Now more than ever, job applicants want to know exactly what they can expect if they were to go to work for your company. The competition for highly qualified candidates is intense, so if you aren’t seeking new ways to help potential candidates visualize themselves on the job, you may be missing out on the best people.
A recent survey conducted by the hiring websites CareerBuilder and Inavero found that the best candidates expect potential employers to provide them with a clear understanding of what the job is all about … before they even submit an application!
And the best companies are responding in kind by using emerging technologies to provide potential job seekers with a comprehensive view of what they can expect on the job.
Here are three ways your company can interact with job seekers so they can see themselves working for your company before they ever fill out a job application.
Going Mobile
Is your company’s website mobile-friendly? Most prospective job candidates use their smart phones, tablets, laptops and other mobile devices to connect with potential employers. If your company isn’t mobile optimized, you could be missing out on many of the best candidates.
If you’re not sure if your website is geared toward mobile users, try this experiment: Take out your smart phone, open the browser, and type in your company’s name. What you see is what your prospective job applicants will find when they consider working for your company.
Video Expectations
Most web users – especially younger job applicants – have grown up using streaming video. They are more likely to browse YouTube than they are LinkedIn or other business-centric social networking sites.
How many videos does your company have on YouTube, Vimeo and the other most popular video sharing sites? Are there any? If not, you may be missing out on one of the best opportunities for giving prospective job seekers an insiders’ view of what it’s like to work for your company.
Video offers an unprecedented opportunity to connect not just with potential job applicants, but also customers and clients. Unlike any other medium, video allows you to share your company’s story, its values, and its ideals in a manner that viewers can instantly connect with.
Best of all, you no longer need to spend a fortune on professional video production in order to impress visitors. Post video testimonials, smart phone videos, screen captures and other simple, effective videos that are low-cost or free to produce to make instant, heartfelt connections with candidates, customers and others.
Social Status
In just the last 10 years, social media has become the single most important platform for connecting with customers, job seekers, and others who interact with your brand. If you don’t already have a social media strategy for building your brand, developing new customer bases, and connecting with potential job applicants, you need to get started right away.
Social networking is the top reason most people go online each day. And it’s what keeps them glued to their mobile devices throughout the day. Most employers understand this, which is why they craft sophisticated, intelligent social media strategies to recruit, hire and retain the best potential candidates.
Perception vs Reality
When it comes to working for your company, potential job seekers today want to know what to expect before they ever fill out an employment application. If your company isn’t making it easy for candidates to visualize themselves working for your company, you may be losing the best people to the competitors who are.
When it comes to hiring and retaining the best workers, it’s a brave new world. And most of it is online. Use these web-based strategies to give your applicants the best opportunities to see themselves working for your company and you can win the battle for the best people every time.
