Job descriptions are the number one way you can improve your results in terms of the quality of the candidates you receive and the number of applications. But a job description is more than just a list of required skills and duties. The question to ask yourself is whether you answer the candidate’s question, “what’s in it for me”? Here are some tips to writing better job descriptions to increase the quantity and quality of your applicants.
Provide Focused and Accurate Requirements
One common problem with unsuccessful job descriptions is too much content. An employer may be so eager to target their exact expectation of an employee that the job description becomes intimidating and unrealistic from the perspective of a candidate. To avoid this, it’s important to remember to balance brevity with detail. You need to really focus on what qualifications and requirements are actually relevant to the position. Is that degree really required, or is it more of a nice to have? Are you willing to do a little training to bring a promising candidate up to speed, or do you absolutely need an experienced professional with 5 years of industry experience in the role?
Be very tough on your job description otherwise, you risk candidates not bothering to apply because they don’t think they meet all the qualifications. Or worse, you end up with candidates who didn’t even bother reading through the list because it was too long.
Highlight the Benefits of Working for You
Candidates look to job descriptions to learn what hiring managers are looking for but also what they are offering. While discussions of salary and financial compensation are often best left to a post-interview conversation, highlighting the little things like flexible work schedules and great company culture will help attract the attention of candidates who are in high demand. It’s worth mentioning the little benefits that make the job unique or your company such a great place to work. The way you present the job in the description will help you find the right person to make it work.
Engage and Intrigue the Reader
The language you use in the job description matters. Putting the extra time and thought into how you present the job (the messaging and the format it’s served on) will help ensure that your job opening gets the attention it deserves. To accomplish this, make sure to use lively and engaging language to describe the position. Avoid templates that don’t make sense for the market or the job. Keep your audience in mind. This will make sure that you are speaking directly to the high-caliber candidate you are looking to hire.
Market Your Company Holistically
It’s not enough to let the marketing department handle the marketing work your company does. What you might not realize is that your job descriptions are doing the very same job. They are marketing your company as an employer to prospective employees. That’s a big job, so make sure your job descriptions and recruitment strategies are not overlooking this important aspect of the hiring process. Take a little space to showcase the company and talk about what the work can offer to candidates.
Connect with one of the most client friendly staffing companies in Murfreesboro, TN to get the most out of your recruiting. Call All-Star Personnel today.
