Your career site is the digital destination where you have the most control: its content, content and frequency, its image, its navigation, its reach. It represents who you are as an employer, it gives a taste of the interview experience your candidates will have and the employee experience that will follow. Now, when planning it, you’ve thought about the images, the text, the testimonials, but what about the accessibility of it?
You may have heard of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities (AODA) in Canada, but you haven’t really looked into it. Indeed, the subject of accessibility is not the most…accessible! It is a long list of technical terms that lead to actions to make digital content easy to consume for all.
When it comes to employment, having an accessible career site is not only a responsible and ethical choice for job seekers with disabilities, but it also allows for better referencing. According to the Government of Canada, there are over 6 million Canadians who identify themselves as having a disability, that’s a phenomenal percentage of the population you can interact with when you consider the current staffing shortage.
Want to get started? There are simple steps you can take in the short term to make a difference.
Top 5 actions to take with your career site (and corporate website, for that matter!) :
- Organize your content in a clear way by using headings styles so that automated readers can follow the reading order on the page;
- Give clear descriptions to your images and videos, using alt text. The more precise you are, the better;
- Use hyperlinks by giving them meaningful names that let the user know if they are interested in visiting it;
- Take the time to have your colors analyzed by a graphic designer or programmer who knows about accessibility. Contrast is an important part of the equation;
- Make your forms accessible by naming each field with a simple title, navigable with the tab, and make sure the submit button is clearly labeled to be read by the automated reader;
- Bonus! Ask your Human Resources Management System (HRMS) provider if the application section is available.
These changes will make a significant difference in the user experience. Also, to stay on top of Canadian standards, you can follow Accessibility Canada. This is a new public body created under the Accessibility Act in Canada.
So if you’re redesigning your digital destinations, don’t forget the accessibility portion. If the topic is beyond you, the sept24 team is here to help you build your new site, with experts in the field (and in user experience, employer brand, candidate experience, mobility, etc.!)
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