Audience

(February 3, 2006) - Employment websites are rarely designed with visitors in mind.

This simple insight is the foundation for much of the improvement that can be done.

For an employment website to achieve its full potential, it has to be tied to workforce planning. Without an idea of the kinds and quantities of visitors needed, investment requirements are a mystery and results measurement a fantasy. You simply can not tell whether or not the thing is working if you don't know (quantitatively) what its supposed to do.

We can already envision the mail we'll get claiming that the point of the employment website is to deliver some sort of 'branding' message. The notes will suggest that a measured tool designed with specific users in mind is beyond the affordability of most HR Departments. This kind of thinking is exactly why outsourcing is such a hot trend.

In an effective employment website (see Microsoft, the USArmy or Fidelity for great examples), the focus is on the visitor. This is nothing but good manners. Messaging, in these examples, is quickly tailored to specific, well envisioned audiences. The emphasis is on giving specific visitors adequate decision making information.

That means that the first step in designing (or improving the design of) an employment website is a review of its goals. We believe in this idea enough to suggest that any employment site that isn't rooted in performance objectives should be taken offline. The goals boil down to a simple set of estimates: What quantities of what kinds of people are you trying to attract?

Ask yourself: If you do not know the audience, who are you messaging?

John Sumser

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