The process of searching for the right talent to join your team begins with the job description. This important first step generates an important first impression, so it needs to grab candidate's attention and pique their interest in your organization. In a slow economy, competition for top talent isn’t as strong, but with unemployment at a historic low, it’s a talent-centric market. That means your job description needs to work harder than ever.
Here are a few tips on writing a great job description.
Before you begin drafting your job description, think about what kind of candidate you’re targeting. Consider experience, aspirations and career goals,and make sure you address them both directly and indirectly.
As candidates rely on search engines to find job openings, make sure you use commonly used job titles in your keywords. Don’t get clever unless you have a large budget to communicate what the job really is or it’s a really new and unique open position.
Start off the job description with a short introduction to your company. That doesn’t mean you can just copy and paste the “About Us” page from your website. The purpose of this brief summary is to put the job opening into context for the candidates. It’ll tell them generally what kind of company they’d be joining.
List the job benefits and compensation in bullet points, but describe them concisely so they’re more impactful. This will increase your post’s readability,helping boost its search engine results and convert more visitors into applications.
Every job has requirements, so include them in the middle of the job description. This can be tricky since some candidates may shy away from a long list of insignificant prerequisites, but you could encourage unqualified candidates to apply if your requirements list is too short.
Want to ensure that the professionals you hire possess the skills and personality needed to fit seamlessly with your team? Brookwoods Group can help. We’re a top executive recruitment firm in Houston, Texas, and we’ve been helping companies hire the perfect candidates since 1998. Connect with us here.