In a world filled with unlimited options, customizing products and solutions to people’s needs, choices, and personalities is critical to drive buying behavior. This is true in the consumer world as much as in talent acquisition.
So if everything from our devices to our shoes to our shampoos is personalized to our unique needs, personalities, and preferences, why should job boards be any different?
Prioritizing Personalization
Today’s big job boards don’t have any appeal left. They’ve gone through some staggered facelifts, but they aren’t dramatically different than they were when first introduced as a radically new way to search for jobs in place of classified ads. As a result, they have significantly amplified jobseekers’ already high stress levels during the pandemic.
There are, of course, some sites that are doing a better job than others. LinkedIn has certainly revolutionized enabled a “job that comes to you” approach through employment history, profile personalization, recommendations, connections, and most importantly, user-generated content. Indeed, meanwhile, is increasingly using insights to steers applicants and employers alike.
Still, LinkedIn, Indeed, and other sites still seem to be a few crucial steps away from creating a truly personalized candidate experience. Here’s are some key considerations to enable the necessary personalization to make that happen:
Redesign job search. Job sites need to avoid focusing on searches by skill and location. Jobseekers should get recommendations based on their background, traits, interests, etc. We need a Netflix of job portals, which works to lead visitors to their ideal jobs through a series of recommendations. (More like this. Did you consider this?)
Update user experience. Sites need an intuitive user interface to enable easy search and navigation. Such standards will need to match, if not exceed, those on social-media sites to keep the jobseekers engaged. Job sites should entice candidates to browse, play around with options, and view customized career journeys based on personal preferences.
Infuse talent advisory. Portal design should not assume that jobseekers know what they want. They should be based on information related to role trajectories and insights into all functions and career streams. An effective job site should enable people to map their career, as well as realistically picture themselves in different roles through with “day in the life” content.
Reexamine value creation. A job site’s ability to create significant value should not be limited to offering career options. Investing in concierge services like AI-led resume writing, paid and non-paid workshops, ebook’s, knowledge centers, freebies, and collaborations with other recruiting services will not only draw traffic but also sustain a two-sided marketplace for jobseekers and recruiters. This would also help establish relationships that don’t end when a candidate lands a job.
Enable co-creation of jobs. A truly personalized search would also open options for both jobseeker and employers to customize roles. People headed toward a rejection for not ticking all the boxes can be given an opportunity to co-create a role uniquely suited for them while still meeting the needs of the employer. Right now, this is only loosely organized as gig work.
Developing a personalized job-search experience demands relevant data ,compliance with privacy laws, and adherence to organization’s value systems. However, it’s also clear that embedding personalization into the job boards can go a long way toward better addressing the needs of employers and jobseekers alike.