Hiring great talent starts with attracting great talent. Here’s how to create effective, engaging and inclusive job descriptions targeted to the best candidates for the job.
The “if you build it, he will come" mantra may have worked for Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, but, as many hiring managers know, qualified and relevant talent is a little more difficult to attract than ghosts of great baseball legends.
Check out the following tips from our experts for writing more effective job postings:
Leading with your Brand through Job Advertising
Did you know that a major shift is happening in Recruitment Marketing?
In the past, most talent acquisition teams have kept their employer branding and job advertising strategies separate. Each area had different goals, a different budget and success was measured independently too.
But increasingly we’ve noticed that more and more practitioners are creating job advertising that leads with their employer brand message to see better results in attracting talent and driving applications. Start embracing automated approaches to get your messages in front of candidates. More and more teams are starting to deliver their EVP messages through job ads and social channels. To write engaging verbiage for your ad, ask yourself two questions: “What will candidates love about this job?” and “What do employees say they love about your company?” You’ll be able to speak to your audience and get the right fit.
Location, Location, Location
When job seekers are using search engines, a common practice is to enter the location after job terms, e.g. “nursing jobs in Sandton.” With that in mind, always include the city and province of your open position somewhere in the job posting. Possibly the most important factor in job seekers’ minds – behind perhaps only salary and benefits – is the location of a job. For many candidates, it’s a deal-breaker. So, if you don’t want to waste time and effort chasing candidates who simply cannot or will not be able to make the necessary commute, be sure to let them know where the job is located right away. However, if you’re willing to let them work remotely or offer work from home days, be sure to mention that (and give it appropriately visible textual real estate), as that could sway their decision.
Set clear expectations
Playing coy does nothing but waste your time and the time (and goodwill) of job seekers. Be upfront about potential deal-breakers (such as significant travel time or potential overtime hours) as well as success factors. After all, hiring successful people is much easier when everyone involved understands what success in that particular role looks like. Setting clear expectations with candidates from the beginning will get a better fit in the end.
Cut out the fat and catch their attention
Attention is a precious thing in this day and age. The average job seeker spends fewer than 30 seconds reviewing a job posting.
A great way to make your job posting stand out and captivate job seekers is to avoid trite sayings and phrases in your posting. During a job search, job seekers are showered with postings that contain similar language. Therefore, it is imperative to set your job posting apart from the others.
Instead of this: We offer a competitive salary and great benefits!
Try this: We offer a first-class salary and superior benefits!
Instead of this: Growth-potential
Try this: Career progression
Instead of this: Fast-paced environment
Try this: Progressive workplace
Instead of this: Multi-task
Try this: Perform a broad range of simultaneous duties
Don’t ignore compensation
It should come as no surprise that salary plays a major role in a candidate’s decision to accept a job offer or even apply. So, if you know you offer competitive compensation, say so. If you don’t, talk about what you can offer instead – things like benefits, employee perks or company culture. Advancement opportunities, the chance to learn new skills, take on interesting projects, travel and flexible schedules can go a long way in many candidates’ minds.
Leverage Video
Search engines love video! In addition to boosting your search engine rankings, videos will engage candidates and motivate them to stay on your organization’s page longer. Interesting videos also entice job seekers to learn more about your company and ultimately apply to your positions. If you want to create compelling videos that will encourage more job seekers to apply
Don’t try to be something you’re not
A perfect fit for #FNB or #AngloAmerican might not necessarily be a good fit at your company and vice versa. Luckily, finding the right cultural fit is a big part of most candidates’ job search process as well – so the work is already half done for you. By just being honest about who you are as an employer and what your company culture is like, you’ll start seeing the wrong candidates weed themselves out, making the right candidates that much easier to spot.
“Recruitment IS marketing. If you’re a recruiter nowadays and you don’t see yourself as a marketer, you’re in the wrong profession.”
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