A well-written job description allows you to open a window into your workplace for creative talent to peer through and see what sets your company apart from the rest. Will their first impression inspire and excite them, or will it lull them to sleep? To advance talent to the interview stage, you need to show them that your organization is a place where they can make a positive impact and pursue their passion.
If your job description is littered with stale jargon and corporate lingo, it’s going to immediately repel the type of talent that you want to attract. Similarly, if your entire listing is a haphazard block of responsibilities and must-haves, and you don’t provide room for creativity or growth, you won’t connect with the rare talent that you hope to reel in. The 5 tips below will help you catch the attention of creative professionals who can help bring a new perspective to your business.
1. Create An Outline
The outline of your job description is the roadmap that keeps you from straying off track. First, think about who you’re trying to bring in and how they’re going to fit into your organization. What kind of qualities and characteristics does this employee have?
Create a list of important job functions, skills, experience, and educational requirements for your candidate. Now figure out where each piece of information fits into your outline. This will prevent you from splattering the information into lengthy list of unrelated bullets that lulls the reader into a daze until they click “back” and go to the next job posting on their list.
2. Set Realistic Expectations
You may have a perfect candidate in mind, however that person may not exist in your market, at the salary you’re offering, or possess every skill that you’re seeking. That isn’t to say that you should set your sights low, but you should adjust them to focus on a realistic expectation. If you are overly-demanding, you will miss out on great creative talent that is too intimidated to reply. You should stress qualities that will bring in a wide range of quality applicants, and then delve into the “nice to have” attributes during the interview process.
3. Focus On Your Creative Opportunities
All too often, a job description reads like a shopping list of tasks and duties. Instead of putting together a jumble of responsibilities, describe how your job centers around building, creating, and reworking using the skills and passions that drive creative ingenuity. Make sure to focus on the job responsibilities that will grant them the flexibility and initiative to do what they do best. An excellent way to make sure your job description will recruit the right personnel is to have a creative manager or member from that team proofread and provide feedback.
4. Use a Voice That Speaks To Your Audience
You’re trying to recruit creative professionals who can look at a job from a different perspective than your other employees, so you should approach a potential graphic designer differently than you would an accountant. Implement a voice that reflects your company, your culture and the existing employees they will be working with. Avoid excessive business jargon, and make sure that you’ve created more than just a robotic list of duties. Also, regardless of the position, be sure to use correct spelling and grammar (try Grammarly) to reflect the right level of professionalism to potential candidates.
5. Emphasize Your Company Culture
This is the best way to change a job listing from a cluster of words into a portrait of life at your company. The voice and tone of a job description should show creative prospects what your business is like on a day-to-day basis. Do you want to talk about the Ping-Pong table in the break room? Do you want to portray a don’t-take-work-home mentality? Maybe you’d like to emphasize the importance of the services your company provides, and detail how their job plays a critical role. These details are your opportunity to sell your culture to the candidate and get them wanting to work for you.
Remember that your job description is the first impression you’ll portray to many potential employees. If you follow these 5 steps, you’ll be well on your way to recruiting high-quality creative talent.
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