Start with Cleaning up your Job Description
Improve your Hiring: Most job descriptions, as you have probably discovered, are not useful.
Job descriptions are often crafted by a Human Resources professional or operational person who knows little about the position or the hiring manger’s needs. Hiring managers and their firms rely on these to describe the job and other factors to attract employees and have them understand the company, its mission, culture, and the role.
Imagine yourself as a job seeker with an impressive success record generating profits, or quality products, or solving complex technical challenges. Hiring managers are seeking these types of individuals with the idea that they will solve problems, help their firm grow, and be excellent mentors or hiring authorities. They are NOT looking for someone who meets a bunch of check marks or satisfies the list of qualifications regardless of skill.
High-powered, intelligent, successful job seekers are not likely to look at a limp job description filled with a Chinese Menu of skills, with little knowledge of your firm and decide to take the time to craft a well written application to you with the hopes that you will provide the answers to their hopes that have led them to the market in the first place.
Consider that this is where the disconnect lies – The people you need are not connecting with the message you are sending. Providing better branding and marketing and message are critical to change your results.
Meaningful adjectives, insights into why your firm is attractive, and brand information are things your marketing and sales team knows brings customers to the plate. Apply the same theory to attracting the talent you seek.
That part should be an easy sell. Every marketer knows that telling a product’s story helps give people a reason to buy a product, so it isn’t much of a leap to say that getting people to “buy your brand as an employer” is supported by content that gives them a reason to join.
Reaching the Candidates who meet your Requirements
An important part of reaching the folks you want is to identify who you want to reach, again following the targeted practices of your Sales and Marketing teams, identify the characteristics of your prospects and tailor your message. Keep the message broad enough that you don’t rule out too many and specific enough that you’re not attracting the whole world. It’s a balance to make to improve your hiring process.
Consider the key motivating factors for your prospects: Performance, Career, Development, Empowerment, Support, Values, Innovation and Status. Your position may not provide all of these and some may overlap. In your efforts to develop a marketing message (Job Description) that works, emphasize the factors you can provide from these motivators
Remember the personal factors that influence decisions as well. Work-life balance, working/office environment, location and accessibility, perks. If you have a 37 hour work week, flex-time, job splits family leave, make sure you tout this. Likewise, public transport access, shuttle service, bike rack, free parking, they can all make a difference. Excellent health benefits? Check. 24 hour donuts or discount cafeteria, latte machine, check.
Finally consider how your product/service line of business may not be obvious to candidates out of your industry sphere. An IT professional may not understand the tech advances of your Pharmaceutical company the way a Chemist may know who you are. An HR professional will not be aware of your manufacturing/engineering prowess that an Engineer will know.
Wrap all of these ideas into your new Sales Pitch Job Description, target the right audience, pay attention to your message and improve your hiring results.
