67% of candidates visit a company’s careers page before they apply for a job. Talent is visiting your site to learn what it’s like to work at your company and decide whether or not to apply.

What do they see when they get there?

We looked at all 100 career sites of the 2024 Fortune Best Companies to Work For list to see what they’re showing candidates. Read on to learn what’s working—and what’s not—on top career sites. Plus, how each industry stacks up.

Top career site photography still relies on stock photos  

Stock photos still reign supreme for professional photography on company career sites. Only 52% of the Fortune 100 list use professionally taken pictures of their employees throughout their careers home page. While user-generated content is great for social media, it’s not ideal for your career site hero image.

There is one industry that stands out for using professional employee imagery and it’s hospitality and retail. 87% of companies in this industry on the Fortune 100 list included their people in high-quality photos on their career sites.

When candidates see real employees featured across a career site, it’s easier to believe a company cares about spotlighting its people.

Key takeaway: A day of professional photography is one of the most budget-friendly employer brand projects you can do in a year. Make it a priority in the coming budget cycle so your site shows off your people.

Career site video content goes mainstream

Another way to accurately share the employee experience is by including video content on your career site.

63% of top career sites had a prominently placed culture video and 75% of those videos used real employees. That’s a huge win!

The financial services industry was ahead of the game with 82% including a video (but only 68% of those included real employees.)

The industry with the most room to grow in video content is healthcare/pharma. Only 36% of career sites in this industry included a culture video.

Outside of that industry, we love that video content—especially employee video content—has become a cornerstone of many career sites.

Key takeaway: Using real employees in video content has become a best practice. If you have employee story video content, find a home for it on your career site. People want to see and hear from other people like them!

Outdated video content may be weighing you down

While we were impressed with the amount of video content on career sites, we were surprised by how outdated some were.

Just over half (56%) of career sites had a prominently featured video less than three years old. And 65% of sites had a culture video more than three years old or no video at all.

Candidates are used to consuming video content and it’s easy to tell when something was filmed recently or years ago. When a video speaks to company culture, it’s always best to show what the culture looks like now.

The world of work has changed a lot in the last few years and your content will need to reflect that.

Key takeaway: Do an inventory of the culture video content on your career site. When was it filmed? Does the message about your culture still ring true? Create a plan for refreshing your key culture video so candidates see the best of who you are, right now.

Career site content by industry

Content varies a lot by industry. In our career site research, including DEI and early careers, we found that each industry had its strengths and opportunities related to content. Check out more of our findings below.