Not putting the proper care into building the page could cost a company some qualified candidates — after all, no matter how applicants hear about a job, they’ll almost always head to the company’s Web site before doing anything.

Here are four big mistakes many companies make on their Careers Web page, according to CTO Joe Rotella, speaking at the 2009 Society for Human Resources Management conference in New Orleans:

1. Using a generic e-mail address to collect applications — People want to talk to people, Rotella says. It looks better to the candidate if they’re directly e-mailing the HR manager or a recruiter instead of sending resumes to “sales@company.com” or “hr@company.com.”
2. Hiding the important information — The most useful or most interesting information should appear on a page before the user has to scroll. Keeping the pages arranged correctly involves working with IT to test the site on different browsers and configurations.
3. Ignoring what the audiences wants – The key question when making any decision about the site should be, “What does the target audience want to see?”
4. Dumping all the information into an FAQ section – Rotella calls FAQs the “junk drawer of the Web.” All relevant info should have already appeared in other sections, he says.

Every recruiter knows how important their company’s Web site is for attracting new hires. But without a few key features, some sites may not be pulling their weight.

The recruiting site is critical to every company’s hiring strategy, says recruiting consultant Gerry Crispin, who spoke at this year’s Society for Human Resources Management conference. Even when candidates hear about you from another source, virtually all of them are going to visit your site at one point or another.

Here are seven key features HR can add to make sure you’re getting the most out of your site:

1. No roadblocks to applying — The more clicks it takes to apply for a job, the more people you’re likely to lose along the way. You might not want to make candidates register and create a username and password, or jump through other hoops before submitting a resume.
2. An easy-to-find link on the company’s home page – Sure, if people go to the site specifically looking for the “Careers” section, the link will probably be easy to find wherever it is. But fighting for more visible real estate can help you grab the attention of people who are browsing for other reasons.
3. Visitor involvement — These days, people want their Web browsing experiences to be interactive. Many companies put a simple poll question on their recruiting pages. Often, they ask people questions about their job search experience, which will also help you collect useful information for boosting your recruiting efforts.
4. Separate sections for different groups — Most soon-to-be graduates approach the job search differently than, say, mid-career professionals. And anyone who applies for a job wants to see that people like themselves work at your company already. Creating specialized sections for different demographics — for example, including a button that says “Recent graduates, click here” — can help you reach all of them equally.
5. A look into the future — Some companies have started including information for new hires on the Careers page and making it accessible to everyone on the site — for example, details about orientation, what to expect on the first day, etc. That gives potential applicants a view of what their early days on the job will be like and makes them more comfortable about sending a resume and accepting an offer.
6. Alternatives to applying — A good chunk of the people who go to the site won’t be ready to apply or won’t be qualified for any job you have open at that moment. But they might be later, so don’t let them get away. Some companies offer a recruiting newsletter to periodically update interested folks on new opportunities. Others link to company-sponsored groups on social networking sites to keep them in touch.
7. Acknowledgment of every candidate — You need to keep candidates interested in your company even after they apply for a job. The least you can do is create an automated “thank you” note that gets sent to everyone who applies online.

How about your recruiting site? What features are you using that are getting good results? Let us know what’s working for you by dropping us a comment below.

A “Send this job to a friend” button.

All the major job boards let users easily e-mail an ad to someone else. It’s a good way for people to pass along the info to a qualified friend or colleague.

Companies can gain a lot by using the same method when they list open jobs on their corporate Web sites. The button should be in a place where it’s easy to find, such as next to the “Apply” button.

Of course there’s no guarantee it’ll get to any good candidates, but you’re likely to get more pass-alongs if you make it easy.

The site is the “Careers” section of the Bank of America’s corporate site. Why do we like it?

There’s a lot of information there that most job seekers would like to see. There’s a piece called “Campus Recruiting” that’s directed to college students. The FAQ section that answers questions like, “How should I prepare for my interview?” and “Should I send a thank you note?” The company also provides a healthy dose of links to help people learn more about the banking industry.

The general recruiting page gets more in depth about the company’s culture, benefits, etc. There’s also a page devoted to “Resume and Interview Tips.” A lot of it’s pretty basic info, but from a candidate’s perspective, it’s still nice to see.

Clear the air

Another highlight of the site is a page called “Our staffing process,” which lays out everything candidates should expect when they apply.

That page, and the other sections, are designed to be inviting and make candidates feel comfortable about the hiring process. We’re guessing that goes a long way toward getting people to apply.