The Observer : Applying by numbers

The routing of applicants from printed ads to the careers site is noteworthy on several counts, not least that it is the only follow up offered.

The Site

The Observer, the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, is published online as a section of the website of its parent group, Guardian Newspapers, and its job vacancies are similarly incorporated in the group careers section, Working at GNL.

The Observer is one of the options in the ‘Business Area’ field of the vacancies search tool on the home page of the careers section. The fields, which also include Location and Contract Type, are headed by a Reference Number panel where jobseekers can type in the vacancy-specific reference code included in The Observer’s offline job ads. The only follow-up route these offer is to the careers site, where it is clearly stated that all applications must be submitted online.

The Takeaway

The Observer’s routing of potential applicants from its printed job ads to the careers site is noteworthy on several counts, starting with the fact that it is the only follow up people are offered – it is rare for ads not to include either a dedicated e-mail or postal address. This might seem unnecessarily restrictive (there is a risk some good applicants will be lost), but it makes sense for an organisation such as The Observer, for which the bigger problem is going to be handling the volume of applications rather than attracting them. A one-track online system eliminates a lot of initial processing work and allows cost-efficient customisation, for example, of application forms.

It is also exceptional when an ad gives a website address for the URL to be that of the vacancies pages rather than the main home page. And while the inclusion of a job reference code is somewhat less unusual, few organisations carry this through as an active option in the vacancy search on the website. Strange, given that making the handover from print ad to online application as direct as possible is an obvious efficiency for user and company.

First published on 02 June, 2005