When I first started in the web and application development industry one of the first books I read was by Steve Krug. He wrote this great book called, “Don’t Make Me Think. A Commonsense Approach to Web Usability.”
I loved this book, now in its umpteenth edition, because it focused on simple solutions to internet design problems. Web designers and clients believe EVERYTHING is important. And I’ve found that in healthcare and hospital sites, EVERYTHING gets shoved on the home page. They begin to take on the look of what we like to call, “refrigerator magnet sites.”
But I digress. This is not a piece on website information organization and planning. It’s about a single link that’s incredibly important to your job candidates.
I’ve said this many times before, but one of the, if not the most visited page on a healthcare/hospital website, is the careers/jobs/join-our-team, or whatever-you-might-call-it page (if you don’t believe me, ask your web admin for some traffic data).
And yet, it’s so often difficult to find that link. It’s tucked in a remote spot on your site. Out of the way of the “real” business of your website, which is providing information to stakeholders other than job applicants. Pushed to the top of your site home page as a small navigation item or shoved down into the footer. Or hidden as a sub-navigation item in your primary that has a title with no relation to jobs or careers.
The health care and social services industry will be responsible for over a third of the US job growth over the next decade. Over the last year, the healthcare industry has averaged hiring 30,000 people per month.
But you already know this. The number of skilled clinical and allied health professionals and support staff you need to treat and take care of your patients keeps growing.
So step one, in assisting those candidates or applicants that come to your facility website in search of possible employment is to make that link to your career site, pages, and jobs clearly visible.
Don’t make me think.
Make the link visible and accessible as part of your websites’ primary navigation. Make sure you use a clear, understandable naming convention like Jobs or Careers, or Career Center.
As a candidate, I’d like to work for you. Help me by putting the link to the information I’m looking for as a primary function of your facility website.
It’s a helpful and welcoming start to your applicant’s experience with your brand.
Leave a Reply