Make yourself known: 5 steps to use SEO in recruitment
Be visible in the online space!
Starting out a business is not a piece of cake—and you will want all the help that you can get. Fortunately, there are several ways that technology can do the hard work for you nowadays. But first, it is imperative that you understand how it works.
In this day and age, smart recruiters should be maximizing every bit of technology. If you are an employer, keep in mind that there is a system that can aid your recruitment process the minute you open your doors for hiring. It comes in three letters—S.E.O.
What is SEO?
In digital marketing, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In simpler terms, it is the process of increasing the visibility of a website through certain techniques (the article will discuss this later).
When your website has a good SEO score, it will reach more people—more potential employees. This is why, nowadays, knowing SEO is non-negotiable if you want to compete in the virtual space.
So now that you have understood what SEO is, it is time to learn the best ways to increase your SEO score.
The 5 steps for better SEO recruitment
1. Use an online channel to advertise an opening
Nowadays, candidates have a lot more spaces to seek job opportunities. While some still rely on print ads, walk-ins, job fairs, and referrals, most candidates would lean on seeking opportunities online.
One of the best practices for SEO is knowing where you can best place your advertisements. The majority of candidates maximize direct channels in seeking job opportunities. Aside from adding a job posting on online job boards, creating your own website will set your brand apart.
For Filipino employers, one of the best and simplest ways to create a website for your company is through JobStreet.com’s Career Microsite offering. This platform allows SMEs to easily create their very own personalized career website.
What makes JobStreet.com’s Career Microsite offering a cut above the rest is that JobStreet integrates these websites to their recruitment management system. It organizes the resumes and applications for you and gives you reports and analytics.
2. Research top keywords for your job openings
After familiarizing yourself with the digital market, it’s time to learn how to use SEO to your advantage. In SEO, there are specific keywords that can make or break your ranking.
Learn the popular keywords of the specialization you are offering. There are several ways to track top keywords. The easiest way is by using free SEO tools that check popular keywords for a category: Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and KeywordTool.io are the most common tools nowadays.
If you're posting a job ad in JobStreet.com, you will have access to communicating with the JobStreet.com team. JobStreet.com's local support team can advise you on keywords to use for a job ad, based on search behaviors of job applicants on site. You can jumpstart your job ad writing by referring to the following for the top keywords searched in JobStreet.com.
3. With job titles, be clear before creative
In their attempts to stand out from the rest of the job postings, many employers experiment with creative job titles to lure applicants. However, quirky is not always the best way to go.
In SEO, the basic rule of thumb is the simpler the better. As you write your job ad posting, remember that you want candidates to understand the job functions just by looking at the title. Make sure to inject popular keywords your target candidates can relate to. With JobStreet.com's "Smarter Search" technology, all job titles will show on the results page; however, job ads with clearer titles will be prioritized.
On the other hand, you don’t have to stop yourself from writing a job ad that reflects the company culture. If you want to be more creative, you may instead spice up your job description with words that show off personality.
According to JobStreet’s database, 45% of candidates search for job opportunities that match the position title they are aiming for. Meanwhile, 29% search via location. Finally, 15% of candidates search via skills and 9% search via work type, industry, and job level.
Also, note that some job seekers enter their preferred location as they seek job opportunities. With this, you might want to enter the location of your offer after the position title so that more candidates will notice your posting.
4. Optimize your job description
After working on a clear job posting title, construct a good SEO job description. Again, now is a good time to maximize the top keywords for the job category you belong in. Refer to the SEO tools recommended earlier.
While it may be tempting to flood your job description with SEO keywords, overdoing it might actually make your posting rank lower. Using a keyword at most twice in one paragraph is the best way to go.
Clear and concise still works for job descriptions. If you are an SME, remember to focus on the role of the job opening rather than the company as this is what candidates mostly search for.
5. Understand employee key drivers
All the abovementioned advice goes for all industries seeking to apply SEO for recruitment. If you want to step up your game, you better understand the behavior of the employees you want to attract.
JobStreet’s Law of Attraction Data Lab insight allows you to filter the top drivers of attractions for candidates depending on industry, specialization, gender, generation, job level, location, or work type.
With data built from surveying over 18,000 Filipino candidates across 25 industries, this platform guarantees you a clearer perspective of the market. This said, employing data from JobStreet’s Law of Attraction helps you customize your job descriptions to make them more appealing to the demographic you are targeting.
Nowadays, technology is your best friend. Maximize its potential with these SEO tips and you’ll be attracting the best candidates in no time.