A quality company career page is much more than “the last clickable link before contact us and all that data privacy stuff.” It’s the quintessential act of hospitality: welcoming top talent to learn more about a company by showcasing its vision, values, openness and care for its people. 

Top hospitality talent see a career page as a lens through which to gauge their place within a company – and they’re razor sharp at reading between the lines. A career page is your calling card to attract and retain new team members that vibe with your company culture. 

Optimizing it can streamline hiring processes and rocket you up search engine listings. Here’s the lowdown on how to create and maintain an irresistible career page. 

Click or miss

If a hospitality pro lands on your company’s career page, they’ve already had a gander at your site and like what they see. Run with that baton and use your career page to encapsulate your company’s essence, ethos and solid recruitment plan.

Be straight up about what makes the company tick, and what to expect from your recruitment and on-boarding processes. Show candidates that you’re a people-first hospitality company that puts people and purpose first. 

Keep your hospitality career page fresh and updated – remove or mark positions you’ve filled and encourage interaction. Invite candidates who are browsing your career page to get in touch. You never know when a stellar new team member might walk through the virtual door (or when an existing one might walk out). 

Multiply your presence by cross-pollinating company page content to and from your social media accounts and weave in appropriate keywords to push it to the top of candidate’s hospitality career searches.

Reflect what you expect

A company career page is the start of a journey with a new team member and should be a true reflection of what both sides can expect. Keep it aligned with the content, messaging, tone and design of the rest of your site and comms, and include clear descriptions of the role and task.  

Candidates will linger longer on a career page that is easy to navigate and clearly structured. Promote your workplace, share images and videos, and highlight benefits, opportunities and what makes it different. Throw in some existing employee quotes and link up to your social media accounts for added impact. 

Use neutral, inclusive and gender-balanced wording and images – and don’t be afraid to defend your values and promote your CSR policy. Almost 80% of workers surveyed in the 2021 CNBC Workforce Survey say that they want to work for a company that values diversity, equity and inclusion, and over half (60%) favour business leaders speaking out on political and social issues.

Much more than a store-front

The difference between a career and a job…. is a culture.  Your company career page is a platform to showcase professional and personal growth opportunities.  Candidates want to feel part of a company’s evolution – highs and lows included. 

The Citrix Talent Accelerator found that 86% of 2,000 employees interviewed said they would prefer to work for a company that prioritises outcomes over output (Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2021/05/what-your-future-employees-want-most).  

You could include a timeline, highlight achievements and milestones and show how you’ve pulled through to face challenges. Pose meaningful questions to give candidates a taste of what to expect in the interview and role. 

Put yourself in a candidate’s shoes and see your career page from their point of view. What would be the dealmakers/breakers? Involve your existing team – take the pulse on what they love about the firm and areas for improvement. 

Be honest with yourself and potential new team members by tracking why people have joined, stayed and… (deep breath) left.  

The winning recipe

Once you’ve gathered your info and intel, keep the following checklist in mind while you’re creating or revamping your company career page.

  • Is it a true reflection of what it’s like to work here?
  • Does it clearly describe the role, goals and processes?
  • Is it people-centric?
  • Is it inclusive?
  • Is it aligned with our brand, values and voice?
  • Is it up-to-date?
  • Is it easy to navigate and clearly structured?
  • Is it SEO optimized and linked to our social media channels?
  • Does it encourage proactive interaction?
  • Would I apply here if I read it?

Last but not least, if your career page has been sliding south on your to-do list for too long, take heart. 

Joining forces with a specialized hospitality recruitment partner can help you to optimize your company’s career page, and refine your recruitment plan, in order to bring the crème de la crème of hospitality candidates to your table.