10 Ways to Improve Your Branded Careers Page

Wondering what to include on your company’s careers page? Naturally, the first thing is a list of open positions at your organization. Beyond that, you’ll want to include information about your company culture, hiring process, retention data, employee testimonials and lots of photos and videos from the workplace. In other words, you want to impress upon the job-seeker all the things that you can provide for them, not the other way around.

Below are 10 ways to improve the performance of your branded careers page, followed by live examples from a variety of industries including manufacturing, construction, landscaping, distribution and more.

(Haven't created a careers page yet? Start with these 10 tips, then come back here.)

10 Ways to Improve Your Branded Careers Page

1. Put a bold statement of differentiation at the top of your branded careers page, such as “Earn More Than A Paycheck” or “Love Your Job. Advance Your Career.” Think of it as a marketing slogan for employment at your company.
2. Use actual photos and video footage of your employees. Not only is it more personable and shows off your diversity, it allows job-seekers to see that people just like them can work at your company.
3. Use videos to show the type of work environment so job-seekers can envision themselves doing the work.
4. Go into great detail about the unique perks and benefits of working at your company beyond just “great pay and insurance,” which is no longer a true competitive advantage since all employees expect that, at a minimum.
5. If you have many locations, consider sorting jobs by location, or creating a page to host each location’s jobs. This reduces friction for job-seekers and makes it easier for them to see what’s available to them.
6. Simplify the application form. Only ask for the bare minimum of information you need to evaluate a candidate’s possible fit. The goal is to capture their contact information by getting them to submit the form; you can always ask for additional background information in the future.
7. Mention social corporate responsibility initiatives, such as donations made and volunteer work performed.
8. Leverage retention data if you have it; it gives job-seekers comfort to know that you have a track record of keeping employees for a long time.
9. Detail your hiring process, so applicants know exactly what to expect and aren’t left in the dark.
10. Include employee testimonials; it’s more powerful and convincing than anything company leadership could say for/about itself.

Bonus: Put the link to your careers page in the main navigation bar of your website if hiring is an ongoing initiative at your company. It will be seen more often than a footer link.

Examples of Branded Jobs Pages

To see the above best practices in action, take a look at these branded jobs pages from different blue-collar industries.

(Note: We recommend clicking through each example below to explore the entire page; the provided screenshots do not show each page in totality.)

Career Page Example from the Automotive Dealership Industry: Kenworth Northeast

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• A call-to-action button to “Apply Today!” above the fold (i.e. before users start scrolling on the page)
• A graphic at the top of the page calling out their lucrative $10,000 sign-on bonus
• A video at the top of the page talking about the company’s high-tech and in-demand jobs, their 300+ locations, continuous on-the-job training, and how they recognize and reward their best workers
• Big callouts for the things that matter most to job-seekers in this industry: an honorable mission, safety on the job, ongoing training and development, giving back to the community, and great benefits
• Another call-to-action button to “Apply Today!” at the bottom of the page

Career Page Example from the Alcohol Distribution Industry: Tri-Eagle Sales

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• A clean design without too much text or media
• Icons that illustrate each type of benefit offered (which is more visually appealing than a boring bullet-pointed list)
• A super-short application that just asks for name, email, phone number and a resume upload (the barrier to completion is very low, which is a good thing!)
• A section detailing their hiring process, so applicants know exactly what to expect and aren’t left in the dark
• Employee testimonials about why the company is a great place to work

Career Page Example from the Food Manufacturing Industry: Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• Two buttons above the fold: one to submit a general application, another to see open positions on Indeed
• Leverage the age of your company like Ellsworth did here: Committed to our team, craft & community since 1910
• Talk about high retention and long-tenured employees
• Sort open positions by location when applicable
• Mention company donations, volunteer work, and other social corporate responsibility initiatives

Career Page Example from the Construction Industry: Olshan Foundation Solutions

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• Lead with your company values in action. Olshan opens their branded careers page by inviting job-seekers to “earn more than a paycheck” and declares their mission to “help families live better.”
• Additional details about how the organization practices their values every day
• A list of all open positions and cities (ideal when you’re hiring in many locations)
• A list of benefits, including career advancement opportunities and tuition reimbursement
• A photo album of employees doing fun things as part of the company culture

Career Page Example from the Landscaping Industry: Strauser Nature’s Helpers

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• “Apply Now” button above the fold (i.e. before users start scrolling on the page)
• A real photo of employees at work
• A list of open positions and cities (ideal when you’re hiring in many locations)
• Employee testimonial videos with actual employees talking about the job and opportunities it provides
• Spanish subtitles on the videos
• A text-to-apply CTA at the end of videos
• An exhaustive list of perks and benefits
• Employee quote (with a photo) that speaks to the culture of the company

Career Page Example from the Distribution Industry: Martin Bros.

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• “Find a Job” button above the fold (i.e. before users start scrolling on the page)
• A photo grid depicting each department so that job-seekers can easily find the most relevant information
• Another button to “View All Open Positions” below the photo grid, which links to a list of all open jobs
• a separate page to learn about company culture, perks and benefits, and the employee stock ownership plan

Career Page Example from the Construction Materials Industry: Franklin Building Supply

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• A bold opening statement at the top of the page: We're 100% employee owned. We hire owners, not employees.
• A sub-headline that further differentiates with valuable benefits: Build your career with a 40+ year old company with 17 locations and unlimited opportunities.
• Repeated mentions of career growth and advancement
• Photos of employees enjoying their work
• Videos demonstrating workplace safety
• Multiple buttons linking to the complete list of jobs
• Multiple buttons linking to the complete benefits package for the current year, so job-seekers can understand what’s offered before they even apply or interview

Career Page Example from the Waste and Recycling Industry: Mazza Recycling

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• Real photos of employees and leadership
• An emphasis on “growth & professional development” and “sense of community”
• Details about their stance on corporate social responsibility
• All open jobs are listed on a different page, which keeps the careers page streamlined, and ensures the company culture is seen before accessing open jobs.

Career Page Example from the Manufacturing Industry: CALco Pallets

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• A clean and simple design with very few distractions, so viewers are likely to make it to the application buttons at the bottom
• Real photos of happy employees on the job
• A reference to CALco employees as the company’s most valuable asset, demonstrating their commitment to a healthy working environment
• Just three options for applying: an English general application, a Spanish general application, and a driver application

Career Page Example from the HVAC Industry: Air Comfort Colorado

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• A bold opening statement to “Love your job” and “Advance your HVAC career” - both values-based differentiators meant to attract the type of employee this company wants to hire
• A call-to-action button to “Apply Now!” above the fold (i.e. before users start scrolling on the page)
• Icons to call out the most attractive benefits offered
• A paragraph explaining what makes them different from other HVAC companies, with company values woven throughout
• Multiple mentions that level of experience doesn’t matter, because they invest in their people
• Icons and brief descriptions for all open positions with links to learn more, or apply
• A general application form at the very bottom of the page

Career Page Example from the Janitorial Industry: Southwest Cleaning

Things to replicate on your own branded careers page:

• A friendly & informative video at the top of the page that details exactly who the company is looking for
• A bullet-pointed list of qualifications desired and benefits available
• A general application directly in/on the careers page, so no additional navigation is required

At the end of the day, your organization's branded career site should give potential job-seekers a peek inside the company's culture and management, and urge them to get in contact. Pique their curiosity with the fun facts and benefits of employment, then make it really easy for them to apply, and set expectations about what comes next in the process. Follow these steps to start getting more traction on your careers page today.