There are few things more frustrating than a tepid response to a newly-posted job description. The time that goes into identifying a need, writing the description, and posting is an investment in the future, and you need quality results. For small business owners especially, that time can be very precious and scarce.
Could it be that a lackluster job description is to blame for an inadequate candidate pool? We’ll consider some ways to improve job descriptions to attract ideal candidates for your open positions.
Common Mistakes in Writing Job Descriptions
Here are a few of the most common mistakes made when writing job descriptions.
Using clichés and jargon. People seeking employment could fill a bingo card with words or phrases in job hunting that have essentially lost meaning. Self-starter. Team player. Rockstar. Paradigm shift. Thinking outside the box. At best, they’re lazy; at worst, they’re intentional choices to obscure facts. It’s worth your time to eliminate the cliché words and phrases altogether.
Absent salary figures. The conventional wisdom that salary can be disclosed later in the hiring process no longer serves the contemporary job seeker. In fact, some states have laws requiring salary transparency in job descriptions. Including these figures shows you’re serious about pay equity and transparency. It inspires confidence in prospective employees that discussions about compensation are not off-limits now or ever.
Recycling old content. The job market is ever-changing. Most companies can define themselves pre- and post-pandemic in dramatic ways. What worked for hiring in one period may be almost irrelevant now, and taking the time to critically edit and revise job descriptions can make a huge difference in the quality of your inquiries. Even if the job you’re hiring for demands a lot of the same responsibilities and qualifications as the last time you posted it, the changing job market means cut and paste may not get you the candidates you’re seeking.
Vague or misleading phrases. Similar to using clichés and jargon, job seekers may be put off by vague or umbrella terms that don’t accurately describe the work. For example, if you’re hiring for call center representatives, it’s misleading to use the term “marketing associate.” Fielding applicants who drop out after they learn the actual responsibilities of the job is a waste of everyone’s time.
Presenting all requirements as equally important. Jobseekers run the gamut of overconfident to underconfident. An ideal job description offers both a reality check and encouragement by ranking requirements or specifying non-negotiables. This information provides meaningful clarity for candidates with a wide variety of education and experience.
Stop the Search With the First Sentence
The first sentence is the hook for the reader. Jobseekers will use this early information to determine whether the position aligns with their abilities, as well as if it’s something they want to do. They will also consider their goals and interests when assessing the first part of the description.
If your job title is “Marketing Specialist” consider the following two descriptions:
“We’re a tech startup growing faster than the speed of light with fresh and innovative ideas for the marketplace, and we need a marketing team to match. We’re looking for a social media rockstar who can hit the ground running on day one.”
or
“For 5 years, our company has seen consistent growth in the domestic application space, including apps for grocery shopping, household chores, and childcare reminders. We’re growing our marketing team in areas of social media, AI, content writing, and advertising. This role falls under the content writing umbrella but would involve collaboration with advertising and social media.”
The quick-talking cliché language of the first doesn’t offer any specifics and may be seen as an oversell without realistic expectations. It might also scare off someone who expects structured onboarding and on-the-job training. The second one briefly explains the company’s products and expands on the marketing specialist term to explain specific responsibilities.
Job seekers will almost always look at websites and social media to better understand what a company does, but this method gives candidates a snapshot into the market you occupy. Someone interested in app development around home organization knows right away that they could be a good fit.
More Quick Tips to Spice Up Your Job Descriptions
Need some more help? Here are some additional tips.
Use specific language. As discussed, clichés and jargon are easy to skim or bypass altogether. Take a hard look at your job description and look for anywhere you’ve used vague words. Explain job responsibilities with clear and specific language. “Travel required typically two weeks per month” instead of “exciting travel opportunities” gives a candidate something realistic to consider.
Incorporate inclusive language. Highlight equity and inclusion initiatives. Use gender-neutral language where applicable and be sure nothing in your description implies favoritism for one group over another.
Be honest about perks and benefits. Don’t try to oversell perks and benefits, especially if they’re not accessible to every worker. On the other hand, candidates can be excited by useful information about a great health plan, office lunches, gym memberships, PTO, and other perks that contribute to your company culture.
Use recognizable titles. The description is where to get creative and specific; prospective employees will search for the title they best recognize in themselves, or one they are seeking. Consider an SEO analysis to make sure you’re appearing wherever job searches are happening.
Be specific about location. One of the first details any candidate will want to know is whether the job is remote or in-person. Make your expectations about daily work, any in-person meeting requirements, and available hours (including time zone) very clear.
Good job descriptions aren’t just for hiring. They support accountability for the company to create a job contract and give the candidate something concrete to refer to during negotiations.Giving your job postings a critical once-over can bring the best possible candidates knocking at your door.
ApplicantStack is a perfect tool to help file away past job descriptions and call them up when the need arises. You can also utilize templates when you need a little extra help, and ensure your listings show up on the top sites and job boards. Try it for free today.
It’s the last of our five-part series focused on hiring trends to expect in 2024, and we’re digging into the expansion of entry-level hiring. Across all industries, newcomers to the market are searching for positions that allow them to grow their skills and abilities. Check out the benefits of opting for entry-level workers whenever possible.
Recruiting Trends Coming in 2024
Missed any of the previous trends? Check them out!
Filling open positions has become increasingly challenging in the recent past. Between rising recruiting costs and smaller applicant pools, finding and bringing on talent can feel like an impossible task. But here’s one thing that many employers are overlooking: Asking for too much experience can rule out great candidates.
More than one-third of entry-level job listings posted on LinkedIn require at least three years of experience. This requirement essentially eliminates anyone who is a newcomer to the field, likely discouraging them from applying at all. And even those who do choose to apply despite not meeting all requirements may get filtered out before they even reach your desk.
As someone responsible for hiring, it’s worth opening your positions to true entry-level candidates. New graduates or those who are embarking on career changes can make excellent contributions to the team and can be great fits in a variety of roles.
4 Reasons to Consider Entry-Level Talent
In addition to the advantages outlined above, here are four reasons to consider people who are truly entry-level (or have no experience in the field).
Lower costs
It’s cheaper to hire an entry-level employee than someone with multiple years of experience, which can really help your company’s bottom line. According to research published by Zippia, the cost to hire and bring on an entry-level team member is approximately 180 percent less than an executive-level employee. Since the average cost to hire is around 20 percent of an entry-level employee’s salary, you can save a lot by opting for new talent rather than hiring a mid-level employee, which costs 1 to 1.5 times the salary amount.
Easy to train
Another advantage of entry-level employees is their trainability. They are less likely to bring highly developed workplace habits or ways of doing things, so department leaders and executives can train them to handle work in the way that is best suited for the company. Additionally, newcomers to the workplace may be more likely to build healthier professional habits, which contributes to the overall morale and culture.
Familiarity with technology
In most cases, an entry-level employee is part of the younger generation, which means they are probably more familiar with today’s technology. Younger jobseekers are generally comfortable with current hardware and software platforms, which can serve as a significant asset to your business.
Enhanced diversity
People who aren’t as seasoned in the workplace bring unique perspectives that can promote enhanced diversity. It’s worth investing in people who are excited about the prospect of what your company can achieve and willing to put in the work to bring organizational goals to fruition.
With the right approach, adapting to this 2024 hiring trend can transform the way your company finds and onboards talented individuals. Skills don’t necessarily equate to talent and ability, so make sure to broaden your search and widen your pool of applicants in roles that lend themselves to on-the-job training and education.
Employee recruiting is a powerful part of your hiring toolbox. Asking employees to flesh out an applicant pool capitalizes on a natural human response to invite others to positive experiences. A referral program incentivizes and rewards employees for their contributions to the company.
A Jobvite survey in 2020 found that, after internal hires, employee referrals were the second-most effective hiring source and the second-most useful resume consideration factor. Here are some tips to build an internal referral program that really works.
Your Employees are Your Best Brand Ambassadors
From posts on social media to relaxed after-work happy hours, we all tend to share stories and experiences about work with friends and acquaintances. Ideally, that content is positive and encouraging. Employees who are engaged in and excited about their work – and share it – become the best ambassadors for the company’s brand or culture. If your company sells an end-user product, that’s free advertising. If your company needs to fill positions, that’s expanding your potential applicant pool.
You can reward this behavior by creating opportunities for internal referrals for hiring. Rewards can vary; no one referral program fits all companies. The first steps involve examining company culture so your employees feel inclined to bring qualified candidates to the table.
Employee Recruiting Requires a Strong Foundation
It may seem overly simple, but the most important foundation for collecting hiring referrals from your employees is their job satisfaction. You can’t control each employee’s feelings about every aspect of their job, but you can provide a company culture that values each member of the team. Some tangible ways to achieve this include:
Maintaining Good Company Culture. Conduct surveys that help identify where company culture is thriving and lacking. Then, take that information to improve where possible. Good company culture includes well-known and accepted values like trust, diversity, mentorship, and autonomy. It has clear policies on work and dress code flexibility, automation, and tangible and intangible benefits.
Paying Employees What They’re Worth. Ideally, employees will have been hired at a salary they’re happy with. Implementing a program of consistent salary reviews and an open-door policy for negotiations goes a long way in helping employees feel valued.
Communicating Perks and Benefits Consistently. While keeping some benefits confidential might seem important, it can lead to gossip and jealousy among employees. When people feel cheated or left out of perks, even if the company feels it has valid reasons, it can negatively affect employee morale. A well-communicated and consistent benefits policy encourages transparency and unity.
Communicating Clearly Open Jobs and Responsibilities. Clarity and detail in job postings is important, allowing potential candidates to see all the requirements, benefits, and salary from the first interaction. For internal recruiting, you should provide all the same detailed information, along with any additional tidbits a current employee might need to know, especially if the job opening isn’t in their department. Facts like which team a person might work on, sample projects, details around the office layout, and access to perks are conversational and can help an employee sell the position to a friend.
Rewarding Referrals and Employee Recruiting Efforts. Consider the cost of hiring an employee from a wide open pool. The Society of Human Resource Management puts the median number at around $1,200. If an employee helps you circumvent that cost, a gift card for lunch may not be quite enough. Recruiter Rikka Brandon suggests, “Offering your team an incentive that actually makes a difference to them may just give them the motivation to be intentional and active about recruiting.”
5 Ways to Involve Employees in Recruiting
Now that we’ve identified how to make sure your company is a rewarding workplace for employees to recommend, here are some ideas of how to build an internal referral program:
Start at Onboarding. Every time you bring a new employee on, explain the referral process. Help them feel like an important part of the recruiting team from their first day. Even if you don’t currently have openings, this effort ensures that future opportunities aren’t lost to “I never heard about it.”
Allow Talent Acquisition Team to Present at Company Meetings. Periodic presentations ensure employees can hear about new developments in the program and creates a forum for questions.
Remind Employees How to Find Open Listings. What seems obvious to those involved in the hiring process may not be so clear to busy employees. Ensure there is a centralized location for open positions that’s easy to access. Provide periodic reminders along with highlighting incentives.
Identify a Streamlined Process for Submissions. Every company will have a different preferred way to receive employee referrals. Make sure your organization’s process is simple and direct. You could create a web form or an email address that remains the same, even when people leave their roles. Periodically remind the staff how it works.
Encourage Feedback on the Program. If employee participation is low, you may need to take a hard look at the communication, process, or incentives. Ask for honest feedback without fear of retribution.
Manage Your Candidates with ApplicantStack
Once you’ve examined company culture, created an easy-to-use program for submissions, told everyone about it, and the referrals start coming in, you need a system to make sure none of the stellar candidates fall through the cracks. Even if you don’t end up hiring a referral, it’s vital to respect the efforts of your employees with follow-through.
ApplicantStack is the perfect tool to easily and efficiently sort, rank, and track the candidates in every step of the process. Internal notes can help you track where the referral came from. Your employee can receive their reward and your gratitude for a new valued member of the team.
Countless companies of all sizes and operating in all locations are planning to expand their teams in 2024. As you make plans to recruit and bring on top talent, explore our guide to trends to expect this year. We’re rounding up the 2024 recruiting trends to expect, regardless of the industry or size of your business.
Recruiting Trends Coming in 2024
Here’s what we have covered in our five-part series, and what’s still to come:
When thousands of companies shifted to allow employees to work from home for their safety, some emphasized that the change was temporary, while others expected to remain remote indefinitely. But as the needs of businesses have changed and employees have gotten used to the work-from-home life, conflicts have arisen between those who want to remain remote but are working for companies that expect team members to return to the office.
The shift to allow workers to perform remote work caused a lot of businesses to reconsider their operations and whether people really needed to spend 40+ hours a week in the office. And while there are certainly advantages of in-office work (improved collaboration, access to resources, a sense of belonging, to name a few), many workers love the option to work from home as well.
The hybrid workplace model is an ideal blend of the two worlds, offering employees access to what they want while emphasizing the importance of the company culture and team-based atmosphere.
Benefits of Hybrid Schedules
A hybrid schedule is a more flexible option, which appeals to people in all stages of life. Parents of young children may need a little extra time in the mornings to get everyone ready and out the door. Being able to work from home allows them to use the time they might have spent commuting to take care of the necessary tasks. School pick-up is also much easier to navigate when a worker is remote. Even those without children can benefit from a more peaceful atmosphere, such as a home office that’s free from the distractions of a bustling office.
For employers, a hybrid workplace model can cut costs. You can spend less on physical office space and supplies, as well as the costs associated with keeping the lights on and the workspace fully outfitted with desks for every member of the team.
From a health perspective, the original reason behind the shift to remote work, people may get sick less when working remotely. If an employee isn’t feeling well, they may still be able to knock out a few work tasks at home without the risk of spreading germs around the office. And those who do choose to work in-office will certainly appreciate not being exposed to colds, the flu, and other concerning illnesses.
If your company can swing it, consider how offering a hybrid schedule might work for new hires. This offering can serve as an appealing aspect of an open position, particularly for an applicant who is looking for flexibility. By including the option to create a hybrid schedule, your company can appeal to top talent while aligning with what today’s job-seeker is looking for in their next role.
Quality employees can make or break a business of any size but are vital to the health and success of a small business. Whether you need to replace a worker who’s left or your business is expanding, hiring top talent takes energy, time, and company resources.
According to benchmark studies conducted by the Society of Human Resource Management, the average cost per hire is $4,683. Though that number might feel like it applies more to large corporations, consider that the median cost came in at $1,244. If your budget for recruiting feels small, here are five ways to help stretch it a little further.
1. Consider Hiring From Within
Small business owners and managers often have the advantage of personally getting to know the strengths and talents of their employees. As businesses grow and change, employees may want to take on new roles within the company but may not see a clear path for a changing job description. As you define the parameters of a new job in the company, consider looking around at the employees you already have. It may require some creativity to add or subtract responsibilities from an existing employee into a newly created job description, but it’s possible a perfect candidate or candidates are already a part of your team.
If your business is undertaking a multiple hire situation, something like an anonymous survey of employees may reveal current employees’ hidden career goals or talents. This information can provide clarity on both promoting from within and drafting a job posting.
2. Optimize Your Job Postings
Armed with data from your existing employees, current and future business plans, and immediate hiring needs, spend some time carefully crafting your job postings. You could involve current managers or department leaders to help describe specific duties and desired skills. Watch out for common buzzwords in both job titles and descriptions that could be interpreted more than one way. An applicant with extensive customer service experience, for example, may apply for a vaguely described “account manager” position, but in your business, that job requires bookkeeping experience. Be sure the posting includes detailed information about requirements for:
Qualifications
Education
Experience
Skills
Special requirements (such as atypical work hours or travel)
And include details for:
Flexible work arrangements (in-person or remote work possibilities)
Paid time off (such as company holidays, starting vacation time, and sick leave policies)
Salary range
An Indeed survey revealed that employers often felt the need to revise job postings because they received too many under-qualified candidates. It will save both yours and the applicants’ time if your posting is clear about non-negotiables.
3. Evaluate Where Your Budget Is Best Spent
Small business owners often carry the load of performing various tasks. Whether your business is just starting out or you’ve seen quick growth that outpaced the hours available in a day, it’s likely there are helpful tools that you may not have had time to research. A personal approach to identifying and crafting job descriptions may feel like a valuable use of your time. Once the applications and resumes start pouring in, however, delegation of some tasks might ease some of the additional load. That’s where an applicant tracking system (ATS) like ApplicantStack comes in.
We’ve all been there: sifting through a long email thread with multiple people to locate some nugget of information about an applicant. Or trying to remember where and how you saved a resume file on your hard drive, only to come up with an empty search box. From your first application to making offers, ApplicantStack organizes and sorts relevant information for all involved to evaluate. It makes for smooth collaboration and prevents dreaded errors that can cause your company to miss out on a perfect hire.
4. Hire Young Talent
Experience and education are hard and fast requirements in some sectors, but consider if your company has room to grow by hiring young people just entering the workforce. These individuals may bring an level of enthusiasm and willingness to learn that benefits the team, and come in prepared for a starting salary commensurate with their position. Your company may consider mentorship as one of its core values to prepare new workers for a long and fulfilling careers.
5. Re-Evaluate Your Public Brand
Ask yourself (or your marketing team) some probing questions about how potential candidates are introduced to your company. It’s common practice for a job candidate to start their research with the basics.
How do you present yourself publicly?
If you have social media accounts, are they updated regularly with useful and informative posts? If you don’t post regularly, do they look neglected? Are they an important part of your business identity?
Does your website accurately reflect the current course of your business? Are hours of operation, contact information, or staff pages updated? Does it function properly or are there broken links or pages?
In terms of cost, social media and website updates can take anything from company time to the investment in an agency rebrand. Low-cost solutions like courses from a social media coach or simple text and photo website updates might make a big difference in your public persona.
New hires in a small business represent exciting growth. Hopefully these five tips can help you recruit quality talent even on a budget. Success awaits with careful consideration of your internal resources and external tools like ApplicantStack. You’ll be organized and on the way to hiring the best workers for your company.
In the first part of our coverage of recruiting trends to expect this year, we highlighted the importance of upskilling as a hiring and retention tool. Next up is the value of automation, specifically in hiring.
The recruiting process can be very time- and labor-intensive, often involving multiple people within the organization. Between posting open positions, sifting through applications, scheduling interviews, and conducting all the work on the back end, your team could end up spending hours to fill just one role. Explore the advantages of automation in the hiring process and how this trend can cut the time and energy spent on finding and bringing on top talent.
Recruiting Trends Coming in 2024
Here’s what has been covered (and still to come) in our five-part series:
According to a talent survey focused on the future of work, more than 90 percent of HR professionals plan to increase their use of automation in the hiring process, among other everyday tasks. In the recruiting world, automating certain processes can minimize the time spent on tasks substantially, freeing up bandwidth for team members to focus on other things. Additionally, automation can shorten the time-to-hire and reduce the cost-per-hire when used effectively.
So, how will automation factor into your hiring processes in 2024? The answer to that question depends on what you want to adopt. Using an applicant tracking system like ApplicantStack allows you to simplify many of the steps in the process of bringing on a new team member. The system can post job listings to multiple boards instantly, as well as support candidate outreach and follow-up efforts.
When you want to schedule an interview, you can meet candidates where they are with text-based communication. Some outreach efforts happen automatically, based on workflows set up early in the process. You can also utilize integrations to handle background checks and other tasks.
Screening candidates is easier than ever with automation, as the platform can look for specific keywords and phrases to weed out candidates who may not be qualified. The result is an automated process that is highly convenient for all involved, including applicants.
The Benefits of Automation in Hiring
Every organization aims to improve productivity among its team members. And hiring automation can help you move closer to that goal, as it eliminates manual processes that take a lot of time and effort. Those involved in recruiting can focus on more meaningful tasks rather than spending hours sifting through resumes or posting to multiple job boards.
Another advantage is the ability to boost the quality of each hire made. When your team members focus on the quality of the candidates, they can identify individuals with characteristics that align with the company culture and job responsibilities. Automation can also eliminate some of the variables that don’t necessarily predict performance, making it a must-implement in high-volume verticals like call/contact centers, quick-service restaurants and retail facilities.
Explore how ApplicantStack can help you feel more prepared for this 2024 hiring trend and stay competitive with the countless organizations that are planning to expand their teams this year. You can even try it for free! Post your job, utilize the tools built in, and enjoy an easier hiring experience from start to finish.
Keep an eye on our blog as we cover the next four 2024 recruiting trends to expect. In the next post, we’ll highlight the use of artificial intelligence among recruiters.
