Hireserve share 3 Ways to Analyse Engagement with your Careers Site:
When we talk to in-house recruiters, access to candidate data and reporting is often one of their highest priorities.
But what about your careers site data? Your careers site is often the first interaction with your brand a candidate will have, so you need to know how yours is performing and where there’s room to improve.
Starting with the essentials
To begin analysing your careers site, you’re going to need a Google Analytics account. It’s likely your web or marketing team has one set up for your main website, and they may have already integrated it with your careers site too. Ask them to set you up with an account.
There are some key metrics you need to be aware of:
- Bounce rate
- Average time on site
- Devices
We could write pages for each of these metrics, and there are some fantastic resources out there for a more in-depth look. Today we’ll just take a whistle-stop tour.
Bounce rate
This refers to visitors who have arrived on a page on your site and ‘bounced’ right off again without any interaction.
A high bounce (typically over 50%) rate indicates that your careers site isn’t engaging potential candidates.
Average time on site
This metric again focuses on visitor engagement. The longer a candidate spends on your careers site, the more interested they are likely to be.
If you notice very short visits, it could be that candidates aren’t hooked on your content, or that they are hopping from page to page trying to find some particular information.
Devices
Still not convinced you need to provide a mobile optimised careers site and application experience for candidates? Tap into your Google Analytics to find out more about your visitor browsing devices.
This data allows you to see what percentage of people visit your careers site using a desktop, mobile and tablet. You can even drill down into which specific devices people are using, such as an iPhone or Android.
5 ways to improve engagement with your careers site
If you’re seeing a worrying trend of high bounce rates across your site and short session durations, there are simple steps you can take to enhance your careers site.
- Take a step back
When you’re close to a project, it’s difficult to be objective. Put yourself in your candidates’ shoes and review your careers site from their perspective. What first impression does it make on you? Can you identify areas to improve?
Even better, ask other members of your team to review the site, so you get a fresh pair of eyes.
- Review your user journey
A good careers site should be simple to navigate. Potential candidates shouldn’t have to search hard for the ‘View all vacancies’ link or ‘Apply now’ button.
Take a look at the steps candidates have to take in order to find information or apply for a vacancy. Ideally, you want as few ‘clicks’ as possible. You could even ask your team to apply for roles so they understand the exact journey a candidate goes through.
- Update your copy and images
Some visitors to your careers site may feel disengaged because they can’t connect to your brand or values.
Try to replace stock imagery and with pictures of your team and offices. Avoid hyperbole or clichés in your copy and instead write in an authentic, personable tone.
- Provide a consistent candidate journey
Consider whether your careers site ‘look and feel’ reflects your corporate website. Also look at whether the language and imagery you use is consistent across all touchpoints, from landing page to job description.
To really engage candidates with your employer brand and secure their trust, you need to deliver a consistent and professional experience throughout their entire journey.
- Mobile optimise your careers site
People expect to be able to navigate and browse websites with ease on their mobile devices, and jobseekers expect to be able to apply for roles on their phones too.
Don’t risk losing talent because you haven’t got a mobile optimised careers site. It can damage your employer brand and candidates may lose patience with your application process if it is slow or difficult on their devices.
Using data to maintain candidate engagement
Try to take an iterative approach to your careers site, reviewing your candidate experience and application journey throughout the year, and monitoring your analytics.
Regular reporting will ensure you’re aware when candidate engagement dips, whether certain pages are less popular than others, or whether levels of mobile usage have increased.
There’s a world of data out there for you to analyse. Use it to help you attract and engage the talent you need.
Hireserve creates applicant tracking software and is passionate about helping organisations enhance their candidate experience and improve their career sites. As sponsors at the UK Recruitment Blog of the Year Awards 2016, we’ve also written about the 5 things your recruitment blog needs and how a blog can be an effective candidate engagement tool.
