Careers pages are intended to convert visitors (curious potential candidates) into applicants. Either now or in the future.
Conversions happen through providing a site that’s simple to use and gives the information that’s most relevant to potential applicants. But given that there’s so much that can go into a careers page, where do you start?
The Alfies is about examining, critiquing, and learning from the best careers pages in the region so that we can all work towards improving their effectiveness.
Every month we take a look at three careers pages or sites and critique them against crowdsourced criteria from the industry.
This month’s winner is Envato.
Let’s look at why.
The first criteria Group is centred around the organisation
Not every visitor to your page knows of the history of your business, it’s story, why it exists. In highly competitive markets, a story that resonates can hook people into your brand. Humans thrive on stories, it’s how we make sense of the world around us.
Envato does a great job of telling the stories of what it is like to work within the business with excellent use of video. The passion of staff members is clearly communicated.
Vision and values are front and centre on the site and it is clearly articulated that Envato is an organisation that lives by its values.
Messages from leaders also resonate really well. You only have to look at Glassdoor reviews to see that CEO’s have approval ratings.
Having the CEO present on the business and briefly detail its history is very powerful. Collis Ta’eed, Envato’s CEO, is the first person you meet in the intro video. He comes across as highly motivated and passionate (he has a 95% staff approval rating on Glassdoor).
Social proof has never been more important so It’s good to use third-party rating sites to provide this. The site also has links to multiple social platforms which further validates the fact that the business is a key player in their community.
The second criteria focuses on the Employer Brand
People want to understand what your business stands for and what they can expect if they worked there. Across the board, we loved the images of real people and not stock images. The video content is great and shows the human side of the business.
All the judges agreed that there was real congruence between the consumer and employer brands. Why’s this important? Because it shows authenticity. No one likes lip service being paid to real-life issues.
As mentioned, Envato’s values are clearly defined and articulated. The introduction video provides great insights into staff’s experiences working in the business. The fact that Envato is a Certified B Corp provides validation of the businesses dedication to its values. A specific section on Envato’s commitment to Diversity & Inclusion, including reporting on their D&I status is a powerful statement about their culture.
The third criteria digs into the EVP
Employer Branding is great and pretty much all businesses have one whether they know it or not. But how does it translate into something real for people who have real aspirations, needs and ambitions?
Envato’s employee benefits are clearly defined and easy to find. There is some great content under the blog section of the site entitled ‘Inside Envato’ which provides insights into the real-life experiences of staff. Glassdoor ratings validate the benefits detailed with a score of 4.4 from staff for Work/ Life Balance.
The fourth and final criteria looks at usability
Optimising usability and reducing friction points makes the actual conversion of visitors to applicants smoother. It should allow visitors to effortlessly find and interact with the information they need.
The job search function on the Envato site is at the top of the page and is simple and logical. Users can search by location, making it easy to quickly get to the information they want. The optimised version is clean and easy to use. There isn’t the ability to search by Job Family but as you can segment your search by location this isn’t a big issue.
Providing some information about the hiring process would help applicants understand what’s next and avoid the potential feeling of “going into the ether”. A general applications job or button would also allow candidates who’ve felt a connection to the brand but not found a suitable role to register for future opportunities. Enrolling them straight into a newsletter is a way to get them closer to the brand as well.
In conclusion
Envato has produced a very effective Careers Site. There is a good narrative about what the company stands for and it’s values. There are good insights into what it is like to work within the business which creates a positive Employer Brand.
The use of different forms of content provides a genuine feel to the claims made on the site. The internal brand has congruence with the consumer brand which adds to the business’s authenticity. The business provides significant information on its commitment to Diversity and Inclusion and this sends a powerful message about organisational culture.
The look and feel are contemporary without coming across as trying hard to be cool. Just below the fold are links to available positions in their three key locations of Australia, Mexico, and the USA. Any first time visitor to the site would easily be able to identify opportunities and get a feel for the benefits available to staff.
It’s clear that the marketing team have had some input into the site, which would explain the congruence between the consumer and employer brands
Navigation is intuitive and the uncluttered page makes it easy to find the essential details. Some of the relevant information regarding organisational culture is under the About and Purpose pages of the website. There may be an opportunity to either consolidate this under the Careers Page or include links to the relevant sections.
There’s potentially a couple of clunky elements to the application process and there isn’t the ability to search by role type, but finding available roles isn’t overly onerous. The ability for candidates to submit an expression of interest for future roles would be a desirable function to leverage the value of the Careers site. Providing information on the recruitment process and what applicants can expect helps to manage expectations regarding their application.
While there are a few areas in which the site could evolve it is a very effective careers page.
Great work team Envato! You are the August winners of the ALFIE.
You’re the winners of the August ALFIE.
Our Judges comments
Firstly our guest Judge, Melbourne based TA professional, Denise Pereira;
“The thing that stood out was that it was all about what they do, they’ve very succinct. You get a really good feel of the business, the D&I aspect stood out really well for me - they went into a lot of depth."
"I also loved how on the application page they have a gender identifier - and you can add your pronouns - that’s pretty cool."
"Navigation was easy - but there is a lot of info on some of the pages, if I was short on time it could be hard to find something specific. But overall, they’ve done a really good job I think.”
Scott Comte – Snr Consultant Crew Talent Advisory
“The Envato Careers Site tells a good story about where the company has come from and what it is about. There is a great video that showcases some of the staff talking about their experiences at Envato. The images on the site are of actual staff which adds to the feeling of authenticity. Values are front and centre and the benefits available to staff are clearly articulated. Navigation was very straightforward with an easy job application process. Overall the site is very functional and represents Envato as an employer in a positive light.”
Simon McSorley – Owner/Founder Crew Talent Advisory
“Envato has been at the head of what we describe as Melbourne’s “new breed” of company. They turned a few heads when they opened seemingly out of nowhere with their Silicon Valley feel. They’ve now established themselves as a major force in the local tech scene and have the ability to attract really high-quality talent. Their careers page is effective without being overly shouty and markety - it’s very true to who they are.”
