Your job post is a valuable tool in the hiring process, serving as the initial introduction to both the role and your company. By keeping a few key strategies in mind, you can maximize the impact of your job post and attract top talent. Here are five effective strategies to help you find great candidates.
Start with a Marketing Mindset
The job post serves as a powerful marketing tool, distinct from the formal job description that provides comprehensive details about responsibilities and working conditions. While it's important to include dealbreakers such as physical requirements or security restrictions, there's no need for an exhaustive list of every requirement. Instead, view the job post as an external communication that attracts the right candidates.
To create an effective job post, keep it concise and focus on providing key information that allows candidates to envision themselves in the role. Avoid internal jargon or acronyms that may alienate potential applicants. It's crucial to foster an inclusive work environment from the start, so consider how your job post may be perceived by candidates. Words like "aggressive," "ninja," or "new grad" may have different connotations for women or those seeking career transitions.
1) Craft a Compelling Job Title
Crafting an enticing job title is crucial to capturing the attention of potential candidates. A generic job title can easily get lost among countless other postings, so it's essential to be creative and specific. Incorporate keywords that accurately depict the role and highlight its unique aspects. I've had clients in the past who named a position based on their internal organization, but it failed to attract the right candidates externally. By doing this, your job post will appear in relevant searches and instantly captivate qualified candidates.
Moreover, consider including the level of seniority or any exceptional perks associated with the job. This will pique candidates' curiosity and entice them to click on your job post for further exploration.
2) Showcase Your Company Culture
Your job post provides a valuable opportunity to showcase your company culture and attract candidates who align with your values. Take the chance to offer insights into your company's mission, values, and work environment. Even if your company isn't widely recognized, providing 3-5 sentences summarizing your work, values, and vision will give candidates important context on what it's like to work for you. Start by using the elevator pitch you use for clients to share what makes your company unique. This is your opportunity to lay the foundation for why someone should be excited about working with your company.
Consider including employee testimonials or stories to provide candidates with a glimpse into what it's like to work at your company. This adds a human touch to your job post and creates a stronger connection with candidates.
3) Don't Shy Away from Comp & Benefits
Highlight any unique benefits or initiatives that set you apart from other employers. This will allow potential candidates to envision themselves as part of your team and increase their interest in the position. While increased flexibility for teleworking is a great recruiting tool, it has also introduced complexity to the hiring process. Save yourself and candidates time and frustration by clearly determining the ideal work arrangement for the position from the start and communicating it directly.
Be clear about the work location and what it means for your company. For fully remote positions, clarify if employees can live anywhere or are limited to specific states. If you have a hybrid environment, specify the expectations regarding in-person attendance. Clearly communicate any monthly in-person meeting requirements, especially if the team only comes in once a week and expects the same from the person in this role.
Consider including the salary range and information about benefits in your job posting. Even if you have more extensive information on your careers page, some applicants may only see the job post. Providing compensation information is increasingly expected by candidates and ensures compliance with local and state employment laws. Including the salary range is one more aspect of the job that is easier for everyone if you are clear from the start. You want to attract candidates who are well-aligned with the job, including in terms of skills, experience, culture, and compensation.
4) Highlight Key Responsibilities and Requirements
When starting the process of creating your job post, it is important to gather up-to-date information. While it can be helpful to refer to a previous post for a similar role, make sure to not simply recycle the information without considering its accuracy. Take the time to carefully consider the essential aspects of the role and the necessary skills and experience for success.
Additionally, think about the minimum required experience as well as what can be learned on the job. While degrees and years of experience can provide a shorthand for qualifications, they should not be limiting factors. Instead, focus on clearly describing the responsibilities and scope of the position, allowing potential candidates to fully understand what the role entails and what their level of responsibility will be.
Clearly outline the key responsibilities and requirements in your job post, using bullet points or subheadings to make the information easily digestible. When highlighting responsibilities, focus on the most important and impactful aspects of the role, avoiding vague or generic language.
Similarly, when listing requirements, clearly state the essential qualifications and any preferred skills or experiences. By providing a clear and comprehensive overview of the role, you can attract candidates who are not only genuinely interested but also qualified for the position.
5) Proofread & Promote
Finally, make sure you give the job post a good edit and proofread before sharing it with the world. Job posts are very often written by the committee, and while a variety of input is useful, there should be a final set of eyes reviewing to make sure it is consistent throughout in substance and tone. Double-check grammar to make sure it is still correct and clear. You don’t want to tell candidates you are looking for someone with attention to detail but each of your bullets ends with a different punctuation mark (my personal job post pet peeve).
Utilize the power of LinkedIn to promote your job post and expand your reach to a wider audience of potential candidates. Create engaging and concise posts that highlight the key aspects of the job, providing a link back to the full job post on your website or job board. Leverage your employees by encouraging them to share the job post on their own social media networks, tapping into their connections and networks to further extend the reach. Lastly, if it aligns with your budget, consider utilizing paid social media advertising to target specific demographics or industries, boosting the visibility of your job post and attracting relevant candidates.
By making a few small adjustments, you can enhance your job posts and attract the perfect candidates for your open positions. Take a little extra time at the outset to ensure that your post accurately reflects your current requirements and aligns with your company's unique culture. Give it the same meticulous review you would give any other external document you produce and watch as it becomes a powerful tool for attracting top talent.
Get a Jumpstart on Your Positions with Our Job Post Template - Download Now!
