Chances are good you have more open positions than you have had in years. It seems more challenging than ever to fill them. What is happening? Why aren’t the job seekers – the ones that you want to hire – applying for your jobs?
Today’s talent is in higher demand, so they are more discerning. The predicted workforce shortage has begun. Skills gaps are affecting more industries, job groups and locations. What to do? Take a look at how you present your opportunities to job seekers: your job postings and career pages.
Do job postings attract talent in or screen them out?
Posting your internal job descriptions and thinking they are compelling advertisements is as ineffective as putting up a “help wanted” sign.
Have you looked at how you advertise your job opportunities lately? If you are simply posting your internal job descriptions, those descriptions were created to meet your needs more than your candidates. Whether on a job board or on your career site, a job posting that simply lists your expectations (qualifications, experience, etc.) just isn’t enough.
A job posting should be a “talent attraction advertisement” and include:
- A job title that is representative of the work and one that an outsider would easily understand.
- A description of the best aspects of working for your company.
- An answer to the question “Why is the position open?”
- An enticement about your job or company that job seekers would want to learn more about.
- A list of the qualifications required for the position (ideally the “must haves”).
- A short explanation of your hiring process.
- Why you’re excited to talk to them!
How does your career site “speak” to today’s job seekers?
According to The CandE (Candidate Experience) Awards (thetalentboard.org/cande-awards), 44 percent of the visitors to your career site do not apply. Why? Because they:
- Don’t have enough of the information they need to make the decision to invest the time to apply to your jobs.
- Decided not to apply because they are not interested.
- Don’t think you offer what they are looking for from their next employer.
What can you do to convert more of those career site visitors? Start by providing more information that will help job seekers know you better. Some good examples:
- A rich description of your company culture.
- A complete description of your benefits (beyond a statement that says “We offer competitive benefits.”).
- The perks and amenities you offer, beyond traditional health benefits.
- Employee testimonials (use real and current employees who job seekers can reach out to – consider adding a link to their LinkedIn accounts).
- A welcome video from your CEO or a “day-in-the-life” tour.
- Photos of your workplace.
- A short summary telling job seekers why you want them to bring their talent to your company.
If you applied to one of your jobs today, would you enjoy your candidate experience?
Keep in mind, the best talent has limited patience for what they perceive as unnecessary hurdles in the application process. So, give it a try: go to a job board where you post your jobs or your career site. Pretend you are a job seeker looking to become an applicant.
Follow these steps:
- Look at the list of jobs your company posted – are the job titles something a stranger would understand/relate to?
- Read the job descriptions – are they clear and attractive?
- Click apply – where does that click take you?
- Do you have to start by creating an account? (in your ATS or the job board?) How difficult is that?
- Are you confronted with an assessment as a first step?
- Or are you immediately at the first step in the application?
- Go through the whole process, all the way to “submit” – really do it!
- Rate your feelings during the application process:
- How long did it take?
- Was it welcoming, frustrating or even insulting?
- Did you feel good about sharing the information requested?
- Based on what you submitted – do you think the company has a fair representation of your talent, experience, and interest?
- Did you get a thank you? (e.g., a popup or “form letter” email). Did you feel genuinely appreciated?
- Take note of what you would like to change. Start small – for example, update the tone and wording. Even data field names – do they make sense to (and appeal to) job seekers?
The game has changed. It is time to add talent attraction to your talent acquisition. Increasingly, job seekers – especially the good ones – have choices. You need to win them over
-Anne Grace Nimke is chief executive officer and co-founder of Milwaukee-based The Good Jobs Inc. (www.thegoodjobs.com). The Good Jobs is a turnkey employment branding solution that helps companies attract, hire and retain the right talent.
