When Google for Jobs first launched in 2017, few people really knew what to expect. Was it positioning to compete with Indeed? Were employers going to be able to post listings directly? Fast forward six months, and the waters have cleared, the waves have subsided, and everyone’s ready to use it to its full potential.
For us, as talent-acquisition experts, Google for Jobs acts not only as another touchpoint to get in front of candidates, but also as a tool to help strengthen our talent brand and take another step towards being an employer of choice.
Increasing Brand Exposure
Google for Jobs levels the playing field for all by making sure that all are playing by the same set of rules and held to the same standards.
Google insists that all postings follow its specific data structure so it’s easy for its AI aggregator to parse. It rewards postings that have more content (and more quality content) with a higher ranking, in order to incentivize employers to fill out more details.
So while we can’t all be Buzzfeeds, Amazons, or Facebooks — we can make sure we’re showing the world why employees should want to work with us. With Google for Jobs, your open position for “Data Analyst” could just be right underneath a Fortune 100 company. Though your career site may not have gotten much attention before, it now has the opportunity to be featured right alongside the biggest players.
To make sure you’re giving your brand the best chance for continued recognition, here’s a quick talent-brand checkup:
- Are all of your postings in the Google-approved format?
- Are you continuously submitting your sitemaps to Google?
- Does your career site have information the candidate would find valuable?
- Do you have multiple social channels that candidates can visit to get an inside look at your company?
- Are your employee reviews healthy?
- Do all of your touch points follow the talent brand in terms of messaging, voice, and aesthetics?
Finding Better Candidates
When interviewed about the Google for Jobs launch in 2017, Nick Zakrasek, Google’s product manager for the project, told TechCrunch that “Finding a job is like dating. Each person has a unique set of preferences and it only takes one person to fill this job.”
Extending the simile, Google for Jobs can help you transition from an Internet-style speed dating scene to a match that’s more akin to a date tastefully arranged by a common friend.
In the former, you’re more or less meeting anyone and everyone — you can narrow it down considerably, but at the end of they day there are always going to be more “misses” than “hits.”
In the latter, the “friend” knows what both of you are looking for. On one side, the candidate is able to use filters that narrows down their search results to positings that fit them best — positions that they really want.
On the other side, employers are able to optimize their postings to emphasize the keywords, details, and specifications to ensure that they are attracting the best possible fits.
Overall, Google aims to improve the candidate experience — by consolidating the number of pages a potential applicant needs to visit to get the full scope of information, and by streamlining the application process. This is an aim you can capitalize on by making sure your company’s talent brand is displayed in its best light.
Driving Home Your Selling Points
Google’s strategy for improving the candidate experience is one that those of us in human resources should be jumping to collaborate with. Google has a unique advantage — acting as a (mostly) neutral third-party between every website in the world. It has the ability to provide objective facts.
How does this help you, or your talent brand? It gives you the opportunity to drive home the parts of your culture you are especially proud of.
You say “competitive salary,” Google wants to know what that means — for the candidate’s sake. Salary information is missing in 85 percent of job postings. Google, in its mission for complete information, has partnered with sites such as Glassdoor to help reduce that number. It also provides company’s social profiles and employee reviews when available, consolidating the candidate journey even further and allowing you to show off your social side.
Your goal, and the key to staying ahead, is to make the facts work in your favor. Highlight what you are proudest of — be it flexible days, full health coverage, or an enticing employee development program. Don’t use fluff language, tell the truth, and let it work for you.