In looking ahead to 2013, as talent communities gain in popularity, we are predicting a social renaissance of the corporate career website. This is a direct result of the social enterprise’s need to connect with top talent on the candidate’s terms. The best talent expects a certain level of respect, transparency and ease as they engage with potential employers and make critical career decisions. Only those employers that deliver an outstanding candidate experience at the career website will win in the war for talent.
Our research shows that 88% of candidates prefer to make career choices and apply to jobs at a corporation’s own career site*. Yet, most career sites are in need an overhaul to attract the best talent in a more social way online. Today’s corporate career sites are usually limited to a static listing of jobs which creates an impersonal, transactional approach to hiring. And, as result of a long, complicated application process and the candidate’s fear of never hearing back, companies connect with less than 1 of 10 candidates who visit their site. More often than not, the best talent is getting away. In order to capture both active and passive candidates, companies need to engage with all visitors to the career website and build relationships over time. This means eliminating any barriers to entry and delivering a stellar candidate experience.
The fix? Transform a career site into a social talent community. Corporations are beginning to realize that in addition to leveraging social networks like LinkedIn, they also need to adopt new tools that enable them to be social at their own corporate site.
Here are 10 ways that companies can transform their existing career website into an active, engaging talent community.
What’s your opinion? How do you think a talent community can transform career sites in 2013 and beyond?
*Ascendify Talent Community Survey 2012 This article originally appeared on Sourcecon
