A recruitment website that gets the brief, not just the enquiry

Two audiences, two clear paths

A recruitment site serves people with opposite goals. Employers want to fill a role quickly with the right person. Candidates want a good job and a recruiter who responds. Split the home page into two clear doors, For employers and For candidates, and let each lead to its own section.

The employer side needs a Services page covering permanent, temporary and contract placements, a Sectors page for each specialism, and a Brief a vacancy form. The candidate side needs a Register page, a Jobs page, and a Careers advice page with practical help such as interview tips and salary guides for your sectors. A Meet the team page with each consultant’s sector, photo and direct contact keeps the process personal.

• For employers
• For candidates
• Sector pages
• Current vacancies
• Meet the team
• Contact

What each side checks before trusting you

Hiring managers look for three things: do you know my sector, how fast can you deliver a shortlist, and how do your fees work? Show real specialism by naming the job titles you place and the types of employer you serve. State the typical time to first shortlist only if you can honestly meet it. Explain fee structures in words, such as a percentage of salary for permanent hires, or a margin on hourly pay for temporary workers, without promising numbers you cannot hold.

Candidates want to know that you will call back, that their details are kept private, and that nothing will be shared without permission. In the UK, recruitment agencies work within the Employment Agencies Act and its conduct regulations, and may not charge work-seekers for finding them work. If you operate elsewhere, name the licence your labour authority issues, as some countries require one. Add a privacy notice that matches how you store CVs.

How hiring searches are phrased

Employers search for “accountancy recruitment agency in Edinburgh”, “temporary warehouse staff near me”, “IT contract recruiters in Manchester” or “how to hire a finance manager fast”. Candidates look for “marketing jobs in Leeds”, “part-time admin jobs Dubai” or “recruiters who place nurses”.

Give every specialism its own page with a plain opening: the sector, the roles, the places you work and how you help. Add a section on the market in that area, using your own consultants’ observations rather than invented numbers.

Job pages should carry the title, location, pay and a short description in readable text. Remove filled roles promptly. Dead vacancies frustrate candidates and teach search engines to trust you less.

Compliance and candidate care on the page

Recruitment involves personal data, right-to-work checks and equality rules. A short, human explanation of what you check, and why, reassures both sides. Mention that you verify identity and the right to work as the law requires where you operate, and that you handle data under the local privacy rules.

Be careful with job adverts and testimonials. Avoid wording that suggests a preferred age, gender or nationality, since discrimination rules apply to adverts in many countries. Never invent placed-candidate stories, and publish names and quotes only with written permission. A clear Candidate promise page can set expectations: how soon you reply, how feedback is given and how to ask for data to be deleted.

• Identity and right-to-work checks
• Privacy notice for CVs
• Fair, neutral advert wording
• Feedback after interview