With ever-increasing staff shortages, it’s time to use your own website as part of the recruitment drive.
A good employment page will attract quality applicants and ‘sell’ them on the benefits you offer, says Hospitality guru, Ken Burgin. Even a small business can make a big impact, especially as many of the large operators are doing very little in this area. On the internet, every website starts as equal!
The employment page should talk about what you offer and why it’s a great place to work.
“Most of the pages I’ve seen (when they exist) tell us they’re after ‘committed, passionate, creative and enthusiastic team players’ …. zzzzz … and have no vacancies right now. Boring, hyped up and ineffective,” says Burgin.
“It’s much better to talk about the benefits, the perks, the culture and the happy and productive team, with some candid photos of the place in action – show and tell. This page is your non-stop recruitment tool. The Employment Page is one of the ‘work horse’ web pages that do such an important, if unglamorous, job – the others are the About Us and the Contact Us Page, and possibly a page of Frequently Asked Questions.
A good employment page has 6 essential elements: –
- Positions currently available – keep these updated, or embed the application list from recruitment services like Seek if you use them. Don’t say ‘sorry no vacancies’ – who knows what will happen next week? A friendly reply can let people know that there are no immediate jobs available, but you will keep in touch. Make sure you do that – some recruitment systems allow you to save applications and communicate with them at a later stage.
- Complete list of benefits that will appeal to the people you are targeting: e.g., training, flexible hours, intercompany job options., etc.,
- General information about the type of person you want: e.g. energy, commitment and experience (with many employment pages, this is often the only information given). Make this inclusive, not excluding – you’re really after the serious, hard-working chef who doesn’t talk much… so don’t promote the place as if it’s one continual party, because they won’t apply! Make an extra effort to make people from non-Anglo or non-English speaking backgrounds feel wanted – most hospitality workplaces are like the United Nations.
- Filters to ensure you don’t waste time with unsuitable applicants: e.g. Essential visas or immigration status, particular type of specialised experience e.g. pastry chef who has worked with desserts. Or requirements for a police check if it’s a senior position.
- Good photos that show the team at work – communicating in a welcoming way about the business with everyday ‘people like us’ not stock images of models!
- Link to an Online Application Form – set up for easy access and sending an immediate email or SMS notification that the application has been received.
Bonus: have a Google Translate button added to the page, so people who don’t have English as their first language can easily read about the opportunities.
Source: Ken Burgin Hospo Reset
