You only have one chance to make a good first impression

In a recent post, I suggested secret shopping your company's online job application process to experience the experience. Don't stop there.

Next, take it back a step and evaluate your Career Site. How is your career site adapting to the new world of work? In my experience, many applicant tracking and career sites haven’t caught up to today’s work styles, especially when it comes to flexible work options.

For example:

• When posting a job, is a location required or are you able to include a qualifier? Defining what Remote, Hybrid and Onsite mean to your organization is critical for today’s job seekers.

• Is it easy to find the “search for jobs” or are your marketing messages getting in the way? In other words, how far down does a candidate need to scroll to find the all important “Search for jobs” button? It is easy to think that “what it is like to work here” or “our culture/ teams” or “benefits” are more important — but over 90% of candidates initially look for job opportunities on their phone. So making that button visible, up-front, and easy-to-use on a phone can be an accelerator to getting more candidates. In fact, take a look at your site from your phone to get a good idea of the first impression you’re making with many candidates.

I know it can be hard to look at your own work from a candidate lens. One way to gain insights is to contact some people you’ve hired along with some you rejected, and ask them about their experience navigating your site.