Today companies are using bright colors, graphics, and stunning work space pictures to grab a candidate’s attention. You don’t have access to a graphic designer? No problem. All you’ll need is your keyboard.
Most candidates are going to be reading your awesome job description on their smart phones, so keep it short.
1. Cut down the company overview.
Candidates scroll past it every time, and mostly because it’s not relevant to their search at the moment. Let your website or LinkedIn Company Page serve to inform them. Plus, great candidates should do their homework on your company anyway. Instead, stick with a 2-sentence limit here. Tell them 1-who you are and 2-what you do.
2. Use bullets.
Long sentences and gigantic paragraphs scream, ‘skip this part.’ Candidates want to digest small amounts of info quickly. Get to the point. Then separate your points with bullets. Don’t be afraid to let your culture shine through.
- Did you love Laszlo Bock’s book, “Work Rules”? If so, then you’ll fit right in with our HR team at ABC Company.
3. Keep it personal.
“Wow, it’s like ABC Company created this job just for me!” That’s what you want your ideal candidate to think after reading your awesome job description. Here’s the key- replace every ‘ideal candidate’ phrase with you. It might look something like:
- You feel challenges make your job interesting.
- You have an inventor’s mind and love finding creative solutions.
- You like helping people.
- You’re energized after a team brainstorming session.
4. Breathe life into the sub-headings.
Skill Requirements. Position Overview. General Overview. Blah, blah, blah. If you keep the same sub-headings as your competitors, you won’t stand out. Try something like:
- You’re Good At:
- You’re Extra Awesome At:
- This job might be for you… if:
- To land this job, you’ll need:
5. Pack it with personality.
Your goal is to get the right people to apply and the wrong people to bounce. Once you know who would be a good fit for your department or organization, write a job description that talks to the kind of personality you want to attract. It might look like:
- You solve logic puzzles quickly because they’re easy for you.
- You don’t freak out if things don’t go as planned.
- You’re known as Cool Hand Luke in high stress situations.
6. A day in the life.
First do your research. Get out on the manufacturing floor, go on a company sales call, attend a department meeting, etc. Figure out exactly what skills your candidate needs to do the job well. Then ask department managers and employees for help with a-day-in-the-life description. Essential details will bring the job into vivid focus for your candidate. Again, keep it conversational.
- Resolve billing issues between operations, packaging and sales.
- Chat regularly with Gold Standard members to learn their pain points.
- Revive crashed computers and help reset passwords.
- Edit and proof-read all emails sent from executive director.
7. Don’t sugarcoat it.
Not all parts of the job are great. Share the challenges they’ll face in this position. After all, great candidates look for opportunities to grow professionally. Sharing challenges with your audience will pluck out the ones just looking for a paycheck and highlight those in search of a career.
- We know it takes a special kind of person to reply to endless emails and have curtious phone etiquette when our customers aren’t happy.
