Career Objective

If it's true that a company is only as good as the people it keeps, you'd think more business owners would realize the importance of the career section on their website. With most companies, however, I find the career section--if it exists at all--the most neglected.

Avoid repeating this mistake. Spend some time and effort developing a great employment section for your site--one that not only attracts the cream of the crop, but also chases off job seekers who are probably the wrong fit.

Mark Murphy, founder and CEO of Leadership IQ, a management training and research firm in Washington, D.C., says a career section is a good place to begin culling your applicant list.

"You don't want people who are looking for a place that never changes--or perhaps you do if your organization is static and you're not necessarily looking for big changes," he says. The point is, the jobs page on your website should be used to attract the right applicants.

According to Leadership IQ, lack of technical competence accounts for only 11 percent of why people are let go by their companies. Things like coachability (26 percent), emotional intelligence (23 percent), motivation (17 percent) and temperament (15 percent) account for most of the rest. That's a lot of people who are fired because they are not the right fit for the job.

So finding people who fit the bill from the get-go should be the primary goal of a well-designed career section. After all, your company's jobs page offers the first real impression prospective job applicants get of you. The best career pages reflect the company's core beliefs and personality--not just its vision, mission and company history.

J&P Cycles, which sells motorcycle parts online and from two major storefronts in Iowa and Florida, is the quintessential example of a career page done right:

• It describes its culture with titles such as "Our Story," "Working at J&P," "Recognition" and "Community." The jobs area also includes sections about "quality of life in eastern Iowa," describing what employees can expect to do with their free time--all sprinkled with employee testimonials.
• The career section features photos of employees at work, the company's buildings and community activities--not just stock photography.
• Job listings are current and easy to find.
• Company benefits are described in detail.

Your company's career page should be an invitation for applicants to join. As the J&P career page says, "It's an exciting place to be--so come along for the ride!" You just don't get more inviting than that.