Rethink Job Postings

Before you submit your next job posting, keep the end result in mind. If you are in the market for talented, interesting people who are accountable for producing quality work, you may wish to give your job listing a second look.

Haacked.com discussed the Art of the Job Post today. The article shares where the great majority of job posters miss the boat and offers tips to get back on track.

The author suggests that one should avoid the standard, monotonous outline of the potential employee’s role and responsibilities. One should not focus solely on what a candidate must provide your company, but, to the contrary, the emphasis should be on what the company has to offer.

A good job ad should not explain what hoops the candidate must jump through to join your company, it should explain why the candidate should even want to jump through those hoops in the first place.

For example, you should not be afraid to cough up information about your company’s personality and culture. After all, a good candidate is going to ask about this anyway.

Sure, many corporations seem like soulless cubicle farms in which workers are seen as mindless drones. But surely not your company, right? So why does your job posting have a tombstone all over it?

You should also “appeal to the vanity” of those seeking employment. Challenge the candidate to show how great they are. As the article states, asking the individual if they are a good problem solver conjures up the desire to prove it.

Again, your job posting should be a request for interesting, talented people — not just those who have methodically pack their resumes with the alphabet soup they think will help them land the offered position. Find these people and it is a win-win for everyone.

In my experience Haacked.com‘s comments are accurate. Most job postings are bland and focus only on experience, skills and responsibilities. Heck, I’ve been involved in the hiring process for a few years now and I’m guilty of using the same cookiecutter job description template as everyone else. Shame on me, right? Well, I will give myself some credit. I do request team players with strong verbal and written communication skills and a willingness to learn. But these are only secondary criterion. First and foremost, I evaluate a candidate’s experience and it is their technical know-how which lands them a phone screening. In the end, however, it’s the “soft skills” which get the individual hired.

There’s a lot to be said about the hiring process. It can be extremely frustrating, but also unbelievably satisfying. As one can imagine, it’s crucial to get off on the right foot so mind the “Art of the Job Post.”

I’m sure there’s more to come on the topic in the future…