Company Job Postings Are Not Job Descriptions

 

By Jessica Miller-Merrell

Sometimes job responsibilities aren’t always described accurately in the company job posting and during the interview, as much we’d like to believe. That’s because job descriptions were primarily designed to serve as a legal tool defining the position and not as a marketing tool for your corporate recruiting team to advertize that job. Here’s what you can do to better market your next job opening.

Employment Branding: Employment branding is the foundation of any company’s ability to successfully recruit and fill the candidate pipeline. When marketing a job opening it’s important for recruiters to offer accurate job postings as sloppy ones misrepresent your company. Candidates want to know that they’re applying for a job with a reputable, professional company, not one whose job postings are filled with errors and false representations. The candidate shouldn't ne the only one trying to make the perfect "first impression."

Get Rid of the Drawn Out Application Process: Your job posting virtually embeds every aspect of the actual job application. This includes developing the job, the job posting itself, the resume tracking, candidate follow-ups, interviews, and the actual time where an applicant applies. Get rid of the long, drawn out process and make it short and easy for a candidate to apply for a job.

Candidates are busy people too, and the longer the application the more chances you’re giving someone to drop off and quit filling out the application. Remove the initial form, allow candidates to upload their resume and if you’re impressed, invite them to a second round of questions. By fixing these details your job posting will now become more marketable and appealing to those who have been thinking of making a career switch.

Make a Good First Impression. Most candidates think that they’re the only ones that have to make a good initial impression. The truth is, recruiters and HR managers need to be able to make a good first impression on a company to retain and recruit top talent. The interview is not only a formality for job seekers, but when given the opportunity job seekers ask about company culture, work demands, and the overall feeling of working for the specific company. When the interviewer isn’t able to successfully attract that candidate they might lose out on high-level talent. Job posting goes well beyond the job description and the interview is one of the best ways to market your company.

Job posting is a process that takes several man-hours before and after the actual posts goes live. It’s important to remember that from the beginning to the end recruiters are put in the spotlight to not only deliver an exceptional job posting that delivers all the essentials points of a successful recruitment strategy, but they must keep the employer in a good light to obtain the best possible recruits.

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is a workplace and technology strategist specializing in social media. She’s an author who writes at Blogging4Jobs. You can follow her on Twitter @blogging4jobs. 


Photo Credit.