Business owners: it’s 2021. (To state the obvious).
What I mean is, it’s no longer enough to toss a bland job description on Indeed and wait for candidates to roll in. Though this strategy still works, you’ll have to wade through a slew of unqualified, grammar-impaired, employment-gap-the-size-of-the- Grand-Canyon resumes to find the few shining stars you actually want to interview, let alone hire.
There’s no way to avoid filtering through unqualified job-seekers, but there are some things you can do to attract top talent in our modern age. Recruiting is becoming increasingly technology and candidate focused, and if recruiters and hiring managers don’t confront these shifts head-on, they’ll miss out on the creme-de-la-creme of job-seeking talent. Here are three modern techniques you should be using to connect with the candidates you want.
1. Advertise yourself
I don’t mean creating advertisements for your job (though we’ll explore the best way to do that in a minute). In this case, advertising means being an advocate for what your company has to offer. And, no, I’m not talking about the two-paragraph company summary at the top of your job description. Though that’s useful, there’s plenty more you can do to draw in talented candidates.
First, your job description should focus equally on what a new hire can do for you and what you can do for a new hire. Most job descriptions provide a laundry-list of requirements for potential candidates, from skills to education to experience. But, while this seems like it might streamline the hiring process by alienating unqualified job-seekers, requirement-focused job descriptions actually yield less talented candidates. In a study conducted by The Wall Street Journal, researchers found that job descriptions focusing on what the company can do for the candidate — rather than what the company required from the candidate — yielded significantly more skilled, better qualified, and higher rated talent.
So, what does this mean in terms of advertising yourself in your job descriptions? That’s right: it’s time to brag (humbly!) — about the benefits you offer, the company culture you’ve created, and any impressive accomplishments your business has achieved. Do you have a friendly, collaborative company culture? Do you host networking events or corporate parties? Are you a growing business? Do you often hire internally? Do you have a great benefits package or competitive compensation? Do you cater lunch every Friday? Think of everything you can, and toss it all into the job description. When it comes to benefits for a potential new hire, the more, the merrier.
2. Use Social Media:
Imagine this: you fill your company’s Facebook with pictures of your corporate events or holiday gift exchanges, get-to-know-you posts about your management team, testimonials from happy employees, and a few funny memes about your field. Then, when it’s time to hire, you make a post describing your open position and promote it with Facebook’s targeted ads to users interested in your field. Voila — you have just created the perfect cocktail for hiring new talent.
Not only will you be connected to people who have expertise in your area, but you’ve created a profile at which candidates can get a feel for your company culture, bond with your team, and connect with you through Direct Messaging should they have any quick questions. You are no longer just another stranger on a recruiting website — you are a company with happy employees, passionate management teams, and fun corporate parties. Using social media to not only interact with your followers but also attract new talent is a modern, affordable, and effective way to fill that open position.
And, even if you’d rather not promote your job ads through social media, fluffing up your various accounts and linking them to your job descriptions can be another great way to draw new candidates into your business.
3. Provide employee testimonials
Who better to brag about your company than a happy employee? Providing short testimonials from happy, successful employees at the end of your job description (or even in posts on social media) is a unique yet fantastic way to pique the interest of talented candidates. A positive one- or two-sentence quote will not only show potential hires that you know how to keep your employees happy, but also that you involve your employees in your work and care about sharing their opinions.
In addition to employees simply expressing their satisfaction with the company, their position, their management team, and more, testimonials can be a great way to share your company culture. If you want to attract competitive job-seekers, share a quote from an employee who appreciates your company’s competitive environment. If you want to attract lower-cost candidates without a ton of experience in your field, share a quote from an employee who can speak to your supportive training environment and comprehensive on-boarding experience.
At the end of the day, everyone wants to work at a company where they will be both happy and successful. Quoting employees who represent your company culture or needs will not only attract the candidates you’re looking for, but will also encourage candidates who may have otherwise not applied, but changed their minds because they related so much to the quotes you shared. Getting the testimonials will take minutes at most, so it’s a super easy way to set your job description apart. Can anyone say win-win?
With these three techniques, you are more likely to find higher skilled candidates who are better suited to your company. Remember to always follow trends in recruiting if you want to stay at the top of your hiring game. Or, better yet, sit back, relax, and let HR-Rethought do all the hard work for you.
By Samantha Joslin