You literally only have seconds to capture the candidate’s interest. Like the example above Indeed.com search for “Sales Associate” you are also competing with many other organizations. So how do you win? How do you get the click through? How do you make your job post pop?

Using search engine optimization techniques you can maximize the amount of clicks you receive from job boards. A willingness to update your job descriptions will go a long way.

In the example above, I used Indeed.com to do a quick search for “Sales Associate,” and three popular brand-name companies came up first in the search results. No doubt their very popular ratings helped them show up first. Of the three jobs listed, the job that stands out the most is for Lane Bryant. What did they do differently? Three things stood out to me right away:

1. They have an opening statement that tells you, as a candidate, what you will do when you join the Lane Bryant sales team.
2. They highlight their brand objective “fashion focused Lane Bryant”.
3. They highlight the type of position (Part Time).

What did JC Penney do that makes it come in second? Well, it does not stand out as well as the Lane Bryant advertisement, does not indicate if the advertised position is full time or part time. An important distinction for potential applicants.

Dick’s Sporting Goods fails entirely in the above example. Their description states that the candidates “should be prepared to successfully complete a pre-employment background check…” With such limited space to capture the interest of a candidate, of about 25 words, they are intentionally, (or accidently) pointing out that you need to undergo a background check in order to become employed. Candidates know that it’s a common possibility that the employer would require a background check. So why make that the first thing they mention in the advertisement? They simply wasted valuable space that could have been used to entice a potential candidate to click on their advertisement.

Clicking through reveals what DICK’S should have used:

DICK’S Sporting Goods is seeking a part-time retail sales associate in the Apparel department to join our team! Every associate at DICK’S Sporting Goods is united by a common thread – our PASSION for the sports we love.

The above states the job, type of job, and highlights their brand and passion.

So what is Search Engine Optimization, and how does it affect Hiring?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a web search engine’s unpaid results—often referred to as “organic” search results. (Via Wikipedia)

Simply stated Search Engine Optimization techniques can help candidates find your job advertisements. Whether that is on your corporate website or out on a job board. Here are some tips to get found faster by your candidates, and save money by getting found in organic search results:

Your corporate career site/page:

1. When you have a job opening, have a separate page for each job opening, including the title, description, requirements etc.
2. Make it as clear as possible how to apply.
3. If candidate is not applying right away, let them know how to join your Talent Network.

A Job Board aka Out In Internet Land:

1. Highlight a clear concise job title.
2. If job title is commonly abbreviated, include variations (example: CNA, C.N.A. Certified Nurse Assistant).
3. Show if the job is full time, part time, or something else.
4. The opening statement, the first 25 words of your job description should be inviting, keyword dense, and should make someone stop scrolling and click on your link to apply.

About Me

Since 2005 I have been helping small and medium sized business in all industries improve their recruitment processes, increase their candidate reach, build employment brand, and make attractive, magnetic career centers. Let me help you build your talent network, increase your reach, and find your best candidates using proven recruitment marketing techniques.

If you have questions about search engine optimization and how it applies to recruiting and job advertisements,call (860) 478-2760 or click today. Happy to chat if you have any questions.