July 2006 Newsletter
July 2006 Newsletter
In this issue:
- PageUp White Paper launched: Utilisation of Talent Pools in Australia
- Target candidates effectively with best practice careers websites
PageUp White Paper launched: Utilisation of Talent Pools in Australia
PageUp has conducted a two year study of Australia's Top 100 companies to establish their approach to, and the general trends in, talent pool management. Only 43% of the participants had adopted talent pool management by the end of the second year. The findings predict that by the end of 2007, 63% of Australian Top 100 organisations will have adopted talent pool management.
Another finding suggested that the most successful approach to talent pool adoption appeared to be one of a phased implementation with most organisations starting with the introduction of a recruitment management system.
This limited edition white paper entitled The Utilisation of Talent Pools for External Recruitment in Australia is available for purchase. To view the executive summary please visit, www.pageup.com.au.
Target candidates effectively with best practice careers websites
Corporate websites and in particular careers websites are fast becoming one the most vital marketing tools to attract people to work at your company. Therefore it's important that potential employees can easily find the information they need to know about your company and current employment opportunities. The careers section should be just as important as any other section of your website, so an easy to find link to the careers site should appear on the home page as a main menu heading. Don't bury a 'Current Opportunities' link amongst large amounts of text.
The careers website is your opportunity to sell your company to a potential employee. In a market where good people are hard to find, applicants can afford to be picky with jobs they apply for and applicants conduct research into companies to help them decide where they want to work. The website is one of the first places they are going to head to, so the site needs to sell your company to a potential employee.
The emerging market in today's potential recruitment pool is Generation Y, who are more focused than any other generation on what your company can offer them. Gone are the days of applicants focussing on what they can offer your company, applicants will now "interview and screen" companies just as much as companies interview and screen them. This means that your website and your job advertisements need to reflect that by providing as much information targeted to appeal to the people you want in your business.
Before you begin updating your website, you need to decide who you are targeting? What type of people do you currently employ and what type of people do you want to encourage applying?
If your company is split into different employment sectors eg: operational, managerial, graduate, then you should split your careers website into different sections accordingly.
After you have decided who your target market/s are, you then should work out into which generation they fit. Research has shown that Generation X applicants are looking for different career aspects to Generation Y and Baby Boomer applicants , as described below.
Generation Y (1981 -1991): Applicants want to know "What's in it for them?". They require flexible hours to fit into study commitments or to enable them to have a good work/life balance. They seek career progression, training, attractive salary packages and ongoing benefits and bonuses. They want to hear about how you will manage and progress their career and what rewards they will get along the way. Images and testimonials on your website of successful young people who work at your company will create a powerful image of a great place to work and grow. If you are looking to recruit school age children, an information section for parents is also useful so they can see what you will offer their children and often it's the parents who are looking for jobs for their kids!
Generation X (1965 -1979) Applicants are looking to take the next step in their career, therefore are looking for new challenges and scope for development. Options such aschild care, flexible working hours, career progression, travel and managerial opportunities will all appeal to this generation.
Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964): This sector of applicants may be looking at winding down their work load, but are still a valuable and sometimes untapped recruitment resource within some companies. If an employee is retiring from full-time work, they may be still interested in part-time work. Flexible working hours; recognition as an employer of choice for women as many women do return to the workforce at a later stage in life after having children; part-time and job share opportunities; mentoring opportunities and diversity within the workforce will all be attractive elements in a potential employer for Baby Boomers.
So what are the key criteria to having a best practice careers website?
Your website is a recruitment advertisement - so use it!
- Make sure the careers section is highly visible on the homepage - you don't want to lose any potential employees along the way!
- The site and its information should reflect the culture of your company
- Work out who your recruitment target market/s are and include information on your website that will appeal to these groups
- Survey your employees and executive team - what do they love about working at your company? Include that information on your website
- Keep your website clean- but use eye catching colours, images and key points of information to engage the eye and invite applicants to read on
- If your employment opportunities fall into different sectors, your website should reflect that
Recognise that potential employees, no matter what their generation, are generally looking for a career, not just a job! For more information about effective careers websites please call PageUp on +61 3 8677 3777/ +61 2 8088 0600.