The nuts and bolts of a job description consist of:
- Position Requirements
- About Us
What do you write between the title and about us? I’ve seen everything from the blah to the trendy, and some that have let me with a myriad of questions. How do you say what you need to say, yet stand out and encourage the right candidates to apply?
Stand out from the crowd, and make your job posting sticky by following these tips:
Bullets: Please use bullets! Candidates are sorting through countless job postings and are trying to be as efficient and effective as possible. Cut the nonsense and give them exactly what they are looking for. I would much rather read:
- B.S. in Business Administration required
Then, “the ideal candidate possesses a four year degree in the field of business administration from an accredited university.”
- Speak my language: Record yourself describing the job to someone outside of the company. Think about the words that you are using and what it is known as in the marketplace. Avoid internal lingo that could confuse potential candidates. In addition, write the description at the appropriate Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level.
Spell it out. Otherwise, you may fall victim to this beauty:
ISO a CUA to work at CU in IT. (In search of a certified usability analyst to work at Columbia University in the information technology department).
Be Specific: Tell candidates what you are looking for and what is needed so that they can make an educated decision as to whether or not to apply. If a B.S. is a requirement, then say so! If it’s preferred, then use a prescreening question to rank candidates instead of immediately disqualifying them.
- Give it a personality: Clear and concise doesn’t mean that it has to be boring. Utilize a tone that reflects your company culture and hopefully entices appropriate candidates to apply. Better yet, embed a video from your President or Manager about the company and the role.
Creating captivating job descriptions can be a challenge. Thankfully, templates and use of an applicant tracking system can make it easier. For information on how myStaffingPro can help, please visit http://mystaffingpro.com.