In this fast paced and digital world we live in, it has become increasingly important to capture the attention of job seekers within the first glance.
This month, I was speaking to a prospective client and he mentioned they ‘are getting no interest in their adverts’ and the ‘quality of applicants is terrible’. Upon receiving the job description and advert, its fair to say it was short and unexciting. He had made no mention of the workplace culture, the perks of the role for the candidate and there was no contact details attached. After about 30 minutes, I sent him back what I considered a sexier version of the job description.
A few days later he called to say thank you very much, he had 3 high potential candidates ring and email him directly about the role. Within a week the role was filled. Not to say it is always that easy, in fact it never is (that’s where good recruiters come in! wink wink). In this instance he got lucky as results are quite variant depending on the geographic area, level and industry, but this was proof enough that job descriptions and adverts can make all the difference.
Now, let’s be honest, understanding how to write a job advert and job description is quite the mundane task. Firstly, there are so many different places to view adverts and secondly with the limited time to capture attention, it is important to complete the following:
1. Capture the attention
What is the headline? What are the key 3 selling points? You have 5 seconds at best to briefly present the three key selling points of the role, ranging from the actual role or the perks of the role. Although some roles may be in a corporate environment, making the position description more “corporate” will significantly reduce the effectiveness of your adverts. Think of the delivery platform- its social media right?
2. Sorry, what is the role?
When writing the position description I recommend ‘plain’ language around what the day to day role is to ensure clarity. There is no need to get fancy, just keep it simple. All you need to do is provide the important information in an exciting manner so that the reader keeps reading on and do not click away.
3. What is in it for them?
Sounds self-indulgent, but this is really important. As much as you want to find the candidate that fits your organisation, the candidate also needs to find an organisation that suits them and their career ambitions/needs. If you wish to attract the best talent, it is a competitive market. Don’t be afraid to sell, sell, sell and don’t hold back! Sell the company, sell the location (surrounding areas such as cafes, bus stops, beaches/cities are assets!), sell the career progression and sell the remuneration package and its perks. After all, these perks create the environment to attract and retain fabulous new employees.
4. The day to day
Outline in as much detail as you want the day-to-day, it can either be in list format or something more thought provoking i.e.; “arrive to work around 8.30am, help yourself to free barista made coffee and mingle with colleagues, make your way to your seat in the open plan office, that is after you have selected the morning’s Spotify list for the team. It is here you will collaborate with your dynamic team to work on the implementation and analysis of their digital marketing campaigns” ect. You get where I am going with this, it is providing the candidate with a holistic picture of what their day will look like. Visualising working somewhere new may be just the enticement they need!
At Analog Recruitment we find awesome people to work in your digital marketing, media and sale teams! Please reach out and say hello today.
analogrecruitment.co.nz