toward a solve. Through our recruiting-focused Generational Readiness Assessment, we’ve taken a generational lens to existing recruiting webpages and identified key strategic gaps in everything from communication to mission statements and social media integration tactics. In conducting our assessments, we’ve seen clear patterns emerge in how recruiting webpages can sometimes miss the mark.
...some top recruiting webpage fails...
#1 - Generic is (unfortunately) the name of the game
We’ve all read descriptions of a company’s culture and core values, and many times, a nap is in order afterwards. Most organizations have vague, sometimes boring, and often generic descriptions of their culture and core values. This is… problematic. Culture and values are two things Millennials prioritize highly during the job hunt. They want to know that their own values will jive with the organization they’re looking to join. If your recruiting webpage doesn’t clearly articulate who you are, it’s nearly impossible for candidates to gauge if they’re the type of employee who would succeed. Another annoying byproduct of generic descriptions? You could end up with a whole lot of prospects that just aren’t good fits.
#2 - Job roles are unclear
Similar to culture and values, reading job descriptions can feel like slogging your way through four feet of snow. Not only can they be unnecessarily lengthy, but oftentimes, they provide no real insight as to what the job will entail. Is a writer or a graphic designer required? A coder or a communication specialist? A young buck or someone with 15 years’ experience? Clarity is key, but you don’t want to write a Tolstoy-length description either. Finding the balance between clearly illustrating the role and keeping it short is a bit of an art form, but it can be done. Pro tip: embrace listicles, bullet points, and, if you’re really going for the gold, links to short videos where possible.
#3 - The meaning is missing
Money matters, but meaning matters more. Millennials and Gen Edgers want a job where they can make a difference—in fact, 75% would take a pay cut to work for an organization that is socially responsible. Does your company participate in charitable giving? Is sustainability a key initiative? Do you offer volunteer opportunities? Although these things may sound small and inconsequential, they appeal to Gen Edge and Millennial values in a big way. Most importantly, they’ll allow the right candidate to picture him/herself within your organization and feel they are positively contributing to the world through their work.
As new generations enter the playing field, the conversation will continue to evolve, and webpage elements that were once appealing may fade into the background. We’ll keep staying abreast of the newest generations in the workforce and help our clients be Generationally Ready to attract the best bunch of new recruits.
If you’d like to hear more about how a Generational Readiness Assessment can positively impact your organization and improve efforts to recruit, retain, and engage, contact us for more information.