The process of hiring talented individuals in any organization starts with attracting the right applicants. As per recent statistics, 65.7% of organizations have considered building a talent pool as one of their top priorities. Due to the competitive labor market, it has become important for businesses to think of job postings as a way to advertise their culture and work environment. This is where an engaging, effective, and inclusive job description becomes key to hiring the best talent.
A well-crafted job description is one way to attract potential candidates. Being the first thing they interact with during the hiring process, your job description should include job responsibilities, necessary skills and competencies, and your workplace’s culture.
To ensure that you do not deter the best talent before they apply for a job in your company, you should invest time in learning how to write a solid job description that is both attractive and inspiring.
Here are 6 tips to tailor your job posting to appeal to the right candidates:
1. Use clear and concise job titles
If you have trouble hiring professionals for various job roles, the chances are that you feel tempted to create unique job titles. Using terms like ‘Marketing Guru’ or ‘DevOps Ninja’ may sound fascinating to you but they can dissuade many potential candidates. Creatively-written job titles are indicative of a laid-back culture, but they can affect how well your job posting does to fill open positions.
Keep in mind that the purpose of a job description is to ensure candidates know about the open position you have. Hence, it makes sense to create short and clear job titles that are known to all. Search on popular job boards to look at the types of posts coming to the top for a job posting similar to yours.
Selecting a job title that directly targets job seekers having the experience and background you’re looking for is one way to optimize your job description for the best results.
2. Add an engaging overview of the job
If you want the prospective candidates to feel enticed to apply for the job, you need to pique their interest in the first few sentences. This one-to-five-sentence overview must cover the job responsibilities, larger company objectives, and how the job opening contributes to the company.
In other words, the opening paragraph of your job description should be crafted to generate excitement about the opportunity for job seekers and encourage them to submit the application. This can be best done by asking yourself a few questions like:
- What would an ideal candidate look for in the job description?
- Will your job description catch the job seekers’ attention?
- Will it attract the best talent with the perks and benefits included?
3. Mention KRAs in detail
Just as the hiring team judges a resume before calling any candidate, job seekers tend to judge the job descriptions for the Key Responsibility Areas (KRAs). One of the reasons why many employees leave organizations either during the probation period or earlier than expected is unclear, non-transparent details of responsibilities.
Think like a job seeker when including KRAs in the job description. They should be transparent and clear enough to let the candidates feel it is suitable for them. Communicate expected duties clearly to catch the attention of the applicant.
4. Define Work Culture
Not all job seekers already know about your company, which is why it is paramount to include details about the company’s culture in the job description. For many potential candidates, the culture of a company they aspire to join is extremely important. To define your organization’s culture, you can provide information about basic perks and benefits for all employees, flexible work schedules, or remote work opportunities. You can also include the company’s mission, values, and goals to make the position more appealing.
Keep in mind that cultural fit holds equivalent importance as experience fit for potential candidates. A bad hiring decision based on a lack of cultural fit not only costs money but also drains productivity at work. Ultimately, it will increase employee turnover, especially during the Great Resignation.
5. Establish the brand value
Other than attracting job seekers, a well-written job description also presents an opportunity to promote your brand in the candidate market. Based on your organization’s value proposition and key differentiators, fine-tune the description to make it an indirect marketing tool. This can be a great way to introduce your brand to candidates by telling them who you are and what your company does.
You can add another hook within the job posting in the form of a problem that your company/teams are trying to solve collectively. Many candidates who are passionate about solving specific problems like yours wouldn’t want to miss such an opportunity to take their careers to new heights.
6. Describe growth and learning opportunities at work
Most seasoned professionals know they need to continue learning new things for career growth. They also consider that a raise or review may not bet enough for their career development. This is the reason many job seekers look forward to joining organizations that also offer learning opportunities.
Therefore, writing a compelling job description should be about how your job can provide exciting growth opportunities. Providing training or professional development opportunities does not have to be expensive, but it will have a long-term positive impact on your employees and company.
As an employer, what you actually want is professionals who can do the job well to make things grow. On the other hand, potential candidates want a work environment full of growth and learning. Emphasize this aspect of hiring through the job description.
Conclusion
In the tight talent market, many organizations fail to attract the right candidates because of the razor-thin margin of error in their job descriptions. You can ensure a higher number of applicants per job posting and improve talent acquisition by constructing a well-thought-out job description aligned with the priorities of job seekers.
Is Lateral hiring right for your business? Click here to lean more about “Lateral Hiring”
Secure top talent for your organization with Connect Tech+Talent
Writing job descriptions that attract potential candidates is part of the hiring process. To simplify your hiring needs, reach out to Connect Tech+Talent- an Austin-based staffing agency. With 27+ years of expertise and a deep understanding of technical fields including mobile, cloud, data science, and others, Connect Tech+Talent can help you find the team members you need. Talk to a Connect Tech+Talent hiring consultant today.
