It’s understandable why recruiters or hiring managers fall into the habit of posting job descriptions the minute a position becomes vacant. Having a position to fill causes anxiety: There’s more pressure on the rest of the team to pick up the slack, and there’s no telling how long it’ll take to replace the exiting employee, let alone how long it’ll take to train the replacement and get him or her up to speed. Slapping a job description onto Indeed.com feels like a quick win.
The problem with this often-practiced strategy is that it’s not a strategy at all. Rather, this knee-jerk reaction could be negatively affecting your organization – and you don’t even realize it. There is so much more that goes into a job posting than meets the eye, and we’re going to dive into exactly why it’s important that every job posting is part of a comprehensive recruitment strategy plan.
Comprehensive Recruitment Strategy
Having a comprehensive recruitment strategy combines best practices with a clear plan. Having a clear plan is what puts you on the path to becoming or remaining an employer of choice and to attracting the best talent. Here are some of the key elements to consider when thinking about how your job postings are so critical to a solid recruitment strategy.
Assess Your Needs Before You Post
When someone turns in their resignation, it’s oftentimes cause for stress if not full-on panic. But what if we reframed those two-week notices into opportunities?
Rather than dusting off that person’s job description and posting it to a job board, what if you asked a few questions instead, such as: Does this position actually need to be filled? Is the work able to be absorbed by the team fairly easily? Does this exit mean that another person could add some desired responsibilities to their plate? Can the work be delegated throughout the team, or is it time to promote from within and hire someone more entry-level instead? Would your team or organization be better served by putting a contractor or freelancer in this position, or is it time to level-up? Are you in a position to add some more advanced experience and skills to the team?
Part of a comprehensive recruitment strategy plan means knowing your team goals and how they fit into the larger goals of the organization. Before you replace or add talent, be clear about where you’re headed.
Think about your Ideal Candidate
We commonly replace the person who leaves a position with the closest replacement match we can find. This is often a mistake on many levels, because it means we might miss out on diverse skill sets. Rather, try assessing your needs from a broader perspective. When you’re thinking about what you’re looking for, consider not just your ideal candidate for now, but for where you’re also headed a few years from now. You want to find someone who is a match for what the position requires immediately, but who also has the skills, drive, curiosity, ambition and goals to stick with you into the future.
Job Descriptions Are Marketing Pieces
You’re probably starting to hear more about how recruiters are beginning to think of their work in the same way that marketing approaches theirs. One of the many ways that this is true is in thinking of job descriptions as marketing pieces.
In the same way that you wouldn’t send out the same stale, bland marketing pieces over and over to your clients, you shouldn’t do that with your job descriptions. What about shaking it up a little? Use this opportunity to get creative. Try unique fonts and colors, use infographics and get away from stuffy, corporate language. Also, remember to consider what it is that candidates want to hear. Address their pain points in the same way you would a customer. You have free parking and flexible scheduling? Let’s include that. The bottom line is that you need to remember that your job description should be an opportunity to differentiate yourself from all the other companies with that same job title.
Consider Content Marketing
Much like marketers use content marketing to connect with customers, so too can you use it to connect with applicants. Within your job descriptions you can link to things like employer blogs or marketing videos. Anything a prospective candidate may want to see in order to decide whether or not yours is an organization worth looking into further.
Showcase Your Culture
Does your team volunteer every quarter through a local charity? Do you have a book club and free beer on Fridays? Showing off your culture should be a critical part of your recruitment strategy. Whether or not you’ve ever tried to define it, your business has a unique culture, so make sure that it’s evident in the materials you’re putting out there, especially your job descriptions.
When writing a job posting, it’s important to answer the question: What makes you love being a part of this company? Is it career opportunities, cool people to work with, company phiilosophy, like-minded team members, an espirit de corps culture, or something else? Showcase these unique elements and give applicants a chance to see for themselves whether or not they fit in by getting a sneak peek before they ever submit a resume.
Attracting the Passive Candidate
A solid job description can even target a passive candidate. Don’t think so? Check out these statistics on how many businesses are being followed on social. This means that those candidates who have absolutely no intention of looking for a job at the moment are now seeing your posts – posts that showcase how fun and innovative your company is while highlighting the perks and opportunities that come along with being part of your team. You can bet that the next time they, or someone they know, are in the market for a new role, they’ll remember you.
Streamline Efforts with ATS Technology
A robust Applicant Tracking System (ATS) makes it simple to post to multiple job sites at once and allows you to do things like link your job descriptions to content marketing and embed videos. Not only this, but job posting software streamlines your efforts as it relates to posting the same position to multiple locations and managing those postings as candidates move through the interview process.
Remember to treat great candidates like you treat great customers. Attract, surprise, and delight them with job descriptions they can’t help but pay attention to.
For more information on how an ATS can help support your comprehensive recruitment strategy plan, contact us today!