3 Ways to Make the Case for a Career Site Makeover

Is your career site feeling more “meh” than magnetic? If it’s outdated, clunky to manage, or doesn’t reflect the story you’re trying to tell, you’re not alone. Many TA and employer brand leaders know that their career site isn’t where it needs to be, but getting budget approval can feel like climbing Mount Everest. 

Here’s some good news. You don’t need a 50-page business case to get the conversation started. You do however need a few clear, compelling reasons to share with the people who hold the purse strings. 

Attract the Right Talent, Faster  

Your career site is often the first impression candidates have of your company. If it’s hard to navigate, generic, or contains uninspiring job postings, you’re losing people before they even hit apply. A refreshed and content-rich site that brings your employer brand to life not only pulls in more talent, it improves conversions with the right talent for your organization. 

The numbers back it up. LinkedIn research has shown that companies with strong employer brands see 50% more qualified candidates and reduce cost per hire by as much as 50%. That’s tangible ROI. And with 78% of job seekers saying the candidate experience shows how much an employer values its people, a career site that’s easy to explore, visually engaging, and authentic to your culture is not a nice-to-have. It’s essential. 

Eliminate Bottlenecks and Keep Momentum 

We’ve all been there. You need to publish a campaign landing page, update messaging for a hiring event, or refresh content for a key role that’s really, really hard to fill ASAP. Instead, you’re waiting days for a ticket to be addressed to push the changes you need now through.  

A recruitment marketer-friendly career site platform eliminates that lag. It has the ability to build pages, test content, and personalize the experience for different audiences without a developer. That agility translates directly into recruiting outcomes. A modern, flexible career site lets you meet talent in the moment, not after the opportunity has slipped away. 

Show Leaders the Proof They’re Asking For 

Budget holders (and your hiring managers) care about impact. A modern career site is built to measure and prove its effectiveness. When leadership asks, “Is this working?” you can show them dashboards with metrics that matter, not just clicks. 

Right now, only 41% of organizations say they can measure employer brand ROI. That means most teams are flying a bit blind and struggling to defend budget. Sound familiar? Instead, turn your career site into a measurable, data-driven function, not just a cost center, because that’s the kind of story you want to tell and what decision-makers want to hear. 

Closing Thoughts 

In the end, making the case for a career site overhaul requires showing value. A stronger site attracts and converts the people you want to hire, eliminates inefficiencies that slow you down, and equips you to prove ROI with real numbers, not vanity metrics. 

So next time you’re teeing up the budget conversation, start with: “Let’s talk about giving our career site the upgrade our organization deserves because right now it’s costing us talent, time, and money.” And use these talking points to help make the case.