It is a drastically different hiring landscape as of late. And COVID and the “Great Resignation” didn’t do anything to help.

Not only are there less people looking for jobs compared to the number of jobs available, but the average job-seeker searches and how they apply for jobs in a different way than ever before. And COVID really make the applying and interviewing process different than it ever had been.

Now job seekers use their mobile phones more than a desktop computer when they look and apply for jobs. 78% of job seekers that own a mobile phone use it to apply for a new job. If you are someone who has an open position at your company, it’s a good idea to create job postings that make people want to apply no matter what they are using to do so.

You don’t want to worry about people not applying to your open job posting, and weeks dragging on leaving your position vacant for too long (and job vacancies left open too long can cost you a lot in the long run). Part of the reason that people may not be applying to your job posting could be your job posting isn’t doing the trick.

It’s not the job or the company, it’s the job posting in some cases. Whether it’s too confusing, the wrong length (too long or too short), doesn’t talk enough about expectations, or doesn’t speak to the company and its culture could mean the difference between qualified and not qualified candidates. 

So what can you do to fix your job posting so you start to get better, more qualified candidates to choose from?

First, know who you want to hire.

This means targeting specific personas and use buzzwords to get them interested in your job posting and company. Creating a strong profile of your ideal candidate can help you know who to spend time on and who to pass on. Simply posting a job online doesn’t work the same as it used to – you now need to be able to “market” open jobs to candidates looking for jobs. This means you need to develop a candidate persona and profile so you know how to speak to those people you want to hire.

Creating a strong profile for your ideal candidate means reviewing people who have and have not worked out. This allows you to understand what makes a candidate strong but it also allows you to understand what characteristics you do not want in a potential employee. It’s a very comprehensive way to determine who exactly you need to hire for your vacancy. 

So how can you develop a comprehensive profile for candidates? Generally, a candidate profile or persona is created after analyzing things like work history, skills, qualifications and education. But, the most effective candidate profiles include things and skills that are outside of traditional things found on resumes. Sometimes these skills combined with job skills make someone a perfect hire – so take the time to develop the candidate profile before you do the hiring. These  non-resume skills can include things like personality traits, career goals, and soft skills that can make someone a great fit in your organization. 

Understanding this information before you begin recruiting and interviewing can save you time and hassle with candidates that just don’t fit the job or your company. 

Second, make sure your job posting is clear.

Your job posting should have all the important information on it. Job title, qualifications, responsibilities and benefits and pay are all necessary to paint a clearer picture for job applicants. It should also be as simple as possible and to the point. 

Taking extra time to make sure all of these components are clearly outlined can go a long way in helping the right candidates find and apply for your job. Emphasize perks, highlight skills, share business information, and outline all expectations in a concise way.

Have someone who currently has the job and someone else who is in a different department read the job description and give you feedback. The person who currently has the job can make sure that it is true to what they do and what is expected of them and the person in the other department can read the posting and give insight in to if it’s clear and concise. 

Don’t forget to also have clear contact information. Provide name, email and phone number of the person who is responsible for hiring. 

Another important thing to note for this is to make sure you use SEO rich titles in your job postings. Most often, people search for jobs by the title so ensure your job title is clear and to the point. Also ensure that your posting has great keywords inside the posting itself. This makes it easier for job seekers to find your open job in a more organic way. If you aren’t quite sure what kind of SEO rich keywords to use, there are tools out there. Try the Google Keyword Tool if you need help determining what key words to use. 

Next, make sure you highlight your business and the company culture. This can be a BIG sell!

This is where you should both boast about your company as well as sell your job role to those people reading the job posting. This should answer the “why they should want to work for you” question and really make the applicant feel inspired to apply for the job with the hopes of joining your team.

A company culture is extremely important to employees. Having a great company culture can really help you supercharge your recruiting. It also helps you create an environment and company that your current employees want to tell their network about. An environment that values employees creates happier employees who could help you spread the message about working at your organization. 

The 2016 Global Talent Trends published survey of over 33,000 professionals on LinkedIn tells us that those who see themselves staying at their current company for three or more years were more likely than others to be primarily motivated by a sense of purpose. If a current or future employee feels tied to the organization and their mission they are more likely to stay at a job. A company culture that has values that are not only talked about but lived each and every day creates a positive and purpose-driven environment, resulting in happier employees. 

Know your competition and if your offer stacks up to their offer. Don’t miss candidates because your offer is far lower than your regional competition.

Who else in your market is looking to hire for a job role similar to yours? What does their job posting look like? What kind of skills are they requiring and are they aligned with what you require? Knowing this can help you decide how to work your job posting and consider increasing your salary a little more to give you an advantage.

Besides knowing who else is posting jobs and what the job posting entails, knowing your competition also means knowing who else in the industry is in your market that does what you do. This helps tailor messaging to the people you want to hire, helps you understand what their business doesn’t do that your business does, and how you are different from them. This can make hiring top talent easier since you are aware of what other businesses around you offer and why your business is the best choice for them. 

Knowing your competition can also prevent you from losing top talent to another organization during the hiring process. If you understand the competition you can change how you hire in an effort to hire smarter. Sizing up your competition in this manner helps you develop a more strategic way to recruit and hire for your open positions.

Think outside the box and find innovative ways to reach jobseekers.

Reading other job postings for similar roles in your same market can give you more insight than you think. It can help make sure you don’t forget or leave out information that job seekers will want to know about. This can also help you come up with a creative way to re-write your job posting to get those out of the box thinkers applying with you and not “the other guy” to really stand out in your market.

Thinking outside of the box when it comes to writing your job ad can go a long way in finding new candidates that may not have been enticed to apply for the job based on the original job posting. Consider describing challenges and problems the employee will be solving in the job posting can give the applicant an even deeper understanding of the job role and your business. 

Another way to think outside the box is to consider what other skills may be beneficial for your organization that are outside of the skills required for a job role. Has someone started a business before (even if it failed)? Self-starters understanding working longer and harder at something to become good at it. Has your applicant worked in a lot of customer-facing roles before, like retail or food service? This person may have excellent problem-solving skills and negotiation capabilities that are primarily found in this kind of work. Do they have a degree, just not in a direct field? The fact that they completed extra course work and graduated shows you that they know the value of effort and hard-work. Our point is this: sometimes looking at applications with a different filter helps you find quality candidates that you may have missed otherwise.

One big way to think outside of the box is to go to places where your potential employees would go. Think networking events, job fairs, and educational seminars. Not only are you expanding your network to fill your immediate need but you can also meet people who are passive job seekers (those that aren’t interested in leaving their job right now but could be in the future). Meeting people face to face is still very valuable, even in this digital age. 

Leave it to the experts.

Putting a job posting up is only one way to get in front of applicants. You need more than just a job post – you need a comprehensive recruiting strategy to uncover the right talent. It can be a daunting task so why not leave it to the experts? At GTR, we know that time is money so we don’t want you wasting yours by spinning your recruiting and hiring wheels without reward. We are industry experts, in business for 17 years, who are ready to help you recruit and hire qualified candidates to fill your open roles.

It’s overwhelming to consider all the moving pieces that go into recruiting and hiring and we want to help. Contact us today to learn more about how GTR can help you Build a Workforce That Works.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

 

https://smallbiztrends.com/2019/04/how-to-make-job-postings-stand-out.html

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/company-culture-attract-candidates-passion.aspx

https://www.effortlesshr.com/blog/how-to-think-outside-the-box-when-hiring-for-your-business/

https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/10-tips-for-writing-seo-friendly-job-descriptions/?utm_referrer=https://www.google.com/