by Kurtis Blackburn | Hiring, Hiring Software, Recruiting Basics
Writing a better job ad is the key to attracting top talent. Unfortunately for most HR professionals, it’s usually an afterthought. And who can blame you because after a never-ending hiring to-do list, creating a compelling job ad is the last thing on your mind. What you don’t know though is that skimping on the job ad can cost you quality hires down the road. The good news is that you don’t need to make drastic changes to reel in quality candidates, you just need to be more strategic in your job ad approach. These two steps should help get you started: Write a competitive job ad. It’s easy for people to throw out a blanketed statement like: “write a competitive job ad” and be completely in the dark about what they’re really saying. When you’re writing an ad that is competitive, the first question you should be asking yourself is what sets my job apart? How is it different or better than any other job or a similar job opportunity offered by my competitors? Or better yet, what about this job opportunity would prompt me to apply? How is it different or better than any other job or a similar job opportunity offered by my competitors? If you can’t answer this question, then talk to your employees that are in a similar role. Ask them what drew them to the job initially. Why did they apply? What do they like about the position and what keeps them there? Asking yourself targeted questions to get to the “meat and bones” of what makes your job ad appealing to others is going to provide you with the framework to compose an ad that. . .
by Kurtis Blackburn | Applicant Tracking System, Hiring, Job Board, Mobile Recruiting, Recruiting Basics
Did you know that at least 80 percent of job seekers use a company’s career site to learn more about and “investigate” potential employers? We live in the age of over-information, so if you’re an employer that isn’t utilizing every possible online channel available to communicate with applicants (including an optimized career site), then you’re missing vital opportunities to connect with people who “connect” with someone or something online every six minutes! Fortunately, most HR professionals are convinced that having a career site is essential to their success. Compared to five or so years ago when only about 40 percent of our clients had a career site, that’s significant improvement. Unfortunately, slapping up a haphazard and last minute career site simply for the sake of throwing one together will cause you more grief in the long run because it has the potential to impart a negative perception of your company in your applicant’s mind. If you have a career site, but it’s buried below ten unknown links on your company website, then you might as well not have a career site at all. These simple steps should help ease some of your career site pain: Make your career site visible. One of the biggest frustrations for millennials is hopping onto a website that is not user friendly or intuitive. If you have a career site, but it’s buried below ten unknown links on your company website, then you might as well not have a career site at all. After all, the first rule of the Internet is that you have to be found. If no one can find you, you don’t exist. Additionally, having your career site somewhere conspicuous on your homepage helps you to establish a. . .
