Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, right? With that in mind, here are three fantastic career websites and elements you can steal* from each.
(*By “steal” I mean “politely imitate”. No one is suggesting you break any laws by stealing a copyright or proprietary technology, so let’s put down the pitchforks and realize we’re suggesting you get inspired. Lawsuit averted? Great. Let’s continue.)
Don’t underestimate the value of a career website
There was a theory a few years back that social media and talent communities would kill the career website. Clearly, false. The importance of your website cannot be understated. It is the primary destination for job seekers when they want to learn more about your brand, see what jobs are available at your company, your locations, your company values and mission, etc.
Yes, they can see fun images through Instagram or jobs on Indeed, but this is the hub of your employment experience and should be a central part of your talent attraction strategy. Knowing that, we should think carefully about our websites and invest heavily in their creation.
But what makes a career website great? There are some foundational elements that all sites should include, like strong employment branding, an easy job search widget, and an explanation of why your company (and employees) matter. And, of course, it absolutely needs to be designed for mobile devices.
There are other elements, of course, but let’s dive in to the reason you clicked this article to begin with – what other people doing that’s so great, and what ideas can you “steal”.
Target
Target has one of the best career sites around. Filled with tons of great content, their site no doubt keeps a job seeker engaged and on the website longer.
What’s great about it:
- Target has a ton of career opportunities and they make it easy for their job seekers to find their fit with easy-to-navigate categories and info on each
- Useful video content
- FAQs for their candidates
One thing you should steal:
Content generation. They have a ton of content on their site, from employee highlights, to store spotlights to user generated content. They house much of it on their blog, nicknamed Pulse, and also leverage their corporate content where it’s relevant (there’s no need to re-invent the wheel if your marketing or communications team is already producing quality content). I happened to really enjoy this profile of Raleigh, NC with a local store team leader. So, what can you steal from this? Ask yourself what stories you and your employees can share…and then find a way to share them!
Amazon
Amazon’s career site is as you would expect – clean, simple and well-organized.
What’s great about it:
- Mobile-first design
- Global site with multiple languages and locations info
- Strong employee highlights
- Faceted job search that makes it easy for job seekers to find what they’re looking for
One thing you should steal:
Strong EVP, front and center: The core of Amazon’s value proposition is “We Pioneer.” They’re recruiting daring individuals to invent and keep the company ahead of the pack. Read these two sentences: “Success is measured against the possible, not the probable. For today’s pioneers, that’s exactly why there’s no place on Earth they’d rather build than Amazon.” That’s compelling, isn’t it? So what’s the lesson here to steal? Know your value proposition and boldly proclaim it on your site.
Hubspot
One of the top marketing platform companies should have a great website, right? Well, Hubspot certainly does.
What’s great about it:
- Clean, easy to read design and text
- Behind the scenes photos and info that give you a real flavor of their culture
- Super fast and easy application process (don’t underestimate the value of this)
One thing you should steal:
Have fun. Career sites don’t have to be so drab and serious. Hubspot has some fun with theirs and took some photos of employees in wacky poses to convey their culture and sense of “heart” that they want employees to bring to work every day. There’s even a guy in a banana suit. I mean, c’mon, a banana suit? If they can do that surely you can find a way to show a little life on your site, right?
So, there you have it; three ideas that you can steal and incorporate into your career website. Which company career sites do you admire? What elements could you incorporate into your career website? Let us know!
