Let's be honest: most career pages are basically fictional stories dressed up as company culture. 'We're a family!' (except during layoffs). 'We work hard, play hard!' (translation: no work-life balance). 'Competitive compensation!' (we pay market rate, maybe).
The Authenticity Gap
Here's the thing – candidates aren't stupid. They're on Glassdoor. They're in Blind forums. They're DMing your current employees on LinkedIn. The gap between what your career page says and what your actual employees experience? That's where trust goes to die.
💡The companies winning the talent war aren't the ones with the slickest career pages. They're the ones telling the truth about who they are – warts and all.
What Actually Works
After analyzing hundreds of career pages and talking to thousands of candidates, here's what we've learned:
- Show real employees, not stock photos. Your actual team is infinitely more interesting than 'diverse group of professionals laughing at laptop'.
- Be specific about your culture. 'We value innovation' means nothing. 'We dedicate 20% of sprint time to experiments, and we shipped 3 features last quarter from hackathon ideas' means something.
- Acknowledge your weaknesses. Every company has them. Saying 'We're still figuring out remote work' is more trustworthy than pretending you've got it all figured out.
- Let employees speak for themselves. Curated testimonials feel fake because they usually are. Give people a platform to share their real experience.
Pro tip: Ask a new hire what surprised them about your company (good and bad). That's what your career page should address.
The ROI of Authenticity
Companies that nail authentic employer branding see 50% more qualified applicants. Not because they're attracting more people – but because they're attracting the right people. People who already know what they're signing up for. People who won't bounce after 3 months because 'it wasn't what I expected.'
The math is simple: a career page that scares away bad fits is doing its job better than one that tricks people into applying.
Start Here
If you're ready to stop lying to candidates, start with these questions:
- What do new hires consistently say surprised them?
- What would your most cynical employee say about working here?
- What do you tell candidates in interviews that's not on your career page?
- When was the last time you updated your career page content (not just open roles)?
The best career pages aren't marketing materials. They're honest conversations with future teammates. Start having that conversation.