Do your job descriptions attract talent like a magnet? Do you stand out from the pack and inspire candidates to check out your company over the competition?
As retained executive search recruiters, we have a front-row seat to see what works for companies trying to attract top talent. Using our 20 years of experience as a firm working with 300+ companies, we have crafted a winning job description template that helps our clients stand out from the pack and attract talent that is not actively looking. In our experience, taking an hour to upgrade a job description ends up saving you 20+ hours later as you attract better talent, proactively answer questions and present a positive first impression.
So how does your job descriptions currently stack up? Here are 8 practical steps we take for our clients to upgrade their first impression with candidates and hope you find this a valuable resource.
Our goal: Help your job descriptions stand out from the pack and inspire more talent to join your company.
* Want higher quality candidates? It starts with the job description.
* Want to save time and have fewer interviews per hire? It starts with the job description.
* Want to recruit faster? It starts with the job description.
* Want to have great onboarding for new employees? It starts with the job description.
YOUR ULTIMATE JOB DESCRIPTION TEMPLATE
There are 8 steps that make up a winning job description. This template has been field-tested with hundreds of companies and roles over our 20 years as an executive search firm – it just works.
Your “company pitch” is assessed in the first 3 steps. This is your standardized, two-paragraph company overview you can use at the top of ALL of your job descriptions, from entry-level to executive. This proactively answers common questions which saves you time and will inspire someone to consider applying and learning more. Often when we do our intake conversations with our clients, what a CEO or hiring manager shares is often inspiring and makes you lean forward – but often the written job description isn’t close. Honestly, most job descriptions are really boring. Just like copywriters know when crafting news articles – you need to catch someone’s attention in the first section or they will not read on.
Your “role pitch” is assessed in the next 5 steps. This is your typical overview of what the specific job is you are looking to fill ranging from the title, key outcomes in the first year, activities, and qualifications. But the key is to not come across as sounding like “Here are 20 soul-sucking tasks you can do in this job and not know why….interested?”
OK – let’s now walk through each of these job description components in detail. Each of these 8 articles includes an overview description, why it matters, and practical examples of how to assess your job description.
LEARN ABOUT STEP #1: INSPIRING (click to view)
