Why SEO Matters For Hiring
Filed under: Branding, Hiring, Marketing, Recruiting Tools, SEO, Social Media
If you run a successful website, then you’re already somewhat of a search engine optimization expert. If you’re not, you’ve hired someone who is. SEO seeks to please the Google gurus by developing content and structure designed to attract the attention of the search engine. Without it, your site will never be seen. But what about your job postings? Have you submitted your career page to the rigors of SEO? If not, perhaps you should.
Why SEO for Hiring?
If you could guarantee that 3 million or more potential job candidates would see your job listings, what would that mean for your hiring process? That’s what a high SEO ranking can do for you. Organic search represents a largely untapped resource for the hiring process, and with millions of searches performed for keywords like “jobs” and “careers,” it’s one you can’t afford to ignore.
What Google Looks For
Google’s algorithms remain a well-kept secret, but below we’ve listed four elements you must optimize if you want to boost your organic search rankings.
- Quality Content
Google’s primary concern is for customers, not businesses. They’re looking to provide the most relevant information possible on any given search. That means your page should be chock full of quality, helpful information. To determine quality, Google looks not just at the primary search keyword, but also at closely related keywords and user behavior on the page.
- Keywords
Keywords should be as specific as possible to describe the content of your page. A keyword like “jobs” may receive a lot of hits, but it will also result in a high bounce rate as most of the traffic probably won’t be looking for the specific jobs you’re offering (unless you’re a job search website). You can use your keywords to target traffic based on location, industry, and whatever niche your company is seeking to fill.
- Links
So much has been written about link-building that I won’t go into detail here. Back-links are essential to your SEO efforts, so take the time to develop and implement a strong link-building strategy.
- Social Media
Google recently updated their algorithms to include social media references as part of their ranking process. That means all those “likes” and “shares” can impact where your site shows up in a Google search, especially when quality raters promote your site. Real-time social sharing and the addition of the +1 button to the search results also mean that social media just got a lot more important for your business.
It’s true that your best contacts for potential employees may not come from a Google search. But just about everyone uses Google (or another search engine) to find information, including information about potential employers. That means that up-and-coming talent in the field as well as contacts from your networking efforts will be Googling you to find out just who you are as a company. Implementing a sound SEO strategy can help solidify you as a leader in the field, simply by making sure your website is one of the first people see when they want to find out more.
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Reducing Your Cost Per Hire
Filed under: Executive Hiring, Hiring, IT Staffing, Job Application, Job Interview Tips, Recruiting, Staffing
Attracting quality talent requires investment. It takes money to attract talent, and it takes talent to make money. However, businesses today must also deal with the realities of a struggling economy and an extremely competitive job market. Let’s take a look at five strategies for reducing your cost per hire while still finding the right person for the job.
Focus on Retention
Retaining the employees you have takes effort, but it’s worth it in terms of cutting recruitment costs (and building a strong company). Implement strategies such as promoting from within, offering incentives and rewards, indentifying and addressing flight risks, and encouraging employee feedback to keep your current workers.
Recruit Internally
Post jobs on your company website, encourage employees to suggest candidates and consider implementing a referral scheme that rewards employees for high-quality referrals. On the negative side, internal recruiting limits your exposure, which is why it should be used as part of a broader recruitment initiative rather than your only plan.
Employ Social Media Recruiting
Social media is not only an extremely cost-effective way to recruit, but also one of the most popular venues for job candidates seeking new positions. That means it’s a good fit both for you and for your target audience. Maintain an active presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media networks by engaging with your audience and selling your company as a desirable workplace. Social media also broadens your reach by enabling your fans and followers to share job postings with their friends.
Reduce Printed Efforts
Printed job advertisements statistically provide lower return on investment than other recruiting methods. That doesn’t mean you should throw them out altogether, but it does mean you can get more bang for your buck by reducing the size of printed ads and the number of publications you advertise in. Redirect those dollars toward online efforts, a cost-effective recruiting venue that continues to surge in popularity and effectiveness.
Focus on Hiring the Right Person
If you hire the right person to start with, you won’t have to re-allocate resources toward filling that same position again in a year or two. Employing a talent agency can help you connect with a broader base of qualified candidates, especially if you’re looking for someone to fill a specialized position. Do your homework and get to know job candidates in different contexts. Following a person on Facebook and Twitter, for example, can help you read a person’s personality and communication style, filling in the gaps between resumes, interviews, and LinkedIn profiles.
Reducing your cost per hire requires a multi-pronged approach and may mean a major shift in current recruiting efforts. What strategies have you implemented to reduce costs while still finding the right person for the job?
Stand Out From the Crowd: Business Etiquette for Job Candidates
Filed under: Job Interview Tips, Job Searching, Recruiting
The job market these days presents unusual challenges for new talent entering the field. Jobs are scarce everywhere, and each job opening may receive applications from hundreds of talented candidates. Presenting a polished image to the interviewer can make an impression that causes you to stand out from the crowd of similarly qualified applicants. How to develop that image? Brush up on your business etiquette.
- Learn Names
Even before you get an interview, take the time to learn the name of the person who receives your cover letter and resume. Knowing names tells the recruiter that you care enough about the company to do your research and can help your resume stand out from the generic “Dear Sir.”
- Say Thanks.
Believe it or not, it’s a rare job candidate who takes the time to thank an interviewer. Thank you notes used to be common courtesy, but in these days of Tweets and Facebook shout-outs, a hand-written note has become a rarity. It’s still the right thing to do, however, and it will differentiate you from the crowd.
- Turn off the Phone
Not only is it rude to glance at text messages while you’re sitting in an interviewer’s office, but it may also raise questions in his mind about who you’re talking to. Is it a competitor? Another employer? Phone interactions can give the impression of competing interests, a sure deal breaker when it comes to landing the job.
- Keep Your Thoughts to Yourself
At least until you’re out of the building. Never discuss your interview as you’re walking down the hall or riding down in the elevator. You never know who might overhear you. Even if you’re the only one in the elevator, don’t pull out your phone until you’re out on the street.
- Think Twice Before Tweeting
It’s almost second nature for today’s generation to Tweet or post on Facebook about the important (and unimportant) things that happen in the course of the day. But sharing too much about your interview is a bad move. You can bet potential employees will be checking out your social media pages. And you can also bet they won’t want the details of confidential interviews displayed for the world to see.
Good etiquette can make the difference between candidates who get called back for second interviews and those who don’t. Put some effort into making a good impression. Potential employers care about professionalism and courtesy, even before you’ve signed a contract.
Closing the Retention Gap With Young Workers
Filed under: Executive Hiring, IT Staffing, Job Searching, Recruiting
Attracting and retaining quality employees has become increasingly difficult with each new generation of workers. According to a survey conducted by The Conference Board, just 35% of workers under the age of 25 are currently satisfied with their jobs. That’s bad news for employers, because it means that the new generation of workers who are replacing retiring baby boomers may not demonstrate the same level of company loyalty that their predecessors did.
Reasons for Increasing Employee Dissatisfaction
Generation Y workers have far greater resources at their fingertips when it comes to job talent as well as job availability. Because young workers are increasingly talent-rich in technological fields, they are being courted by a broad spectrum of industry leaders. In addition, the internet has made it possible for this generation to work from home or strike out on their own if they’re not satisfied with current working conditions.
How Employers Can Close the Gap
For employers, the key to attracting and retaining quality talent in this type of job environment is engaging employees by identifying the reasons they leave, making them feel valued, and encouraging commitment to the mission of the company. Specifically, employers need to take steps such as the following in order to earn employee loyalty:
- Identify Flight Risks—Motivate employees to remain where they are by making sure they are a good fit for the position, promoting strong relationships, providing growth opportunities, and keeping an eye on external data such as job market and hiring trends.
- Invest in Most Valuable Employees—Invest your resources in those employees who will provide the most value long-term according to their growth potential and ambitions.
- Consider Flexible Work Arrangements—As the balance of work-life needs becomes increasingly difficult, consider offering options such as telecommuting, flexible hours, part-time opportunities, and job-sharing.
- Incorporate Both Financial and Non-Financial Rewards—While pay increases and bonuses remain strong motivators for employees, surveys also identify non-financial rewards such as benefit packages, increased autonomy, career development, and mentoring programs as reasons employees choose to remain with an organization.
- Promote From Within—Provide training opportunities and offer employees the potential to reach beyond their current positions.
- Conduct Routine Employee Interviews—Exit interviews can be helpful, but what about retention interviews? Consider interviewing the employees who are sticking around to find out why they’re staying, what they like and don’t like about their work environment, and what conditions might cause them to leave.
One of the most important steps businesses can take to increase satisfaction among workers is to listen to their concerns by promoting open dialogue. In a job market that has become increasingly competitive, organizations must focus not only on attracting the right talent, but also on keeping them satisfied in their positions.
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