A well written website is like an impressively renovated office. Get it right and you’ll be proud to invite your candidates and clients in; get it wrong, and you’ll be too embarrassed to do business there. These days, your recruitment website is way more important than your office. Your web copy is the stuff that’ll turn your lead into a client, or your prospective candidate into a placement.
But here’s the predicament: you’re a recruiter, not a copywriter. Well, not to worry! Here are 5 quick tips to help you get your content sparkling in no time.
Know Your Audience (and Write for Them!)
Here’s the mistake most recruiters make writing their website copy: they write how they want to sound, not what their candidates and clients want to hear. Try to crawl inside the minds of your candidates: the language you use should be tailored to the people you want to attract. For instance, if I were looking to recruit web developers, I might toss in a cheeky joke about COMIC SANS. Alternately if I wanted to attract a client in the healthcare sector, I would lean towards more formal language. By using familiar language you can let people know they’ve come to the right place.
Don’t Overstuff a Page
You probably put a lot of careful consideration into the graphic design of your page – don’t ruin that lovely layout with a wall of text! Try to keep your sentences short (under 20 words where possible) and be mindful of overall length for maximum effect. The front page in particular should be uncluttered and welcoming. Avoid splashing absolutely everything there is to say across the main page, and instead stick with a few clean statements. Nobody likes a messy office, so keep the dirty mugs off the front desk!
Cut Right to the Point
There are literally millions of recruitment websites out there. You have a very limited window in which to capture the attention of your audience before they jump to the next one, and your copy needs to convince them to stay. Here’s how to do it: before you begin writing, make a list of all the questions you think candidates and clients will have in their minds. Then waste no time in addressing them in your copy. Is there a bit you’ve written which doesn’t address one of those questions? It can probably go.
Call-to-Action
So you’ve got their attention. Great! Now tell them what to do. Be sure to always include an obvious call-to-action on every page to maximise your recruiting potential. This could be in the shape of built-in recruitment software to take job applications, a contact form for business leads, an ‘email us’ link, or even a highly visible phone number. Regardless of what method(s) you use, make it accessible, obvious, and tell them what to do and when to do it (right now!).
Get a Fresh Pair of Eyes On It
People make judgements, and they make them fast. Doubly so on the internet. By the time you’ve finished writing your copy, you’ll be dying to just get it live already – but wait! Always have someone proof read your handiwork, more than one person if possible. You’ll get a fair spread of opinions from a colleague, a trusted client and someone who represents your candidate base. And of course, be mindful of common grammatical errors such as the misuses of their/there/they’re, whose/who’s and so on. If in doubt, Google it.
Hopefully by now you’re feeling a little closer to an outstanding recruitment website. Never forget, in online recruitment, your website is even more important than your office. Don’t be that recruiter who does all his interviews in Starbucks; make your own website somewhere you want to bring candidates and clients!
