iCIMS Hire Expectations™

Today's guest post comes from Chad Gretzema, who writes for the Spyre blog. Chad Gretzema used to hot dog around the country as a spokesperson for the world famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.  He left his meat puns behind and served as a marketing and training leader at national restaurant chains Einstein Bros. Bagels and Noodles & Company.  Most recently, Chad led the rollout of internet and social media marketing for a family of private preschools as the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Phoenix Children's Academy.

At the beginning of the year, I had the opportunity to interview for a really dynamic position with an industry leader in their vertical. I wasn’t a great fit for the job but really enjoyed the conversation with their company recruiter. She mentioned that her schedule was filled with interviews for the job and that they had received a ton of applications.

Last week I saw that the job was re-posted on all of the major job boards. While any number of things could have happened, I wondered if perhaps in this case that quantity did not equate to quality. With today’s unemployment rate, most job postings will generate a significant number of applicants. It is tempting to think, “Surely there must be a great candidate among all of those resumes…”

For each job description you post you should judge its quality based on the following question, “Will this job excite the currently employed 'rock star' candidate who may not be aggressively looking to make a move?"

Employment branding starts with a great first impression in the job description. In most organizations the human resources team will ask the hiring manager to fill out a standard job description form.  Often times the manager will simply provide a list of bullet points describing what the position is accountable for doing. While an accurate representation of duties, it does little to create a lot of excitement for the potential candidate.

To stop your "rock star" candidates in their job surfing tracks, write job descriptions that elicit at least one of these three responses (if not all three)...

“This Company is so cool.”

Quick, name the five coolest things about working at your company. Is your company exceptionally innovative? How about the fact that you provide more vacation than most other companies? Maybe your core values are stronger than other companies? Make sure your job description includes the things that really make you stand out – and I am not talking about just describing your “competitive benefit package”. As an example, the description of the company mission from the folks at Jostens really caught my eye, “We are all about helping people dream, believe, achieve, and remember, and we want to make that apparent in every experience we deliver.”

“A career with this company is so cool.”

I want to know that I am going to get up in the morning and have a smile on my face (or at the very least not a scowl) as I drive to work. Define the type of person you are looking for and also let them know that their efforts will be rewarded beyond compensation. Here is a great example from the team at “A Small Orange” who specialize in web hosting and site management. “This position is for someone who is driven and self-motivated and who will take the initiative to learn how to do things they may not know how to do already. With that in mind, the sky is the limit for this position in terms of growth and potential. A good fit could grow a lot in this position and as A Small Orange grows.”

“This job is so cool.”

Most "rock stars" don’t want to be simply “doers”, they want to be able to see their ideas and opinions contribute to the company’s direction. Here is one of those descriptions (also from Jostens) that really pumps up the impact that the right leader will have in the position:

“We're seeking a challenge-seeker, game-changer, impact-maker, focused on market and customer experience. We're looking for a change-agent, with a knack for simple elegance, who values diversity, team collaboration, is passionate about helping students celebrate some of the greatest moments and memories in their high school experience, and helping them preserve and share their story well into the future.”

A great way for HR professionals to put together a description that really engages the top candidates is to spend 15 minutes brainstorming with the hiring manager. Use this scenario to jump start your discussion. “You’ve just interviewed your ideal candidate, describe their skills, experience and personality to me. How do you think they would impact the organization?”

Here was another good one from Jack in the Box...

“Are you interested in exploring an opportunity to apply your leadership and top-notch project management skills to directly influence multiple corporate-wide initiatives and programs? Are you someone who is energized by new challenges and enjoys a sense of accomplishment when positive results directly drive the business?  If so, you may be a candidate for our Director of Operations Support position.”

Using these "cool" responses as measuring sticks for your job descriptions will help you grab the attention of those tough to reach "rock star" candidates. Come back next week for some great employment branding ideas related to your website that will drive that "rock star" you got interested with the job description to take the plunge and submit their resume.