If you want to attract top-flight people to your company, you naturally want to give them a good impression of your business. All too often, though, companies fail to do this because they do not put enough effort into their job descriptions, which are usually the first point of contact people have with businesses.
Often job descriptions are lifeless, mechanical recitals of job duties and responsibilities that people have to trudge through to learn about the job. Here are some ways to improve the job description
Keep it short.
The length obviously will differ depending on the type of job, but beware of rambling on and including a lot of unimportant details. For example, is it really necessary to say that you want a person who is a self-starter or good with people?
When a person is confronted with a huge glob of print, it is unlikely to generate any enthusiasm for reading it. Job seekers read through many job descriptions, and they probably won’t spend much time with one that looks like it’s going to take a lot of effort to slog through.
So, keep the descriptions short with only the essential information. You can also make them easier to read by using bullet points, headings and sub-headings, and short sentences with active verbs. If the description is on an electronic platform, try adding pictures, sound and video.
Make it interesting.
How do you do that? First of all, you avoid a dull recitation of job duties with a lot of details. What you need to do is sell the company, talking about its mission, goals, values and culture. You explain why it is such a great place to work at.
You make it more interesting by telling stories about the company – everyone likes a good story – and talking about real people who work there. You make it interesting by showing what you are all about, rather than just telling.
Don’t make the person jump through hoops.
Some job descriptions include instructions for job applicants. For example, they may ask the person to include a keyword in their application or some other exercise. These are just ham-handed ways of weeding people out. If the applicant fails to perform the required action, the employer eliminates the person from consideration.
But this is not the purpose of a job description. The point is to attract good people to the company and create interest, not filter them out. By putting these instructions in the description, you may be losing good candidates.
Bonus tip: Call Winston Resources!
As a top recruiting firm in New York City, we help companies write great job descriptions and recruit top talent. We know the New York City job market like no one else, and we know how to find great people. Give Winston a call today.
Leave a Reply