Have you ever seen an interesting job description posted online, then gone to the company's website — only to find out it totally sucked? What about coming across one you absolutely loved?
Company websites and careers pages can be an extremely useful tool for startups looking to attract top talent — if they're done well. We chatted with three Colorado tech companies with killer careers pages to learn more about their design process and how it helps them recruit. Check out the pages in the gifs or find a direct link to their careers page below each company's name.
Steve Klein, cofounder and Charlotte Whitmore, operations assistant
https://www.statuspage.io/careers
What was the design process like for creating your careers page?
Steve: The design process was a mix of thinking about what kind of information I would want if was applying for a job and what types of information other companies were providing.
Charlotte: We'd never had a careers page, just a very basic "about" page, so there was a lot to think about when putting this page together.
What do you consider the key elements of your careers page?
Steve: Aside from the actual positions section, the most important section, in my opinion, is the section on our values. We put a lot of emphasis on hiring people that will fit in with the things we value as a company.
Charlotte: The co-founders put together a list of company values as Steve was working on designing the careers page, and it's definitely one of the most important things on the page. Since launching the page, we've had multiple candidates comment on the company values and mention how useful it's been for them to get an idea of our culture.
How is having a careers page a helpful recruiting tool?
Steve: It’s an important recruiting tool insofar as it helps us explain who we are, what we’re about, and what a candidate would be getting into if they worked here. The hiring scene in the tech community is very competitive — candidates have lots of options and if you can’t convince them that you’re a company they want to work for, you’re going to have a rough go of it.
What advice do you have for other companies working on building a strong careers page?
Steve: Just put yourself in the candidate's shoes — if you were thinking about applying, would the job description sound enticing to you? would you feel like you knew the culture? the people you’d be working with?
Charlotte: Especially for startups where culture maintenance and culture fit is SO important, it's helpful to put together a careers page that accurately represents the vibe of your company, so the right candidates can feel excited about you before even getting on the phone.
Cierra Camacho, digital marketing manager
http://www.zayo.com/careers/job-opportunities/
What was the design process like for creating your careers page?
Our goal was to create something sleek, fun, new age and interactive — yet unique. We wanted to give applicants an experience, rather than a page full of text as to why they should come work with us. To make #LifeatZayo come to life, we researched — and we listened. We worked with focus groups and new employees to come up with a clean visual and interactive design that would provide job seekers a glimpse into who we are, what we do, and how we make a difference in the world.
What do you consider the key elements of your careers page?
A picture says 1,000 words — but ours also tells a story. We showcase our people, who we are, and the things we love doing.
How is having a careers page a helpful recruiting tool?
It gives applicants a sneak peek at #LifeatZayo, including our culture, values, activities, community efforts and much more.
What advice do you have for other companies working on building a strong careers page?
Today’s candidates are looking for more than a job description. Give them something to remember. Stand out.
Ryan Burney, senior front end developer
https://www.gospotcheck.com/careers/
What was the design process like for creating your careers page?
The design process was an iterative one. We knew we wanted to create something different and outside the box, so we viewed some career pages we liked and picked various elements to incorporate into our own. Once we sketched up and designed something we liked, we built it out. One thing that is unique about the GoSpotCheck careers page is that we angled various sections to make them stand out. We were thoughtful throughout the process, knowing we were targeting high caliber candidates. When writing the copy we put ourselves in the shoes of the people who were applying and thought about what they would want to see in an ideal company.
What do you consider the key elements of your careers page?
The hero is the very top of the page. It tells you who we are and what we do in a very direct format. Our employee testimonials tend to get more interaction which indicates their value and appeal. By showing our perks and values right off the bat we let a potential applicant know what type of environment GoSpotCheck is, and what’s most important to us as a company.
How is having a careers page a helpful recruiting tool?
Our culture and perks section give applicants a quick overview of what the company culture is like, which is important to someone looking for a job. Without the careers page our applicants would have to guess what open positions we have based off of the copy of our website.
What advice do you have for other companies working on building a strong careers page?
Understand who your target audience is and who you’re trying to attract. Your page content and design aesthetics should speak to those people. We wanted GoSpotCheck’s careers page to be fun and show that we are serious about attracting the best talent. Considering who you’re trying to target as a company and showing a little bit of personality is the most important.
Have a tip or know of a company that deserves coverage? Email us.
