Happy new year. Most of us are back at work already and let’s face it – that holiday was much too short. So to ease you back into it, here’s some inspiration to kick off 2022 – the best careers sites for this year.
We love a good scoring matrix, so here’s how we’ve picked our winners:
- Shows off culture – gives good insight into culture and values
- Has good vibes – nice design and feels nice to interact with (colourful, videos, nice layout)
- Is easy to use – easy to find info, including how and where to apply to actual jobs near you
- Bonus points – offers other fun, interactive stuff or useful resources
So many sites came close to making the list, but faltered at the last hurdle – think mega-navs that made it hard to get around, dated design, broken links or just not enough information to get candidates excited. So for 2022, we present the cream of the recruitment crop.
Vice is cool and so is its career site, with so-edgy-it-hurts graphics and typography. Its equality, diversity and inclusion section is one of the first things you see, with links to reports on pay equity, diversity and inclusion. You can also download info on its hybrid work policy and scroll through its values. Click on the big button and you’re taken to a separate job board – not ideal, but the extremely useful search functions make up for it.
The coolness sort of takes away from the usability in some places, which may not be a bad thing – you clearly have to be comfortable with this style if you’re going to suit working at Vice. Candidates can filter jobs based on distance from their postcode, type of employment and job they’re interested in. All in all, when it comes to a careers site, Vice is pretty nice.
The site: https://www.vicemediagroup.com/workinghere/
- Shows off culture – 5/5
- Has good vibes – 5/5
- Is easy to use – 4/5
- Bonus points – 4/5
If you’re looking for a careers site that really shows candidates it cares about their experience, this is it. The usability has been clearly thought out, with helpful prompts, access to a talent community and multiple ways to search for a job. It’s packed with extra tools and resources for the candidate, too. You can search by keyword, save interesting jobs, browse sections on different kinds of work and get recommendations based on your browsing history.
The job recommendation tool is particularly impressive – candidates can upload their resume or answer a series of questions, like their last job title, what they’re good at and what they like doing. Cannily, candidates need to enter their email to get the recommendation, making it an excellent lead gen system too. While the site isn’t anything special in the design and copy department, it does a good enough job and gives a human face with video and written profiles of employees.
The site: https://www.twgcareers.co.nz/nz/en
- Shows off culture – 4/5
- Has good vibes – 4/5
- Is easy to use – 5/5
- Bonus points – 5/5
Sainsbury's is like most retail giants – the bulk of employees are on the shop floor doing the same work as in millions of other outlets. So, Sainsbury's is leaning heavily on its employer brand and company culture to stand out from the crowd. Bold graphics, lots of brightly coloured, people-focused images and nice videos make it super-appealing, giving the impression of a vibrant, welcoming culture. What makes this site really special though are the resources they give prospective candidates. There are interview tips, a step-by-step breakdown of the assessment process an applicant can expect and of course, employee profiles to watch and read.
The usability is really good. On the home page, candidates can enter their postcode to filter jobs near them or click through to a full search. The line-up of logos across the top gives candidates an instant understanding of the company structure, something that’s often confusing for anyone outside the business.
The site: https://sainsburys.jobs
- Shows off culture – 5/5
- Has good vibes – 5/5
- Is easy to use – 4/5
- Bonus points – 4/5
Challenge: jump on the Spotify careers site without getting the urge to search for a job. This site is like the cool kids inviting you to eat lunch with them. It’s inspired, packed with useful info and easy access to jobs – and the amazing design, copy and photography do the job of keeping you engaged with it all. A full page is dedicated to the hiring process with guidance on applying, interviewing and how the decisions get made.
Cute little features also speak to its care and attention – explore the brand’s location and you’ll also get to see the time in each place (time of writing: 2.09 am Stockholm).
The site: https://www.lifeatspotify.com/
- Shows off culture – 5/5
- Has good vibes – 5/5
- Is easy to use – 5/5
- Bonus points – 4/5
