How to Craft a Compelling Job Posting: Tips and Strategies for Attracting Top Talent

Are you struggling to find and hire great people for your company? You're not alone. Employers in every industry face challenges like labour shortages, skill gaps, and unexpected absences, making it difficult to build and maintain a high-performing team.

I intimately understand these challenges as someone who helps companies hire great people. In this article, I'll share some of my top insights and strategies for recruiting and hiring top talent.

In our previous articles, we walked you through the position discovery process to help you get crystal clarity on the needs and goals of the position you're trying to hire for and how to turn the discovery outline into a detailed internal position description. This article aims to help you understand the mindset required to nail your external position description and ensure you and your team are set up for success when you list and advertise your position.

An internal position description acts as a guidebook for your company, outlining the key responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations for the position in question. It creates a guide to align your internal teams and ensure everyone is on the same page.

Once you have an internal position description in place, you can use it to create your external job advertisement. The goal is to engage the market, entice job seekers to apply, and ultimately hire the best available candidates in the market.

To put this part of the process into practice, you need to know your target audience, understand their motivations and desires, and craft a compelling message that speaks directly to them. You must also choose the right channels for promoting your job opening and develop a screening process to evaluate candidates effectively. Finally, you should be prepared to adjust your approach based on feedback and results to improve your recruitment and hiring efforts continually. To do this, I suggest the following:

1. Review the internal position description to ensure that it accurately reflects the needs and goals of the position. This step is critical because the external job description is effectively your sales and marketing campaign for the position. You want to ensure that it accurately reflects the job's responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations to attract the right candidates.
2. Identify the key selling points of the job, such as opportunities for growth and development, company culture, and work-life balance. These points must be highlighted often and early in the external job description to attract and engage potential candidates. You want to entice them with the benefits of the job and the company to encourage them to apply.
3. Craft a job title that accurately reflects the position and is also attractive to potential candidates. The external perception is more important than internal titles, as candidates will be searching for jobs based on the job title. A clear and accurate job title will help candidates find your job posting and understand the position.
4. Write a job summary that briefly overviews the position and its primary responsibilities. When writing the job summary, try to include WIIFM (what's in it for me) statements to help candidates understand why they would want to do this job. This can help them see themselves in the role and encourage them to apply.
5. Create a list of required and desired qualifications for the job, such as education, experience, skills, and personal qualities. Keep this list short to avoid discouraging great candidates who may have only some qualifications. While you want to eliminate candidates who are not a fit, you don't want to miss out on great candidates who elect not to apply because of a requirement that isn't critical to the position.

Now that you have reviewed the internal position description, identified vital selling points, crafted a job title, written a job summary, and created a list of qualifications, it's time to start crafting your external job posting. By following these steps, you have all the details you need to create a compelling job posting that will attract top talent and encourage them to apply. The structure outlined above provides a framework for organizing your ideas and presenting them in a clear and engaging way. So take the time to carefully craft your job posting, highlighting the unique aspects of the position and your company, and make sure to provide clear instructions on how to apply. With a well-crafted job posting, you'll be well on your way to finding the perfect candidate for the job!

1.?????Catchy Title: Use an attention-grabbing title that accurately reflects the position but, most importantly, engages your audience.

2.?????Candidate Profile: Provide a brief description of the ideal candidate, including their experience, qualifications, and personal qualities. I like doing this with "Are you" statements such as: Are you a highly motivated marketing manager who… You want to outline the ideal candidate but remember you are speaking to the reader

3.?????Company Overview: Introduce your company and highlight critical aspects of your culture, values, and mission that make you an attractive employer. This is great if written as a "We are" or "Are you looking for a company" statement.

4.?????Job Summary: Provide a brief overview of the position, including its primary responsibilities, goals, and expectations. Use WIIFM statements to highlight the benefits of the job and how it aligns with the candidate's career goals. Same as per the above statements, this is a great chance to engage the reader further. "If you're looking for a position that..." These are sales and marketing-focused statements to captivate your audience

5.?????Key Selling Points: Highlight the unique selling points of the job, such as opportunities for growth, work-life balance, or company culture.

6.?????Required and Desired Qualifications: Provide a list of the essential qualifications for the position and any desirable skills or experience. Keep the list short and prioritize the most critical qualifications.

7.?????Responsibilities and Duties: Provide a detailed description of the job duties, including any specific tasks or projects for which the candidate will be responsible.

8.?????Instructions on How to Apply: Provide clear instructions on how to apply for the job, including any required documents or application materials.

Crafting an external position description is essential in the recruitment and hiring process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create a compelling job posting that attracts the right candidates and encourages them to apply. Remember to review your internal position description, identify key selling points, craft a job title, write a job summary, and create a list of qualifications. With a well-crafted job posting highlighting the unique aspects of your position and company, you'll be well on your way to finding the perfect candidate.

In the following article, we'll explore how to effectively manage your online postings to attract even more top talent. We'll discuss the importance of using the right channels to promote your job opening, developing a screening process to evaluate candidates effectively, and adjusting your approach based on feedback and results. Stay tuned for our next article on how to take your recruitment and hiring efforts to the next level.

If you're struggling to find and hire great people for your company, don't hesitate to reach out to us at Express. As a staffing and recruitment firm, we can help you with all your hiring needs and find the perfect candidates for your open positions.