Employment Marketing

Employers still dropping the ball with careers sites

A new analysis of the careers sites of Australia's top 150 companies shows that the majority are well behind world best practice standards and some might be actually harming the employer's brand.

The study, by employer branding specialist Collective Learning Australia, analysed the top 150 Australian company career websites against best practice elements such as talent relationship management, access, content, online recruitment process and usability.

Collective Learning managing director, Brett Minchington, said the analysis showed that the majority of Australian careers sites were static, out-of-date, contained too-much text and lacked interactivity.

He said in most cases, the information on careers sites was simply a replica of the "about us" section of the main corporate website.

This didn't provide the information candidates were looking for, nor did it provide a compelling, positive experience, he said.

Minchington said the big trend in cutting-edge careers sites in the US and Europe was interactivity.

"Some of the trends we are seeing overseas include the increased use of two-way communication so active and passive candidates can connect directly with the organisation, online simulation exercises and activities aimed at providing the job seeker feedback on their suitability for various roles in the organisation,” he said.

Another strong global trend was to use podcasts and videos, in many cases featuring the company's employees, to give a realistic insight into what it was like to work for the organisation.

"A number of careers websites in Australia do not actually promote a positive employment experience and may be doing more harm than good," he said.

Another, almost universal flaw was the failure to provide clear information on the recruitment process, he said.

Article courtesy of shortlistonline.com.au and CareersMultiList