Much like a magnet, your organization’s online recruiting strategy can either attract… or repel… the best candidates.
The three basic steps to successful online recruitment are so important – yet so often ignored – they bear repeating. Often.
Here are the essential steps to turning job seekers into job applicants.
1. Make it easy to search for your jobs.
Offer job seekers multiple search methods, accessible with equal ease across all screen types (desktop, phone, tablet), to maximize the chance that the right people connect with the right jobs.
2. Make it easy to understand your jobs.
A job seeker wants to know whether or not a position is right for him or her, and whether or not he/she is qualified. When creating job posts, omit the fluffy stuff (plenty of free parking!) as well as those things that both you and they should be able to take for granted, such as the future employee’s ability to communicate effectively, work well with others, and meet deadlines.
Instead, focus on this job’s unique role in your organization, the essential tasks required of someone in this position, and what you have to offer that makes you a preferred employer.
Read through your job posts and ask yourself whether or not someone outside your organization would know what you expect of a person in that particular role. Have you given an adequate – but not dreadfully exacting – picture of life within your organization and this particular job’s role within your company? Have you offered anything about your organization that would compel a job seeker to choose you over your competitors down the street, such as “be an integral part of a small, dynamic team” or “explore cutting-edge technologies in an award-winning environment”?
And don’t forget the importance of giving your job post a clear, concise title that includes the name of the job. Stick to job names and acronyms that are widely accepted across your field or industry, and omit information relevant only to your organization’s insiders. And remember to repeat the job name throughout your post to boost your position in SEO.
Some research suggests that the sweet spot for job post length is somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 characters, long enough to inform but not so long as to discourage. If it’s a job for which the expected duties are well-known to people within your industry, then your job description need not be a lengthy as one for a position that is unique in your field. Instead, for those well-recognized jobs, use your available “real estate” to point out your position on areas of interest to people in that particular role. For example, if you’re looking for nurses, remember that they are often interested in things like size and age of facility, use of technology and advanced equipment, stability of leadership, opportunities for professional growth and advancement, certifications and awards earned by the facility and the department, strength of teamwork and tenure of the staff, and options for leadership.
And finally…
3. Make it easy to apply for your jobs, again across all screen types.
Don’t ask applicants to enter more information than you really need to determine whether or not someone is worth a closer look, and certainly never ask them to enter the same information twice.
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