The Reverse Job Post: A Creative Experiment to a Better Candidate Experience

After accepting a new opportunity at the end of 2019, I was excited to make a career pivot and join the tech scene with a startup, focusing on brand marketing, business development and employer branding. But, as it sometimes goes with startups, the timing didn't work out as planned and it left me looking down a deep canyon of "now what?"

I've been on the employer end of recruiting for more than a decade. I know what it's like to be the person on the other end of that resume, combing through pages of text, skimming for keywords, reviewing assessments and making practical decisions on who would get an interview or a "thanks, but not thanks" email.

When I've applied for jobs, I - like many women - feel I need to be highly or perfectly qualified to apply. I don't want to waste the hiring managers' time by putting in an application for a job I'm only 60% qualified for, even if I know I'd be able to learn those extra 40 points quickly and grow my own expertise. But on the flip side, I know my value. I know what I'm great at, I know what I can do, and most importantly - I'm not afraid to say no if it's not the right fit.

As I started searching job openings in SLC, there were a few which caught my eye but I could clearly see, according to their job description, I wouldn't be making it to the short list. This was frustrating, because I knew if I had the chance to connect with a human, I could articulate why it made a crazy amount of sense to hire me for that job. This gave me an idea: I wonder what would happen if I reversed the application process and posted my own "job posting", highlighting my skills and unique expertise, along with my non-negotiables and highly desirable aspects of culture, benefits and location. Would I get different results? Would I be laughed off of LinkedIn? Would I drown in a sea of eyerolls from critics who thought I was acting like an entitled millennial?

I knew it would make me vulnerable. I was having to ask for help. I was publicly announcing I didn't have a job. I had to have enough humility to ask for help, but I also had to maintain the confidence needed to interview and find a great job that met my criteria.

The original post included my bio (similar to a company overview), my skills (focused on what I wanted to do next) and my requirements and preferences. As you can see from this infographic, I had some awesome results!

Although the main point of this was to get a job, I actually gained a ton more value. My favorite data point is how many new connections I made. I heard from old friends, recent acquaintances, other candidates who were job hunting, starts ups, enterprise companies, recruiters, CEO's...even a few family members. Some were curious about my approach, others were extending sympathy, but most were offering valuable leads and introductions to help me find a good home based on what I'd shared.

Many of my interviews were exploratory. "Hey, you have an interesting background that may be an out-of-the-box fit for a position we've been thinking of." I heard that, or a rendition of it, several times. I loved it! It showed companies were interested in considering non-traditional candidates based on outcomes, not job descriptions.

I also got to consider opportunities that I never would have applied for myself. This made the opportunity funnel that much bigger which did require more time, but well worth the investment.

Overall, what did I learn and what do I think about this approach for others?

1. Don't let your pride get in the way of being vulnerable and asking for help. Generally, people aren't malicious and when they see someone in a situation where they can help, they want to!
2. In order for this approach to be effective, you need to know what you want and, more importantly, what you don't want. If you can't tell that story succinctly and include the "what's in it for them" component, you'll both be frustrated by the lack of clarity.
3. This approach would likely not have worked as well if I hadn't spent the last several years feeding my network, both online and offline. Because of intentional engagement, more people knew a broad story of who I am based on what I share and how I contribute. This also led to more meaningful explorations because employers recognized the value of my network.
4. I was asked to provide a resume a few times, but I never sent one. Instead, I asked if referring to my LinkedIn profile would be sufficient, because a) the content was up-to-the-minute accurate and b) included a more holistic look into my expertise since it included my volunteer work, recognition, recommendations and even personality assessment results. This worked every time. It was my favorite result, because I've had the hypothesis that resumes tend to get in the way of hiring great talent more than they support finding the right person.
5. Production-based (such as business development or sales) roles are valued significantly more than HR opportunities. This makes sense, but it really makes me sad. HR is ceremoniously known as overhead cost, but I wish there were a deeper appreciation for investing in higher salaries for the people and department responsible for your most expensive asset: Your employees.

I'll leave that last comment for another post, but want to end with the final result, which is the opportunity I chose and why I chose it. I had my options narrowed down to 2 amazing companies, completely different responsibilities and career paths. It was agonizing to decide. Ultimately, I chose one that best met the needs of my family because that one component would be the most critical to being successful.

I started this position the same day I wrote this, but we had a wild snowstorm during the night which made the commute too risky. My new company sent me an email the day before letting me know employee safety comes first, so they would be having employees telecommute for the day and I would move my meetings to the following day. My boss called me from home and welcomed me to the team, expressing how excited they are to have me on board.

Putting your people first? It seems like I made a good choice.