Background Check: DraftKings vs. FanDuel
DraftKings and FanDuel are two of the most popular sports books in the US, an industry that has exploded over the last few years. With rapid growth comes the growing need for stellar talent. And these two titans of industry are in direct competition for the best candidates looking to work in this exciting field.
One of the best ways to attract new talent to their growing companies is to make an exceptional first impression on their career pages. Let’s see how each measures up.
DraftKings Sportsbook
Let’s start with DraftKings Sportsbook.
Like most websites, you can find the careers page in the bottom menu. This menu features light gray text on a dark gray background. This isn’t the worst possible color combination, but that doesn’t mean it’s good.
There’s a common misconception that the more accessible option for websites is light text on a dark background. But in reality, this can be a problem for people with astigmatism. White text on a black background is likely to cause a blurring effect known as halation. The text in the DraftKings menu is an exceptionally light gray, and the background is nearly black. Not only is the opposite more accessible, but black text on a white background is also more professional.
The careers page is found under the first column labeled “Company.” It’s second on the list, making it pretty easy to find.
Once you click on the careers page, things get a little better. Candidates are greeted by the tagline “Reinventing technology in sports entertainment.” Simple and to the point.
Below this is the search bar where you can search for keywords by location. And there’s an option to search for remote roles in multiple countries, including the US and Canada. Pretty good so far. But what about culture? Candidates might be tempted to start searching right away instead of reading more.
If you scroll down the page, you get a better sense of what working for DraftKings might be like. But we soon see the same problem we had with the footer – sections with light text on a dark background. Only this time, it sure looks like white on black, the worst combination.
Looking at the content of the page, DraftKings does a good job of speaking directly to potential candidates, showcasing what the company can do for you, instead of leaning on the popularity of the industry. Plus, they talk about company growth – a big plus for those who may have been laid off as companies around the globe scaled back in the pandemic.
Below this section is a button, “Discover our culture.” This brings job seekers to a Culture & Benefits page. Here, the company reiterates that the sports entertainment industry is “rapidly growing” and makes good use of buzzwords like “innovation” and “collaboration.”
The list of impressive perks is fairly straightforward – no mention of happy hours or pizza parties, which is a refreshing change of pace for a modern company in a rising industry.
Toward the bottom of the page is the option to learn more about Diversity & Inclusion at DraftKings. This leads to a very detailed page listing all the ways DraftKings is working toward a “culture of inclusion,” including their Business Resource Groups and being named in the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work: Diversity Edition in 2021.
Back to the careers page, DraftKings chose to use a video format for employee quotes, instead of just text. These employees all give the company a glowing review. It’s definitely a nice touch, and it demonstrates one of the most important factors workers use to decide if they want to stay at a job or leave – feeling a sense of purpose in their work.
At the very bottom of the page is my favorite part of the DraftKings careers page – the option to join the Talent Community. From here, you can submit your name and contact information, primary area of interest and location, LinkedIn profile, and resume.
The reason I love this feature so much is because I know firsthand and from working with hundreds of job seekers through the years that looking for work is exhausting, frustrating, and time-consuming. If you read through the DraftKings careers page and decide you really want to work there but don’t see an open position that matches your skills, there’s a simple next step!
Your time researching the company wasn’t wasted, and you may have just taken the first step toward finding your next role. And believe me, keeping hope alive is extremely important for job seekers to avoid losing their minds.
FanDuel Sportsbook
Hopping over to FanDuel Sportsbook, we also find the careers page in the footer. This footer features gray text on a light gray background. Not exactly easy to read but better than white text on black.
Job seekers might assume the careers page is under the prominent “About” column. But scanning the 11 links in this section, we don’t find it. It’s actually in a separate part of the footer – a menu separated by horizontal lines. There, we finally find what we’re looking for: Careers.
Once you click, you’re greeted by a message in big, bold text: “Don’t Just Work. Win.”
FanDuel really leans into the concept of betting (and winning) when speaking to potential candidates, along with the fact that this is a cool industry. There’s an implication that if you like fantasy sports, you’ll love working at FanDuel. After all, you’ll get to brag to your uncool friends slaving away in some cubicle for a company no one even cares about.
The rhetoric is strong. But does it work? Probably not. As a job seeker, you’re looking for a company that recognizes your unique talent and prioritizes your professional growth. Working for a company in an industry you like is nice, but it’s not enough.
Under this rad paragraph about how totally cool working in fantasy sports would be, there’s a button to click to see open positions. Job seekers need to click away from the culture page to search. Most people will be tempted to just click the button and never return to read about the company culture. But let’s take a look at the content anyway.
In a section about perks, FanDuel talks more about winning and the perks that winners get, highlighting “a stocked fridge” in the headline. Despite this fairly commonplace, but often bragged about, perk of trendy, modern companies, the rest of the list is actually pretty great for job seekers and demonstrates that FanDuel prioritizes work/life balance.
Among the perks are professional development opportunities, 100% employer paid health insurance, and flexible hours. And of course, they had to reiterate the “well-stocked supply of snacks and refreshments.”
Next up, we have quotes from team members about how awesome it is to work at FanDuel. This is an excellent tool to highlight a positive workplace culture. But no matter how fast I tried to read, I couldn’t get through a single quote before it rotated to the next one, and there was no way for me to pause the carousel. Plus, there were only three quotes, rotating on a non-stop speed loop.
Once I was able to get the gist of the three quotes, they were actually very positive and would be attractive to potential candidates. High scores for content, but low for actually being able to read it.
The final section highlights the five office locations and lets job seekers know travel abroad opportunities are available. The last line on the careers page is perhaps the most important, and it’s completely buried at the very bottom – “Plus, you can work from your actual home when you see fit.”
According to a recent US Catalyst-CNBC survey, 76% of employees want flexible work options, and a shocking number of workers are willing to quit their current jobs to get it. If FanDuel has flexible and hybrid work options, that needs to be front and center on their careers page, not shoved in as an afterthought.
In the actual search function for job openings, candidates can search by department and office location, but not by keyword, and there’s an option to search for a “remote / hybrid role” only in the UK, not the US. This is likely to leave US job seekers who were excited by that last line on the previous page pretty disappointed.
And the winner is…
If it’s not already clear, DraftKings is definitely the winner here. Annoying text/background color combo aside, the careers page was easy to navigate, engaging without being condescending, and had a great search function. The nice video, emphasis on diversity and inclusion, and option to join the talent community really put it over the top.
FanDuel, and other large tech companies, could learn a thing or two.
Jennifer Johnson is a writer and researcher who works primarily in career services, recruiting, content development, and PR. But she's been known to take on any project that piques her interest.
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