Katherine Wiid says: “I’ve noticed a trend recently among my clients. Hiring managers keep coming to me and saying; ‘I can’t find any candidates!’ or ‘No one is responding to my job advert’”.
But it’s not Brexit to blame. As a coach, Katherine also works with candidates who are actively seeking new opportunities, and there are plenty of talented people available. The problem is that these candidates are not being drawn in by the jobs currently on offer.
Is your job advert putting candidates off?
Katherine finds that 90% of the time, it’s not a skills shortage or Brexit causing the problem. It’s poorly written job adverts.
“Hiring managers are often so keen to get the job out there and fill the role as quickly as possible, they quickly knock up a job description and put it on job boards thinking about what they want and not what the candidate wants.
To attract the top candidates, we need ‘People Marketing’ departments rather than Human Resources! We need to be pulling people in, rather than pushing them away. Employers need to think more about what the candidates they would like to attract would be looking for in a job description.
Tips for writing good Job Profiles:
- Instead of a job description, write a job profile. Replace the list of skills and experience that you require from the right candidate with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) so they know what is expected of them. So many candidates look at the skills required (or blockers) on job descriptions and say “I don’t have this or that so I’m not going to apply!” or “This isn’t telling me what I will be doing in my role”. Just as important is to include a section on why the right candidate would want the job.
- Think about your brand. What is your story and who will it appeal to? You might think you work for the best company in the world, but if you’re not conveying that in your job advert how would a candidate know? Most hiring managers aren’t trained as marketers, but this is where marketing skills really help. You need to market your company – why would a candidate want to join your team? Make them want to work for you. Before you start writing, decide: what you need, why you need it and how you’re going to get your message across.
- Get to know yourself first. You won’t be able to hire the right candidate unless you know yourself; how you lead and manage people, how you react to pressure and change. Bringing to your conscious awareness how you react to situations, make decisions and motivate others will help you hire the people you need to complement you and create rounded teams.
The results of these three steps…
- You create job profiles that are professional, and above all authentic. Candidates will quickly suss you out if you’re pretending to be Google Playground or Jeff Bezos when you’re not! Being authentic will help to draw the right people to the company. It will also help to build your employer hiring reputation – and you’ll gain the respect and trust of job seekers.
- You attract candidates who will be motivated to do the job, and excel in the role. Ultimately, this means higher productivity, higher morale and higher performance from your team. Meaning you won’t be back at square one recruiting again in six months time.
- You hire candidates who want to work for your company. A marketing rather than selling approach is key to successful hiring. Rather than candidates who have been pushed forwards by a recruiter or applied out of desperation, you’ll get candidates who are drawn in and want to work for you.
- Your recruitment process will become more efficient and effective. Clever recruiting will give candidates the impression that your organisation doesn’t have to work hard to hire the top candidates – and that will do your employer reputation the world of good. Make people want to work for you and your recruitment process will be far smoother.
Lastly, don’t forget to ask for help.
Instead of panicking when your job advert has received no responses, ask for help! This is where Katherine’s people marketing skills kick in – to make sure that the language you’re using is right for the role (and for the candidate). Don’t get in touch once your job advert has gone stale - be proactive and she can help you to avoid wasting time or money next time you’re recruiting.