Published on Wednesday, May 16, 2007
A COMPANY posts lucrative job openings in newspaper classifieds, online job boards and employee newsletters. It valiantly spreads the word around in an attempt to attract top-notch talent. But the efforts are all in vain, as nobody takes the bait. The organisation is stumped and cannot fathom where it is going wrong!
Ah... what they fail to realise is that the job descriptions in their advertisements may actually be driving away candidates. "We always draft `proper' profiles with all the `right keywords", is the unsuccessful recruiters' lament. But, ask them if the job description is really in line with what the average jobseeker on the road really wants, and they will be left baffled all over again.
In any case, most organisations deem the appeal of job descriptions as quite secondary in drawing the best employees. They conveniently overlook the fact that the manner in which they portray an opening can propel their recruiting efforts to dizzying heights or turn it topsy-turvy.
At the risk of sounding horribly clichéd, beauty does lie in the eyes of the beholder! Therefore, defining jobs according to what the candidates are looking for is the key to scaling the escalating war for talent in today's tight job market. Especially when companies seek to tap uncharted territory or expand operations on foreign shores, they absolutely have to identify and respond to the preferences of the local populace.
Getting buy-in with job descriptions
Staffing experts advocate that the first step in successfully finding and hiring top people is knowing what candidates really want. Scott Erker, vice president of a global human resources consulting firm affirms, "Right now, there is a significant gap between what candidates want and what employers think they want. That is dangerous for organisations because many do not understand the motivations of the candidate sitting right in front of them"
Proceeding with recruitment without any idea about jobseekers' motivations is just a feeble shot in the dark. People would not even deign to consider, let alone accept such ineffectual offers. In the increasingly competitive environment, employers can ill-afford to be found wanting, as the chips are completely stacked on the applicants' side of the recruiting table.
Tips on how to make job announcements worthy of consideration
Nuts and bolts - Company recruiters should realise that job triggers vary across markets and cultures (particularly in case of starting overseas recruitment). Before formulating a hiring strategy, they have to take what candidates want into consideration - be it title, role, compensation or other such selection criteria. Getting a feel of the people, their requirements and preferences alone will beget a value proposition that makes the job profile almost impossible to ignore.
Cover all bases - It is quite difficult to pinpoint exactly what excites a particular segment of jobseekers. Organisations have to resort to market research, interviews, surveys or focus groups to identify the decisive factors that constitute a fetching job profile. This will create a baseline understanding of the aspects that are sure to find favour, like job function - purpose, challenges, opportunities, or expectations, salary package - basic pay, bonus, type of benefits or stock options and job designation - ranging from straightforward ones to the current rage of ornate titles. Even an exhaustive perusal of applicants' resumes to understand their aspirations, inclinations and accentuated features helps in fashioning desirable job profiles.
A step ahead - Functional and hiring teams also have to tune in to specific career anchors that will attract and bind top employees to the company. The assessment may bring to light obligatory emphasis on issues like variety of tasks, challenging work, job growth, stability, security, promotion, training, recognition, innovation, autonomy/independence, group dynamics or workplace culture. For instance, if candidates' perception profile elicits weightage on strong personal relationships, recruiters should try to get to know the people on a more personal footing and also familiarise themselves with their individual backgrounds.
Bring into play - Draft compelling job descriptions by incorporating particular characteristics that are sure to impart value and spark interest. In essence, the basic job will remain more or less the same; it is the change in wording, inclusion of specific features and some minor variations that will create a drastic impact. Also, keep these criteria in mind when screening candidates, conducting interviews, negotiating terms and so on.
All said and done, a competitive consistency with people's motivations and desires alone can lure the best talent.
Ah... what they fail to realise is that the job descriptions in their advertisements may actually be driving away candidates. "We always draft `proper' profiles with all the `right keywords", is the unsuccessful recruiters' lament. But, ask them if the job description is really in line with what the average jobseeker on the road really wants, and they will be left baffled all over again.
In any case, most organisations deem the appeal of job descriptions as quite secondary in drawing the best employees. They conveniently overlook the fact that the manner in which they portray an opening can propel their recruiting efforts to dizzying heights or turn it topsy-turvy.
At the risk of sounding horribly clichéd, beauty does lie in the eyes of the beholder! Therefore, defining jobs according to what the candidates are looking for is the key to scaling the escalating war for talent in today's tight job market. Especially when companies seek to tap uncharted territory or expand operations on foreign shores, they absolutely have to identify and respond to the preferences of the local populace.
Getting buy-in with job descriptions
Staffing experts advocate that the first step in successfully finding and hiring top people is knowing what candidates really want. Scott Erker, vice president of a global human resources consulting firm affirms, "Right now, there is a significant gap between what candidates want and what employers think they want. That is dangerous for organisations because many do not understand the motivations of the candidate sitting right in front of them"
Proceeding with recruitment without any idea about jobseekers' motivations is just a feeble shot in the dark. People would not even deign to consider, let alone accept such ineffectual offers. In the increasingly competitive environment, employers can ill-afford to be found wanting, as the chips are completely stacked on the applicants' side of the recruiting table.
Tips on how to make job announcements worthy of consideration
Nuts and bolts - Company recruiters should realise that job triggers vary across markets and cultures (particularly in case of starting overseas recruitment). Before formulating a hiring strategy, they have to take what candidates want into consideration - be it title, role, compensation or other such selection criteria. Getting a feel of the people, their requirements and preferences alone will beget a value proposition that makes the job profile almost impossible to ignore.
Cover all bases - It is quite difficult to pinpoint exactly what excites a particular segment of jobseekers. Organisations have to resort to market research, interviews, surveys or focus groups to identify the decisive factors that constitute a fetching job profile. This will create a baseline understanding of the aspects that are sure to find favour, like job function - purpose, challenges, opportunities, or expectations, salary package - basic pay, bonus, type of benefits or stock options and job designation - ranging from straightforward ones to the current rage of ornate titles. Even an exhaustive perusal of applicants' resumes to understand their aspirations, inclinations and accentuated features helps in fashioning desirable job profiles.
A step ahead - Functional and hiring teams also have to tune in to specific career anchors that will attract and bind top employees to the company. The assessment may bring to light obligatory emphasis on issues like variety of tasks, challenging work, job growth, stability, security, promotion, training, recognition, innovation, autonomy/independence, group dynamics or workplace culture. For instance, if candidates' perception profile elicits weightage on strong personal relationships, recruiters should try to get to know the people on a more personal footing and also familiarise themselves with their individual backgrounds.
Bring into play - Draft compelling job descriptions by incorporating particular characteristics that are sure to impart value and spark interest. In essence, the basic job will remain more or less the same; it is the change in wording, inclusion of specific features and some minor variations that will create a drastic impact. Also, keep these criteria in mind when screening candidates, conducting interviews, negotiating terms and so on.
All said and done, a competitive consistency with people's motivations and desires alone can lure the best talent.
PAYAL CHANANIA
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