Google for Jobs is the buzzword of the hour for recruiters. Already available in the USA for several years, Google for Jobs is now coming to Germany. In this article, you can find out what Google for Jobs actually is, what changes it brings with it and how you, in particular, can benefit from this innovation as a recruiter.
What is Google for Jobs?
Google for Jobs is an extension to the search function in Google's search engine. This change means that for search queries that can be assigned to jobs, job offers from job boards and websites are aggregated and displayed in a special search results box, a so-called link tip container, directly above the organic search results.
For example, if a search query such as "job elektroingenieur stuttgart" is searched for, Google displays the following between the search results:
By clicking on one of the vacancies displayed, this advertisement will open on the right-hand side, providing detailed information:
A so-called "job listing" contains all the information that Google was able to assign to a job offer. Additional information and links can also be found:
1. in order to be able to apply for the job, Google places links to the respective job boards where you can apply for this job. The application still takes place via the respective channel, i.e. online job board or company website.
2. below the job description, if available, you will find reviews from websites such as kununu or indeed for this employer.
3. in the last entry, Google offers further search options for interested parties.
What does Google for Jobs have to do with "SEO for recruiters"?
If you publish job advertisements on your website, they will be listed in the organic search results based on their ranking for relevant keywords, just like all other websites.
Google for Jobs is now increasing the competition for the top positions, as there is less and less space on the first page for organic search results due to the display of advertisements, the reference to job boards and now the Google for Jobs information box. This has a particular impact on mobile searches, as the proportion of Google for Jobs job listings is significantly greater here.
This threatens to devalue previously well-ranking career pages in the attention of users, as they may only find the corresponding pages further down in the search results.
Fortunately, as a recruiter you have the opportunity to place your job offers on your website in Google for Jobs and thus counteract this "devaluation".
How can you use Google for Jobs as an employer?
Google for Jobs uses schema.org for structured data, which Google uses to read the information entered in your job offer and display it correctly in schematic form. To do this, a script tag with the corresponding information in a specific schema (the so-called structured data) must be added to the source code of your job offers.
Here are some examples of structured data that you can use as properties for your job advertisements:
- Publication date of the job posting: how recent is the offer?
- Job title
- Text of the job advertisement: Contains all information about the job
- Type of employment: Full-time, part-time, internship, ...
- Employer information:
- Name of the company
- Company website
- Company logo
- Location(s) of employment
- Information about telecommuting
- Education and experience requirements for the position
- Incentives and benefits offered by your company
- Responsibilities of the position: e.g. personnel responsibility
- Skills required for the job
- Duration of employment: e.g. permanent
- Typical working hours
An overview of all available data for job vacancies can be found here: https://schema.org/JobPosting. A skeleton for a script tag with structured data, which only needs to be filled with the information for a specific job offer, looks something like this:
As a general rule, the more precise you are in providing this information, the more likely Google for Jobs is to display your vacancies in the job listings for relevant job searches.
There are already a handful of tools from Google and other providers to help you create(https://technicalseo.com/tools/schema-markup-generator/) and test(https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool/u/0/) structured data.
As an Internet agency, we are happy to support you in creating or adapting your job listings for Google for Jobs. We will also be happy to answer any further questions you may have. We look forward to your call on 0711 - 633 779 60.
