Is your website putting off job candidates?

Key takeaways

Candidates check your website before applying, and a missing or out of date careers page costs you applicants. A good careers page shows current roles, pay ranges, what the work is really like and real people. It is usually a single page or section, not a redesign, unless the whole site signals a business in decline.

• Candidates research you on the website before applying.
• Show pay ranges: roles without them attract fewer applicants.
• Real team photos and a day-in-the-life beat values statements.
• Remove closed roles the day they are filled.

Does your website affect recruitment?

Yes. Candidates use your website to judge whether a business is stable, well run and worth leaving their current job for. A site that looks neglected, lists roles that closed months ago, or says nothing about working there puts off the candidates with the most options.

• Signs your business needs a new website

What do candidates look for?

The same things buyers look for, with a different question in mind: can I trust this employer?

• Current vacancies with clear duties, hours and location.
• Pay ranges and benefits.
• Photos and names of real team members.
• What a typical week involves.
• How to apply, and how quickly you respond.
• Signs of stability: recent work, reviews, growth.

• Write an About page that builds trust

What should a small business careers page include?

A short introduction to working there, current roles each with its own section or page, pay ranges, benefits, two or three short quotes from staff, photos of the team at work, and a simple application route. Add a line for speculative applications if you hire regularly.

What legal points apply?

Job adverts must avoid discriminatory wording under the Equality Act 2010, and application forms collect personal data, so candidates need privacy information explaining how their data is used and how long it is kept. Keep application forms short and store CVs securely.

• What a UK website privacy policy must include

When does recruitment point to a redesign?

Rarely by itself. A careers section can be added to almost any site. It becomes part of a redesign case when the whole site signals a business in decline, such as old photos, stale news and dead links, because candidates read that as a warning about job security.

• Out of date website content: what to check and fix

Where else should roles appear?

Job boards and social channels bring candidates; the careers page convinces them. Link every job ad back to the role on your site, where candidates can see the full picture of the business.

• Best social media platform for recruitment in the UK

How quickly should you respond to applicants?

Within a few working days, and say so on the careers page. Candidates with options often accept the first good offer, and a small business that replies quickly can compete with larger employers that take weeks to respond.

Send an acknowledgement as soon as an application arrives, even an automatic one, and a clear yes or no within the timescale you promised. Candidates who hear nothing tell others, and review sites for employers mean that silence can affect future hiring and even customer perceptions.

• State your response time on the careers page.
• Acknowledge every application automatically.
• Give a decision within the promised time.
• Keep candidate data only as long as you need it.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern in UK trades: a growing firm advertises for electricians on job boards, but candidates who check the site find no careers page and a gallery from years ago. Adding a careers page with pay ranges, van and tool details, training offered and a photo of the current team gives candidates a reason to apply.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Careers page checklist

Build or review your page with these.

• List current roles with duties, hours and location.
• Show pay ranges and benefits.
• Add real team photos and short staff quotes.
• Explain how to apply and when you respond.
• Add candidate privacy information.
• Remove closed roles immediately.

Next step

If hiring is harder than it should be, we will review your website from a candidate's point of view with you in 30 minutes.