Your Firm’s Web Page Stinks!

A World Class Web Page Includes These Great Web Features (Listed by Category): Over-all features:

Meets each of the goals set by the firm

It attracts quality applicants
Prioritizes jobs and shifts web resources toward those key jobs
Attracts “active” job seekers by being an “answer guy/ learning” site (Attracts employed top performers by):
Giving them information about industry events
Informing them about “hot” issues, best practices, benchmarking data and solutions
On-line training
It helps them do their current job better
Information about “people” in the industry
Industry publication abstracts and table of contents
Gives non-job seekers an easy “excuse” to visit
It provides salary surveys
It offers career advice
It offers opportunities to get a mentor
Glossary of key industry terms and buzz words
It helps me improve myself off the job as a person
Two way information flow with instant feedback to the Visitor:
Custom information is provided just as the visitor provides initial information about their skills, experience and needs
Provides instant feedback on the closeness of the potential “fit” to encourage the visitor to stay on the site (pre-programmed)
Includes a feature that gets passives to answer the “I’ve always wanted to” question in order to capture names and aspirations
Screens change automatically as more is “learned” about the visitor
It offers multi-media choices so that a range of viewing options is available to the visitor (video, graphics, text, etc.)
It is “the talked about” site:
It is written about in major publications
It is talked about as being distinctive by professionals in our industry
Others told me it’s a WOW to visit
Ranked by leading web page assessors
It has talked about features so the word spreads that this is a “must see site”. Non-job seekers will visit just to see the WOW’s
It has humor elements to attract visitors
It has technology features that cause people to visit just to see how they work
It is responsive to your individual job needs (mass personalized):
Market research is done initially to identify the needs and expectations of our targeted candidates
It knows (asks me) what I want in a job (My job and company selection criteria)…and it tells me specifically about those things
It provides job related information in the order that visitors want to see it
Identifies your “job switch” criteria
Asks me about “my dream job” and tells me which of those features I might actually get
Identifies qualified candidates early and treats them differently depending on info received
Keeping top applicants informed about their progress in the selection/interview process through a password protected web site
Identifies the factors that trigger their initial visit
It mentions affinity groups, sports leagues and other quality of work life features (video and list of events)
It helps the visitor to get to know the company and it’s culture (realistic cultural preview):
A virtual tour of the facilities
Includes an interview with the CEO
Includes employee comments on what they like about the firm and why they work there
Includes values, vision and mission statements
A day in the life of an employee (virtual day)
Profiles of the key products, suppliers, partners and key customers
Videos illustrating our culture and values
Includes a cultural “fit” assessment tool so they can see if there is a match
It includes a list of industry and best places to work awards the firm has won
Includes summaries or copies of articles that mention the firm or our key employees
Highlights our firm’s great place to work features
Includes diversity information and elements
A list of WOW benefits and things to talk about
Descriptions of the surrounding communities (schools, recreation, etc)
It helps the visitor get to know your manager/team:
Profiles of typical managers so I can find out if the firm’s management style fits my interests and background)
Videos/text of speeches by top officers
Profiles of key team members with video clips. Or write ups similar to sports stars on “baseball cards”
An opportunity to e-mail my potential manager
Comments workers have about the firms management style
It helps you know your job and excites you about it:
WOW job descriptions. Profiles of the exciting projects, equipment, challenging environment, learning and growth opportunities applicants may have (with video clips ) as an addition to the traditional job descriptions that will be enhanced to “sell” the job rather than just describe it
It shows me that my job “will make a difference”
It knows (asks me) what I dislike about my current (last) job/company…and it tells me specifically about those things
Exciting project profiles that tell applicants what they might be working on
It shows them that “people like me” work there:
When I’m finished visiting the site I feel like the firm is “just like me”
A “people like me already work here” feature that will allow you to search to see if people with similar backgrounds, interests and education work at the firm
It gives different “segments” of the working population their own sub-page (MBA’s, Working mothers, Diversity groups, senior execs)
The site is fun to visit (WOW’s):
If has a WOW feature in the first 30 seconds and another one at least every minute
Has a humorous or funny element
Offers prizes/rewards/contests as an incentive
It uses market research to identify what features visitors think are superior
Discourages the non-qualified:
Give an accurate job preview to allow the non-qualified to self-select out
Quick/instant skill assessment features tell potential applicants whether they are in the ballpark
Makes applying easy:
It unobtrusively gathers information about you (mini application)
Allows for on-line web interviewing
Doesn’t require a current resume to apply. Allows quick profiles of candidates with minimal need for asking them “too many” questions
Allows “cut and paste” resume submissions
Has resume “builder” features
Allows the candidate to submit a “web site portfolio” link in lieu of a resume
It has (self) assessment tools:
Allows on-line early assessment of skills/fit (Games, Tests, Find the problem, Contests)
It has interest assessment and job matching features
Allows for fun self assessment of your skill level even if you don’t apply for a job (with instant feedback)
On-line simulations/ video games to assess your technical skills
Question & Answer features:
Has a Q & A e-mail feature
It offers a telephone link (or call back feature) to qualified candidates
It has commonly asked questions and answers on-line
Questions and call backs are responded to within 24 hours
Measures visitor satisfaction:
Asks applicants/visitor how they were treated
Asks what they want “more of/less of”
Become a “friend” of xyz company to allow us to build a long term relationship:
It builds up my trust so that I want a continuing relationship with the firm
How am I doing website that allows a candidate to see where they are (and how they are doing) in the screening process
It has features to cause visitors not currently in a job search mode to think that “someday you will work here”
Uses permission marketing to allow us to continually “push” information to the applicant
An electronic monthly newsletter is pushed to build a “friends of XYZ” relationship
Pushes customizes info to them (about the firm, its products and open jobs)
Captures names for our “who’s who”
It gets “permission” from the visitor to continue the relationship
It “pushes” jobs to people
It “pushes” customized information to people
Builds a continuous relationship with the person
Keeping top applicants informed about their progress in the selection/interview process through a password protected web site
Global:
Has multi-lingual capabilities
It meets all privacy requirements
Has separate sub-pages for each country
It continually measures and improves:
Metrics ties into performance data for the quality of hire
Systems are continually tested (and timed) with outside assessment, mystery shoppers
Tracks coming the web site you came from/and went to
Loads fast and requires minimum “click throughs”
Is continually re-assessed and “audited” to test to see if it is continually improving
Web technology features:
Has a search feature to identify “my job” even if I don’t know its title at your firm
Allowing the candidate to create an anonymous e-mail address in order to receive “push” job positions
On line pre-qualifying for positions. By pre-qualifying applicants (sometimes without their knowledge) so that you can treat them “special” and speed up their hiring cycle
Send an electronic card feature (birthday)
Miscellaneous
It’s easy to scan, load
It is updated weekly
Uses the latest technology (video)
It also can help to sell our products and build customer relationships so they should be coordinated with and linked with product sites