If employers in your industry are struggling to fill positions, your association can help. Spread awareness and understanding of industry opportunities with a career website aimed at:
• Students
• Recent graduates
• Young adults
• Career changers
• Military veterans
• People entering or returning to the workforce
You don’t have to figure this out on your own. We found an example to emulate: SEMI, the association serving the semiconductor industry, and their career exploration platform.
A look at SEMI’s career exploration platform
The CHIPS Act was passed in 2022 to improve and expand semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., strengthen the supply chain, and bolster our nation’s security. But there’s one big problem. Although the Act will lead to the creation of countless jobs, there aren’t enough skilled workers to fill them.
To attract people already in the workforce, people who want to return to the workforce, students, and recent graduates, SEMI launched their career exploration platform last year.
Relate to your target audience
How often does an average person think about your industry? Do people even know what your members do? At the top of their career website home page, SEMI demystifies the semiconductor industry by showing how a person’s life is powered by semiconductors.
SEMI is targeting a younger demographic by featuring activities such as:
• Sunday Driving
• Wandering
• Minecrafting
• Making
• Greening
• Binge Watching
Offer interactive skills and interest assessments
A section of the site’s home page invites visitors to “explore semiconductor careers that make a difference.” It describes different jobs and offers self-assessments that match users to career and education opportunities.
SEMI also explains how the industry makes a difference. They’ve obviously done their research. They know that younger generations want to work for industries that make a positive impact on the environment and society.
Help people explore career pathways
Another section helps website visitors learn about career tracks and positions. It displays a list of internships, apprenticeships, job opportunities, and companies. It also lists certification and education programs that help people develop the skills needed for career success.
A transferable skills section specifically targets military and automotive professionals who might want to change careers.
Introduce member professionals and their workplaces
People want to know what it’s like to work in a different industry. SEMI’s website visitors are invited to “get to know the people making a difference.” Member videos feature a diverse selection of people and jobs. The site also describes different work environments and what SEMI members produce.
This section also includes links to “support groups,” such as student organizations and professional organizations, like SEMI and other associations.
Assure them that the future is bright
Another section features positive data about the industry, such as the:
• Number of U.S. jobs
• Billions of dollars the industry rakes in
• Industry’s rank as an exporter
These numbers aim to assure people that a career in semiconductors is a smart, safe bet. Another section, “Semiconductors in the News,” includes recent articles about the industry.
More essential career website features from the School Nutrition Association
Like SEMI’s, the School Nutrition Professionals’ (SNP) career page describes the careers available in school nutrition. But a few of its features deserve a special mention.
Career awareness video
SNP’s “Bring More to the Table” video won an ASAE Gold Circle Award and an AM&P Excel Award this year. The video aims to educate the public on career opportunities in school nutrition. It features a diverse group of members using more creative and interesting phrases than the usual “lunch lady” to describe what they do. Viewers get a sense of what working in the profession entails, both the challenges and rewards.
Hiring toolkit
The video is part of a hiring toolkit created by SNP to help employers promote open positions. The toolkit also includes animated social graphics and member videos that employers can publicize along with the #bringmoretothetable hashtag for social sharing.
More ideas from the American Chemical Society’s career website
You’ll find lots to admire on the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) career website. Website visitors can:
• Explore over 40 fields
• Learn what chemists do in different job sectors and areas
• Find out what “real world chemists” do every day in specific roles
Like SEMI’s, the site includes job and internship search tools, skills assessments, career navigation roadmaps, and links to ACS networking opportunities.
Members-only career benefits
ACS encourages membership by not giving everything away for free. They let visitors know how membership can help them advance their career.
For example, ACS Career Consultants is a free member-exclusive program. These volunteer consultants offer:
• Resume reviews
• Mock interviews
• LinkedIn profile reviews
• General career counseling sessions
ACS membership also includes access to Career Pathways, a program that helps budding chemists discover the right pathway and guides them through the application process for each pathway.
Make an impression with videos like the Metal Treating Institute
The Metal Treating Institute (MTI) partners with WorkerBee.TV to implement their workforce development strategy. MTI’s career site is full of helpful videos describing the:
• Heat treating process
• Impact of heat treating in our daily lives
• Reasons for choosing a career in heat treating—featuring members, of course
The site also includes more than a dozen video plant tours, a feature that helps visitors get a good sense of the industry.
Share peer data like the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society
The Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS) shares the job details everyone wants to know. Visitors to their career center can click on a job title and see peer survey data on:
• Compensation
• Benefits
• Quality of life
• Career fulfillment
• Career goals and more
Reasons to improve or create a career website
Industry “outsiders”—aka your target audience—are not the only ones who want information about careers in your industry. Professionals for Association Revenue published an article about the growing member desire for career resources.
By increasing awareness about education and career opportunities in your industry, a career website helps employers fill jobs and your industry grow. It also serves as a lead generator for your association’s education and credentialing programs. Focus first on converting these warm leads into regular website visitors and customers before trying to persuade them to join the association.
This workforce development strategy will only succeed if you optimize your career website for search engines. Share its features on social media, especially on the platforms your target audience frequents. Use a hashtag like SNP does.
With the skilled labor shortage, people have plenty of job options. A career website helps industry employers grow and prosper by educating the public about the career opportunities available to them in your industry.
