The first step into hiring good talent is well showcasing an opportunity. A well-described opportunity is the key to attracting the right talent for the job. The presentation of your job and the description of the role is the first step to attracting the right candidate. Before they get to the stage of attracting your attention to their talents, you need to write a job description which would attract the right talent. If you fail to do this, you run the risk of turning potential candidates away even before they apply. The job description indicates the planning, forecasting and maturity level of a company.
Job Shopping
While the post COVID era has given rise to the number of job applicants and potential candidate, the number of irrelevant applications are on the rise. With the rise of wall-less companies, the opportunities are too many. When there is a sea of opportunities, chances are your job description gets lost somewhere if it does not have reasons to stand out.
Follow these tips and you can create a description that stands out.
1. Job description = marketing tool
Don’t just write down the eligibility criteria and the requirements and expect people to be attracted by it. Your job description should look like no less than an advertisement. It should be creative and attractive with the candidates as your target audience.
2. Speak to what candidates actually care about
Keep in mind that you are reaching out to candidates so tell them what they should be looking forward to the company. Candidates are usually motivated by the following features.
Opportunities to learn and grow: The best candidates are not here for the paycheck. Paycheck just becomes a part of a journey of learning and personal growth for them. Hence, while you talk about the job, you need to mention how a candidate can grow with the job. Nobody wants to be in monotonous work life.
Challenging work: Throwing in challenging projects and assignments are the only way to have some tweak in your monotonous work life. Hence, give them exciting challenges and now stressful deadlines.
Making an impact: Tell them how their work will add to the success of the company or help the company in achieving its goals. Let them know that their work will matter as the last thing they would want to spend their time in is work that doesn’t matter.
One of the exercises that prove to be a worthwhile activity is to brainstorm among tenured recruiters and new recruiters. They understand the pulse of every candidate sourced, interviewed and selected. Talk to them about the most challenging and engaging work they have in the company, the opportunities they have for personal growth and the difference they think they are making. With answers to these in your hand, you will be able to write a much effective job description.
3. When writing a job description, sell benefits, not features
The most important part is to look at the job description from the point of view of a candidate. Ask “so what?” To every selling point, you mention about your organization. You will realize that not all of those benefits are appealing to the candidate. You can mention your company benefit but you need to add context to it.
So, what if you are a start-up? Does this mean that the candidate will have a bigger role to play? that needs to be mentioned. The highlights of the offerings are much more necessary in this case.
4. Create urgency
Create a sense of urgency when you are writing the description irrespective of it actually being one or not. This will make the candidates feel like it is an opportunity missed if they do not apply quick. Addition of a deadline to apply or apply on the website for immediate consideration will create a sense of rush. Create an email id or provide a phone number specifically for this. When you provide the corporate email id, candidates already know that along with the other bunch of emails you receive in a day, a potential CV will get deep buried in it.
5. Draw candidates in with your first few sentences
You need to be able to have the candidates hooked right from the first line of the description. A few ways to do that is by helping them relate to the job and make the job sound exclusive. Keep them reading and eliminate the candidates who do not identify with the content in the job description stage itself. Make them feel like the best out of all companies are picked to create the ultimate company.
6. Formatting matters
Make the description look impressive as well. Highlight important points, use subtle colours, don’t make the text too close or tight, give enough space between sentences.
7. Streamline the application process
All top talented candidates have a lot of opportunities lined up for them and hence they value their time well. Make sure your process to apply for the job does not make them jump through hoops. Keep it simple with a very straightforward application process. Ask them to submit only the bare necessities and not every detail which can easily be asked for when they pass the different interview rounds. Don’t let your job description itself make talented candidates drop off. Make the process very user-friendly.
No Comments