To generate business, most companies have to be creative. They have to develop marketing campaigns and sales strategies, write business plans, and of course hire top talent. But it\u00a0doesn’t stop there. How good would it be if customers just bought because from you because you said they should.<\/p>\n
You need to tell them why<\/em> they should buy from you.\u00a0You need a value proposition \u2013 why you\u2019re better than your competition.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m not here to tell you about marketing or selling … at least not to your customers. I\u2019m here to tell you about marketing and selling to your next potential employee.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s candidates certainly aren\u2019t the candidates of 5 years ago. They don\u2019t respond well to the \u201cHere\u2019s what you\u2019ll do for me. Submit your resume please<\/em>\u201d job posting. They want you to treat them like you\u2019d treat your customers \u2013 and it all starts with your first impression \u2013 your job description<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out the tips below and watch some awesome applications\u00a0flow into your inbox. What came first … the chicken or the egg?<\/p>\n You want the candidate to present a resume that speaks to your company; to what you\u2019re looking for. So wouldn’t it be natural for them to want a job description that speaks to them?<\/p>\n A resume is a marketing document for a\u00a0candidate. Your job description is a marketing document for your brand. Why should they want to work for you instead of your competition? That\u2019s what you\u2019re asking them, right? A common interview question is \u201cwhy should I hire you?\u201d but they have a decision to make too. It all starts with the decision of whether to apply or not to apply. Your job description will have a lot to do with that, especially when it comes to the best candidates.<\/p>\n Differentiate yourself.<\/p>\n Show why<\/em> you\u2019re different from every other company that throws out a list of duties and responsibilities. Show personality.<\/p>\n You aren\u2019t looking to hire a robot. You\u2019re looking to hire a person \u2013 a superstar \u2013 and your job descriptions have to reflect that.<\/p>\n What can you offer?\u00a0Promote your culture. Promote your benefits.<\/p>\n If you get 50 resumes, you\u2019re only going to reach out to the ones who sell themselves the best. And the best candidates usually aren\u2019t desperate. Usually, they\u2019ll only send their resume to the best companies.<\/p>\n Show them why you\u2019re that<\/em>\u00a0company.<\/p>\n Instead of the typical \u00a0message, \u201csell our products to our customers\u201d, focus on them. Speak to the candidate. \u201cYou will be responsible for maintaining your territory and building relationships with your customers\u201d.<\/p>\n After all, they\u2019re the ones doing the job.<\/p>\n Create headlines: \u00a0\u201cAs the _____ for ABC Company, you will …\u201d, \u201cthis job may be for you if you …”<\/p>\n That\u00a0speaks more to a prospective applicant than the average wording in a job posting:\u00a0\u201cresponsibilities: sell to our customers\u201d, \u201crequirements: Bachelor\u2019s degree and 5 years of experience\u201d.<\/p>\n Creating a candidate-focused job description is your first step to gaining the trust of potential candidates and building a relationship with them.<\/p>\n Try not to throw in demands and a condescending tone like you\u2019re the only company hiring and they should be lucky that they get to submit their resume to your company. I\u2019ve seen plenty of job postings with wording such as, “Don\u2019t contact us. We\u2019ll contact you if we\u2019re interested\u201d; \u201cSubmit your current salary, a two page writing sample, and a cover letter explaining why we should hire you”; and \u201cDon\u2019t apply unless you have everything we\u2019re looking for\u201d.<\/p>\n Of course you don\u2019t want to deal with resumes from unqualified candidates, but a condescending tone will scare off qualified candidates too.\u00a0Everything you put out there is a reflection of your brand. Some of these applicants may even be customers or future customers. Treat them like it.<\/p>\n When you see a resume and it doesn\u2019t speak to what you need or want, you probably won\u2019t give it a second look. Like they say, you don\u2019t have a second chance to make a first impression. That philosophy doesn’t just apply to candidates. You won\u2019t get to see the resume if they don\u2019t submit it.<\/p>\n Candidates want a job that they\u2019ll be comfortable with. They want to work for a company that treats them as a person, not a number. They want to work for a company that shows them that they matter.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t make them want to hit that little \u2018x\u2019 in the upper right corner and go to your competition. Make them want to submit their resume and be your next superstar.<\/p>\n The internet is a powerful tool. People talk and things go viral easily – even job descriptions. In November 2015, a Canadian company put out a pretty sexist job ad and it did quite a bit of damage to their brand. It went viral. It was trending on Twitter. Don\u2019t be that company. Be the company that people want to work for. That people will be excited to submit their resume to.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to be a Google-type empire to attract the best. Look at Airbnb. They make a positive first impression and they\u2019re recruiting some of the best and brightest talent in the market today.<\/p>\n Why make applicants\u00a0input all of their work history and education when it\u2019s on their resume that they attach anyway?<\/p>\n Candidates\u00a0are busy. Many are currently working\u00a0and the application abandonment rate is pretty high when you make a candidate spend a half hour filling out an application.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t lose out on candidates by making them fill out excessive applications and create a login with a password with a capital letter, 3 numbers, 4 special characters, and at least 10 letters!<\/p>\n There are so many modern and streamlined applicant tracking systems such as Jobvite and Greenhouse. They\u2019re inexpensive, efficient, and yield great\u00a0results.<\/p>\n It’s all about branding, branding, branding.<\/p>\n After all, without many of your employees, you wouldn\u2019t have many of your customers.<\/p>\n Hiring the right person is critical to your brand and your brand is just as important in the recruitment process. It\u2019s not about just finding someone to fill the role. It\u2019s about finding that person who fits well with your culture and who can excel in his or her duties.<\/p>\n Most companies can attract an average candidate, but it\u2019s about attracting the best – and as a \u00a0result, hiring the best. No matter their role in your company, they\u2019re a reflection of your brand.<\/p>\n Like any business, I\u2019m sure you want to do better than your competition and in order to do that, you need the best talent. You have one chance to show them why they should work for you.<\/p>\n A good employee is like a good customer: they seek value, but add value. Genuine value.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n1.\u00a0Highlight what makes your company unique<\/h2>\n
2. Let them visualise\u00a0themselves in the role<\/h2>\n
3. Make your first impression count<\/h2>\n
4.\u00a0Don’t have a long, drawn out application process<\/h2>\n
5.\u00a0Speak to your potential candidates like they’re potential customers<\/h2>\n