Recently, I discovered a pretty common branding problem that really surprised me. While researching corporate job boards for a project (we recently launched kohlscareers.com, Kohl's recruiting site), I noticed that the majority of the sites were well-branded until you hit the jobs/career section. Once you arrive, the brand becomes almost invisible. It’s as if you’ve left the site you were on. The reason for this is simple. So many companies buy and integrate one of the ‘candidate application’ tools. These tools are great for putting a solid, online application process in place. But unless these process tools are appropriately branded, a candidate is going to feel a shift away from the brand and everything it represents. I understand why this happens – it’s much easier and much less expensive to let the software company apply your logo and some other simple elements of your brand to the “job search” section. But if great candidates are turned off or turn away, that’s going to cost that company handsomely, in terms of HR resources. Does it really save money to let the branding fall down in the area of employment? Feel free to search the Kohl's Careers site for a job. It's super easy. And who knows, maybe you'll find your next career. @catalyststudios tags: catalyst studios, minneapolis, minnesota, design, graphic design, interactive, catalyst,