How to Write a Job Description that Attracts the Right Candidate

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Gone are the days where throwing a generic job ad out on a job posting website was the only thing you had to do to find a suitable candidate. It’s no secret that the market is flooded with job seekers. Whether these individuals are new graduates seeking initial employment or veteran professionals experiencing job insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are seeking a job description which invites rather than intimidates. 

Writing a job description is a pivotal responsibility of an employer seeking a new hire, as it sets the foundation of future employee expectations and relationships. Job ads are proof that the process of hiring a new employee is a dialogue rather than a one-sided appeal—your company should put forth a concentrated effort to market their workplace as a desirable opportunity that offers rich professional experiences.

In this article, we will discuss the importance of writing a job description that is clear, attractive, and honest in order to attract a candidate whose experience and values perfectly align with those of your company.

Reflect on the Needs of Your Company

With a million other day-to-day responsibilities, we completely understand the temptation to simply copy and paste a generic job description from the internet rather than spending the time and energy to write one from scratch. But, wait! A job description shouldn’t just be a flavorless, one-size-fits-all document, it needs to be tailored to your company’s current needs and future goals. It’s well worth the energy to internally reflect in order to come to a mutual understanding of how a new hire would fit into the inner workings of your company. 

A great place to start? Your current employees! A great idea is to interview several key employees, and ask them what their daily responsibilities and routines look like and how those align or vary from the job description they were initially hired to fulfill. Evaluating this information may lead you to some surprising discoveries; you might find that the position you set out to fill would be redundant, pushing you to completely revisit your needs from a new perspective.

Avoid Limiting or Discouraging Language

It’s an unfortunate truth that there is a large pool of job applicants who will only apply to a job if they meet every single one of the requirements listed in the job description. Although it is your goal to only receive applicants who are qualified, there should always be a slight amount of wiggle room. 

Sure, you are seeking a candidate who has a qualified educational background, as well as applicable professional experience. But, most of all, you need a candidate who is committed to the role, compatible with your company’s values, and driven to grow and bring new ideas to the environment. Before you write a required amount of years of experience, reflect and be certain that this particular role requires it. 

Additionally, take great care to avoid limiting language that could discourage women and minorities from applying. Always include a statement that encourages applicants from these groups to apply such as, “Our company is committed to diversity…”. 

Storytelling to Attract the Perfect Candidate

As you craft a job description, keep in mind that this is a document that will be revisited for years to come during employee reviews, so make sure that the language is clear and the expectations described are accurate. Our best piece of advice: potential candidates should be able to envision a day in the life of working at your company after reading the job description.

Are you looking for a strategic, full-service marketing firm centrally located in Nashville? Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation. Our team is happy to sit down with you to discuss your goals and how we can help you achieve each and every one of them.

Tone from the Top: Should Leaders Be Marketing to Their Employees?

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Yes, you absolutely should be marketing to your employees! You might be thinking the phrase “internal marketing” sounds a bit redundant, but we are here to tell you it is a vital component to the success of your external marketing strategy. Internal marketing is based on the core belief that employees are your most valuable (and influential) customers. Therefore, you must sell your brand to your team, first and foremost.

If employees feel emotionally connected to the services they are selling and the vision of the company, then they are more likely to contribute to the success of external marketing efforts. “Sounds great! Sign me up!” you might be saying. But, wait just a minute. Although it sounds simple enough, integrating an internal marketing campaign takes planning, coordination, and thoughtful execution. We’re here to help.

Consider these tips for why and how you should implement internal marketing efforts within your team:

Corporate Storytelling to Inspire

We’ve seen it before: a company promotes their brand to external customers using inspirational, high-energy commercials, which make customers instantly want to get off the couch and join the fun, and then the company falls flat while marketing to its internal team. A popular scenario involves retelling the origin story of how the great, great grandfather of the company had five dollars to his name and then started a multi-million dollar company—a worn-out, not-so-relatable story that employees quickly wish to tune-out.

Employees aren’t particularly motivated by the financial success of the founder of your company. They want personal meaning from their job, a belief that they are serving a vision that aligns with their goals. So, tell the story of your company to your team, but focus on thematic elements, such as innovation, perseverance, and passion—not monetary gain.

How to Get Started

Just like external marketing, internal marketing requires a plan prior to launching a campaign. It’s important to keep in mind while planning your internal marketing efforts that the goal is to unify and inspire your employees with a shared vision and purpose. The alternative is cross-team miscommunication and employee disengagement, both of which harm external marketing efforts. 

While planning your internal marketing campaign, consider the following as important steps to your success:

  • Employee brand education
  • Encouraging employee collaboration
  • Establishing employee incentivization for contribution
  • Implementing multiple channels of streamline communication

It’s important that your employees understand that they are vital to the success of your company, and as a result, their opinions and willingness to collaborate are greatly valued. Take concrete measures to demonstrate this!

A Culture of Collaboration (and Trust)

So, now you’ve armed your internal team with brand knowledge, engaging corporate storytelling, and you’ve incorporated employee incentive programs that reward their contribution; it’s now time to set them loose into the wild of social media. Trust your employees to live the values of the brand where potential customers will take note and perk their ears. 

Employees make the brand come alive for potential customers. In fact, allowing your employees to create original content via blog and social media posts may inspire more trust from potential customers than traditional PR efforts. 

Internal marketing is a powerful resource for company unification, which inspires team collaboration, as well as trust from potential customers as they watch your employees live the company values. Marketing to your employees is well-worth the time and energy of leadership, as it has long-lasting rewards for your company’s reputation.

Are you looking to make an internal marketing plan for your business? Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation.