“Dating and hiring have a lot in common.”
Scott Wintrip
You took the time to put together a job posting. Made sure to include the list of duties, a bit about the company and what the qualifications are for the role. You posted to all the relevant sites in your area.
A few days go by and the resumes are piling in. But… something seems amiss.
You begin to wonder why you have respondents with little or no experience much less the right education, did they even read the job description?
I mean, you did just that, word for word, put in the job description for the job ad.
I know, I know, I can just hear you now. “I was too busy” or “what’s wrong with listing the job description?”
I’ll tell you why, my friend. Your job posting reads so drily that if a candidate DID indeed get through all of it they wouldn’t be sure if they are qualified or not.
The one you wanted to read it all? That perfectly qualified individual? Took one look at the overall structure of your advertisement, read three lines of it, and moved on.
They want to find the right culture, not just the matching job to their qualifications.
People don’t spend time reading job advertisements in full detail if they are dry, boring and generally, just a list of duties. Plus if you have a heavily worded job ad amongst a mass of other wordy job advertisements you may have a candidate just toss their hat in the perspective ring not really reading all of it. (There’s that unqualified question mark of a resume in your inbox.)
Whose fault is that? Really? (I’ll give you a moment to uncomfortably shift in your seat)
Look, you have a brand, a product or service you sell. You don’t expect your prospective clients to have to read the technical jargon to understand why your product or service is great, so why are you selling your job that way?
Job advertising, just like ANY advertising, should be included in your marketing plan. It’s a small step that has a huge advantage in the growth of your company. Think about it this way, whoever reads your job posting may not just be a potential new employee, they could one day be a customer too.
Not sure where to start? Check out this article that includes 6 must-haves for your job posting and have a crack at it!
What is it about job postings that get under your skin?