Look. We know that every business needs to take care of their brands’ messaging and online presence in order to get hires. And now you’re thinking, “Well duh, you get paid to do that!”. Okay, you’re right. We may have a vested interest in giving that advice, BUT WE are the people actually paying attention to the data. We see what’s going on in many different verticals and literally see the effects of what we (and frankly other agencies) do to help businesses evolve and grow.
Right now, we happen to be doing a lot of work in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) space and review many different websites and brands.
We hear the same few sentences when we visit potential clients.
- “People come to us”
- “We’re already at capacity”
- “We have enough business”
- “We work on referrals”
But we also hear…
- “We are constantly looking for new hires and can’t fill our spots”
- “Potential employees coming out of college want a salary more than mine and I’ve been here thirty years”
- “We have a great culture”
- “Our employees love working here, how do we let people know?”
Look, we get it. But here’s the hard truth (and let’s just focus on attracting talent for now):
Nearly 60% of your best talent won’t apply because they can’t clearly identify who you are or what you stand for from your website.
And in all of our defense, maybe back in the day that was ok, because hiring was accomplished over a steak dinner, or in the lobby of a Homewood suites during the breakfast buffet while the head of HR was visiting from corporate.
But that ain’t the case anymore.
In fact:
Sources like HR Dive, HiringThing, OnHires, and Indeed show most candidates research companies before applying:
- 61% visit the company website
- 64% do broader online research
- 67% check career pages
- 86% read company reviews
- 84% say reputation heavily influences their decision
And furthermore, interest in “company culture”, “quality of life” and “paid time off for paternity leave”, while non existent ten years ago, is trending at the forefront of job searching.
Oh and because we have a few intellects on staff who love facts..here’s a little experiment for you “likeminded, fact seeking” types…basically, some “why” behind the “what”… Don’t wan’t to get into it right now? That’s ok, the bottom line, is most of us overestimate our expertise in awareness and what we know in all areas (see below).
The Dunning-Kruger effect (where the term originated), and not to be confused with the Peter Principle, explains how people sometimes overestimate their knowledge.
For example, let’s take hiring…
For attracting talent, many employers don’t fully realize how crucial their company website really is.
And it’s not just about having a website — quality matters. According to Glassdoor, nearly 60% of candidates avoid applying if your website is poorly designed or lacks culture info. A CareerArc study says 50%+ reject employers with outdated or unprofessional online presence.
Right now, there are about 17,000 active job listings nationwide on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, and Recruit.net — plus an estimated 4,200 more on Craigslist and local ads. With so many options, candidates are picky — and your website could be the difference between attracting or losing top talent.
Your messaging also needs to be tailored. Every candidate has unique life experiences and values that influence in what they want from an employer.
When we were initially tasked with changing the brand messaging and positioning for an established electrical firm, Helix Electric (a company with over 800 employees), their Website was an afterthought. They had plenty of business, according to the CEO which was a testament to their capabilities, however, after we dug further, we understood that they were hiring new talent on a weekly basis but needed a bit more consistency and applications to keep up with their demand. The analysis showed that the Website had an extremely high bounce rate (people going to the home page and leaving). Furthermore, their career section was literally just a link to upload a resume with available positions. They did not showcase anything about their company culture.
So, not to brag but we crushed it…
- Increased applications
- Increased time spent on site
- Created higher quality applicants
And yes… everyone was VERY happy.
Jacob Tyler redesigned their entire online presence and focused on the two most important areas which were number one careers and number two case studies. The new design and focus on impactful messaging need a complete difference by lowering their bounce rate over 40% but also attracting more applications.
It was so successful that they have now asked us to do a landing page to celebrate their 40 year anniversary showcase and company culture.
At Jacob Tyler, we understand the power of clear messaging and a compelling presence — and frankly, we know what we’re doing and have been. Let us help you attract the best candidates and build the future your company deserves.