We’re well into the new year now and it’s likely that goals have been announced, new processes introduced, and a rhythm has been set in your team’s workflow. With all that accomplished, you might have been reflecting on which departments could use new talent in order to achieve their objectives and maybe you’ve even pulled out some job descriptions to dust off. But before you press submit on the job board, take a moment to make some updates that’ll be effective in bringing in great talent.

Descriptions that’ll do the work for you

If there’s one thing we see over and over again, and something that puts potential candidates to sleep, is the traditional lackluster job description. It never seems to go away, and it really should. There has been a trend in the last five years or so to emphasize company perks (and with an abundance of exclamation points!!) and while perks should definitely be part of the equation, there’s more to it than that in writing an effective posting:

1. The company as mentor. Focus less on how the candidate will benefit the company and more on how the company will support the candidate’s career goals. Do you offer training? Internal promotions? Opportunity for employees to take the lead in projects? Include all this in the description.
2. Avoid elaborate language. Be clear when describing responsibilities. This is not the area to ‘gussy up’ with long-winded, extravagant explanations of the duties the new employee will execute. It’ll just confuse the reader and appear cartoonish. Keep it straight-forward.
3. But don’t bog them down in endless lists. It might seem essential to list every little duty, but it’s not. Introduce the essential tasks in each subject area, and then utilize the pre-screening/interview to elaborate on them. While you certainly don’t want to surprise a new employee with unidentified tasks, don’t lose them before they start in a list swamp.
4. Peer review the posting. Such a simple thing to do and will really make an impact on drafting postings that generate applications. Have a person (or two) take a look and offer feedback. Namely you want them to identify confusing language and redundancy.
5. Share current employee feedback! Your company culture is top of mind for candidates so a review at the beginning or end of the description is an interesting element to set your posting apart.

One last thing before we go: your HR department is an excellent tool for establishing creative and competitive hiring solutions. Are you acting as your own HR dept and ready to relinquish that responsibility? Eos HR is here for you! If you’re looking for an HR department that can meet the demands of the modern workplace, give us a call. We’re a team of HR professionals helping small businesses succeed in this exciting, yet challenging professional environment.  Schedule a free consultation today to learn more.