What are jobseekers looking for?
- Values and contribution to society
Jobseekers are looking for jobs that allow them to make a difference to society. This is particularly so for younger employees who are seeking a sense of purpose or impact on society when considering a job.
- Flexible working arrangements
A global PwC study reported that three-quarters of Australians say their ideal working arrangement would involve a mix of in-person and remote working. This is something that you certainly shouldn’t overlook when advertising a position.
Improving your job: here are 6 tips to help you secure talent
1. Focus on your employee value proposition (EVP)
When jobs are plentiful and candidates are scarce, businesses have to work hard to attract the best talent. So, how can you convince potential employees that they should work for your company, and not one of your competitors? The best strategy your business can pursue is to focus on your employee value proposition (EVP).
What is an EVP?
An EVP is everything an employer does to attract and retain employees. It’s the rewards and benefits that you offer your employees in return for their skills and experience. These can be both tangible and intangible – from salary, rewards and bonuses to company values, culture and career development. Employer branding is critical in today’s competitive job market. Now is a great time to either build or refine your EVP. Make sure your EVP comes across clearly in your job ad.
2. Be transparent about pay
While people are increasingly motivated by non-monetary benefits, pay is still a big factor. And most jobseekers want to know about pay sooner rather than later. So, think about including a salary range in your ad. Often, jobseekers will simply pursue other opportunities rather than spend time trying to guess how much pay a business is offering. It would be a shame to lose a prospective employee simply because you didn’t include the pay in your advertisement.
3. Offer a sign-on bonus
Offering a cash sign-on bonus is a great way to make your job posting stand out. You may be thinking it would increaseyour recruitment budget, but if it results in a quicker hire, it might be worthwhile. If you haven’t offered a sign-on bonus before and are uncertain about it, you could always stipulate that the bonus will be paid after a certain probation period.
4. Be truthful
While the competition for candidates is quite fierce and you want to sell the role, don’t oversell it. Jobseekers will probably remember the details and it might come back to bite you. Transparency is essential. Be honest in your description. Give clear expectations about the role, including the salary and benefits.
5. Be concise
You may want to convey a lot of information about your business and the position, but it’s best to keep the job description short and clear. The candidate might be sifting through pages of job ads, so you want yours to stand out. Use short paragraphs and bullet points where you can, and avoid long paragraphs and convoluted sentences.
6. Highlight your company culture
Jobseekers will be attracted to a business if they share its values and are aligned with its vision. So, make sure you highlight your company culture in your job ad. Clearly describe your business’s mission and how it defines the purpose of the role. The lack of a cultural fit is a major reason why employees leave jobs, so it’s very important to be truthful about your workplace culture.
Improving your ad: how to structure an ad
When it comes to writing your job ad, it can be difficult to know how to set it out, what information to include and in what order. But here is a structure to help you.
1. The title: use keywords
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is very important in the recruitment process. When prospective employees begin their search for a new job on the internet, you want to make sure your job ad is the first one they see. So, new and creative job titles, like sales guru or marketing superstar might sound fun and different, but prospective employees are highly unlikely to enter ‘sales guru’ into a search engine. So, stick with the industry-standard job titles, such as marketing specialist and sales representative.
2. Describe your company
This is where you sell your company to prospective employees. But you shouldn’t simply copy and paste your company description from the About Us section of your website. Try to highlight your company’s values and make it relevant to the role. If your description resonates with the candidate, they will want to read on and hit the Apply button.
Now it’s time to describe the open position. You can use these subheadings:
- Job description
- Requirements
- Responsibilities
3. Brief description of the role
Start with a brief overview of the role. It should be concise and engaging but, as mentioned, people are increasingly concerned about how their work will benefit society. So, talk about the big-picture impact of the role. Make sure you don’t just describe the role, but how it will benefit society.
For example, let’s say you run a small tech firm that develops cybersecurity software, and you’re looking for a marketing specialist. Here’s how you could describe the role:
’As our marketing specialist, you’ll write articles and e-books and be in charge of direct mailing campaigns. Your success will help parents all over Australia keep their children safe while online.’
4. Benefits package
Now you’ve piqued their interest, it’s time to talk about the other benefits: your company’s benefits package. Be descriptive here. Avoid simply stating the benefit. Describe it so that the employee can envision it. For example:
‘Three days a week, you can avoid the commute and work from home’is better than‘Flexible working arrangements’.
And ‘Massage or gym membership? You choose how you want to spend your wellness allowance’ is better than ‘Discounts on gym memberships’.
5. Requirements
The list of requirements should be realistic but not overly long. Even the most highly qualified candidate might be scared off by an excessively long list of requirements. But, at the same time, you don’t want people who don’t have the right qualifications to apply. Aim for a happy medium.
6. Responsibilities
Essentially, the responsibilities are the job. These are the tasks that the employee will be performing in their role. It’s important to use strong verbs here to generate excitement and passion.
Example: ‘You’ll be crafting compelling articles’ is better than ‘You’ll be writing compelling articles’.
Get someone to review your ad
Once you’ve finished writing your ad, it’s always a good idea to get a few different people in your business to check it over before you post it online. Ask them to check if the overall message is clear and if there is anything they would add. You might even like to ask someone who has applied for a similar role in the past.
