First impressions are lasting impressions and today, they aren’t made in person but online. Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology found that it takes an online visitor less than a fifth of a second to form an opinion of your brand — and if you’re in the market for top talent, that time better count.
According to an iCIMS report titled “The Modern Job Seeker,” the online content that’s most important to job seekers when researching a potential employer includes reviews by employees (37%). In fact, nearly one in three people have declined a job offer primarily because of negative employee reviews online.
Furthermore, a Glassdoor study found that online channels are the most popular resources for researching employers, with nearly half of job seekers ranking job search sites as their top source for information on a company they might like to work for, compared to corporate careers pages at 28%. And yet, Glassdoor said that only 12% of companies listed actually interact with its site and of those, less than 1% use its employer branding and promotional features to differentiate themselves from the competition.
These findings demonstrate that your organisation’s online presence is more important than ever and directly impacts your ability to recruit and retain great talent. Given that job seekers are more likely to look you up online and believe what they read and see there, it’s time to take a closer look at your digital footprint.
Here are seven ways to ensure the online impression you create is a great one: