Merito Group is a woman-owned recruitment firm based in Washington DC, placing the best talent with the best companies. However, as discussed in last week’s unemployment statistics article, today’s labor market is historically tight. This means firms have to invest more effort than before to attract the best candidates.
If your organization has open positions, your job descriptions need to be on point, easy to digest, and sell not only your open positions but your organization and employer brand, too.
That can be a tall order for equally busy hiring managers, who may default to simple cookie-cutter job descriptions that, unfortunately, undersell what makes their company and positions unique. And that invites the less qualified to apply.
What job seekers consider
Based on Glassdoor research, here are the top five factors candidates consider before accepting a job offer:
- Salary and Compensation
- Career Growth Opportunities
- Work-Life Balance
- Location/Commute
- Company Culture and Values
Winning job descriptions should consider each. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five best practices for writing great job descriptions.
Best Practices for Writing Great Job Descriptions
- Get real with the job title
Rather than dressing up your job titles with flowery keywords like “Guru” or “Hero,” opt for real-life keywords like “Sales Account Manager,” “Human Resources Director,” or “SQL Database Programmer.”
Especially on search engines, this simple action will help place your job openings in front of far more job seekers, who are much less likely to look for openings with eccentric keywords.
- Customize the role to the mission
Another best practice for writing a good job description is to describe how the role ties into your company’s mission and culture. This will help you attract candidates who will do well in your workplace.
Mention exciting or challenging projects candidates will work on—compensation alone is not enough to woo today’s candidates. Think career growth!
Another good idea is to include links to in-house videos that showcase the department or team in the role reports. That, coupled with links to great reviews of your company on Glassdoor, gives candidates an “inside look” at your company culture and work/life balance, a great way to build trust between the company and ideal-fit employees.
To read more of Glassdoor’s essential tips, click here.
Merito Group is a small women-owned business providing excellence in outsourced talent acquisition solutions including retained executive search, RPO, and consulting services. Looking to hire exceptional talent? Contact us by email or at 703-734-6340. To view our current career opportunities, click here.