Coolblue_Bol_RecruitmentNovember2019_Bestpractice_header

Recruitment lessons from Bol.com and WerkenbijCoolblue.nl

Finding the right talent and convincing them to come work for you all starts online. Just as customers form an opinion about a company based on its web presence, potential employees gain an impression from a company’s recruitment site. This employee experience is the subject of our Digital Sales Benchmark, in which Coolblue rated highest for its job vacancy page. Its competitor Bol.com followed closely at third place. Here are some key takeaways from how these Dutch retail giants are winning the war for talent.

Bol.com makes searching easy

Despite its large size and high number of job postings, Bol.com makes it easy to navigate its recruitment site. The convenient search function labeled “Thinking outside the box?” gives visitors instant access to searching for the job listings of their choice. There’s also an option to search for jobs based on categories.

Showing the applicant you care from the start

The site places the job seeker at the center. The search function starts with the question, “What’s your area of expertise?”

The employee-centric focus continues throughout the vacancies themselves as well. Each contains a section called “How you make the difference,” which describes the job using terms that make the job seeker immediately feel valued. This did not go unnoticed by respondents in our research, one of whom had this to say: “Right away, the video gives you the feeling that you have expertise to contribute, so you immediately feel like they want to have you.” To reinforce this feeling, the site presents the company’s employees as a team in which each individually is equally important. It also provides a 360-degree view of the office, so potential employees can easily envision their future workplace.

Banen.Bol.com and WerkenbijCoolblue.nl tap into the video trend to showcase jobs, employees and company culture

Within two minutes, the job seeker already has a clear view of what it’s like to work for bol.com, including future coworkers, the work environment and the company’s sense of humor. As one respondent says: “I like the idea of showing a video. The site really gives you the feeling that it’s fun to work there.” Coolblue also showcases its company culture in a video about highlights from the past year.

 

WerkenbijCoolblue and Banen.Bol.com use relevant, attractive imagery

The sites both use relevant imagery: photos which were clearly taken at the companies’ offices, with a specific focus on the work environment. The two recruitment sites use clear colors, with lots of smiling faces in the photos. The use of colors and photos emphasize the informal working atmosphere. One job seeker commented that “the working atmosphere at bol.com is informal,” while this comment reflected similar feelings about the Coolblue.com site: “There’s a pleasant, friendly atmosphere there.”

Top USPs at Coolblue: Special company culture and appealing work environment

Coolblue’s website shows how special the company’s culture and work environment are. These USPs are a recurring theme throughout the recruitment site. Just like the product descriptions found on Coolblue.com, each job listing starts with a description that tells what a day in this job position looks like. It also uses humor to lay out the pros and cons of the job.

And the most important employment conditions are described under the heading “Included as standard.” Once again, the emphasis is on the informal environment, with humorous touches, like 25 paid days off per year “as long as you come back!” Coolblue also shows off its horizontal office culture by referring to its Friday evening employee cocktail party as “A beer with your boss.”

Two of many Best Practices

These best practices are two of many from our Digital Sales Deep-dive. Learn from the best players in the market through best practices from the study as well as other industries in the WUA benchmark. WUA paints a crystal-clear picture for you of the best practices at screenshot level. Our experts will lead your team through problem areas on your website, and help your teams set priorities and concrete next steps. Stay ahead in the race against the competition and see what we can do to help you can to be the best.

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