Finding the right candidate for your job openings means attracting that candidate when you have the opportunity. Job descriptions are a chance to let prospective employees know what you’re offering, and why it’s a position they should consider. It is your company’s best chance to attract the caliber of talent you really want.
Unfortunately, jobs — like products and services — don’t sell themselves. You have to send the right message to the right people, and elicit a response from them. When you have a job opening, you can stand out from your competition (and every position in every field they might be considering) by following simple tips.
Here’s how to highlight your job opening and get the best people interested in your company.
Remain Professional (But Not Professorial)
Your job description should reflect your company and its unique work environment. Stay professional, but not so stuffy and technical that it feels like a university lecture. If your employees take their jobs seriously, but also enjoy their careers and have positive attitudes with each other, the job description should have a similar appeal.
You want candidates to know what is expected from the position and what responsibilities will be prioritized. But if your job description is merely a string of buzzwords with little personality, it won’t sound like an attractive destination for people who want a sense of camaraderie and pleasant experiences while working hard toward a common goal.
What makes your company different? What do you offer that makes your best talent remain with you as you grow? Why do your employees enjoy coming to work? Your job description shouldn’t have a casual tone, but it should convey that they’re joining a company with real human beings who don’t need a dictionary to communicate with each other and look forward to coming to work. Give candidates a sense of your positive office atmosphere, and you’ll attract individuals who will be eager to contribute to it.
Stay Neutral
While it’s good to let candidates know your employees enjoy working there, be careful not to oversell the company as a whole. If the description begins to sound like a press release or a sales pitch, candidates might become skeptical about the position itself. Keep in mind the adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” If you have a great position to offer, be sure to let them know. But great positions also require great effort and a lot of dedication and hard work. No candidate is perfect, and no company is perfect. Take a neutral approach, and your new hire will have realistic expectations regarding the job and the company.
Also, stay neutral with your descriptions so you can attract a diverse group of candidates. The right hire could be any gender, from any background, and hail from any country. The global talent pool is stronger than ever, and your job description should reflect a global appeal, especially if your business competes on a global scale. If your job description sounds inclusive for everyone, you’ll gain the attention and interest of the industry’s best, no matter who they are.
Be Clear About Benefits
Job candidates want to know exactly what the job entails and what benefits you’re offering. “Benefits” can mean traditional employee benefits, and you should be clear about them in the description. A competitive salary and other job-related perks are also benefits and should be explained as well.
But the job also includes other benefits that would be attractive to candidates. Is the day-to-day work rewarding? Is the position a respected voice within the company? Do you have a history of promoting from within? Candidates want to know what qualifications are required, and what it means to accept the position if they meet those qualifications. Working for your company has advantages, and people want to know what’s in it for them. Don’t keep them guessing, or let them assume your business is lacking in that area. Be clear about those benefits, and why they’d want to work there.
Be Clear About Expectations
This area is where many companies’ job descriptions fall short. It’s important to be specific about what the candidate is expected to accomplish in their position, and how their success will be measured. Whatever metrics would be used in a job evaluation should be referenced in the job description. If prospective employee is going to see themselves doing the work, they will need to know exactly how their performance will be evaluated. This aspect of the job isn’t something to hide. For the right candidate, it’s something to highlight, so they have a good grasp of what they need to do starting day one when they say yes to the job.
Be Concise
With all of the above information to consider, you might be tempted to lay everything out in a long-winded post that covers every base in detail. In reality, your company will be better positioned for hiring success if you keep it brief.
Job-seekers are constantly on the go, and often considering a large number of openings. If they’re scrolling through opportunities on a small screen, they might only give a few seconds to each one to determine if it might be a fit for them. Your description should reflect the points mentioned here but remain concise and efficient with your wording. You want to grab their attention quickly, impress them with the information provided, and stand out in a way that they’ll take note to apply for your position.
A job search can be a huge task, and candidates are often trying to rule out opportunities quickly to focus on the ones that seem best for them. If your description is too wordy and doesn’t get to the point at first glance, they might not give it a second one. There’s a good chance it will be passed over for a position that only took a few moments to draw their interest. You want to tell them what’s important, but you don’t want to take too long to say it. Brevity and a direct approach will help your opportunity stand out in a short period.
More Tips?
If you need more information to create the perfect job description, we’re here to help. Imperium Data Consulting has the expertise to help find the right tone and content that describes your company and job opening in a way that attracts top talent in your industry. Simply use our contact page for further assistance.
Unfortunately, jobs — like products and services — don’t sell themselves. You have to send the right message to the right people and elicit a response from them. When you have a job opening, you can stand out from your competition (and every position in every field they might be considering) by following simple tips.
Here’s how to highlight your job opening and get the best people interested in your company.
