By Melanee Cottrill, Civitas
In our last issue, we wrote about how important it is to make the right hire. In case you missed it, here’s a link to our last newsletter.
Today, we’re taking the first step in making an amazing hire – finding the right candidates. Finding the right candidates means creating the right job description; and posting it in the right places.
The Right Job Description
Have you ever read a job description so exciting you fell asleep? After all, who wouldn’t be excited by the opportunity to “scan and restock inventory items into system when they are delivered; store all items in the cupboards where they belong right away.” Or laughed at one that required a “high level of attention to detail and proficiency in English and Spanish.”
Clearly, you don’t want to be that company. The job description is your first impression, and you want to make it count. A good job advertisement is often more narrative than bullets, demonstrates the company culture and personality, and entices applicants – all while giving them the general idea of the job duties. The advertisement doesn’t need to get into the nitty-gritty details, especially for positions with a self-explanatory title. But it can be supplemented by a full position description detailing out the duties.
Sample Position Description
The Right Places
Making a strong first impression is crucial – but it has to be made on the right people. Traditional postings on sites such as Craigslist, Monster, and Indeed are a great start and can yield good candidates (just be prepared to slog through quite a few that are nowhere near good). However, as Google discovered, “the first step to building a recruiting machine is to turn every employee into a recruiter by soliciting referrals.”
Your employees have vast networks of potential candidates, whether they realize it or not. And the odds are, at least one of your current employees knows a few folks who would be a great asset to your team. A simple, shareable posting on an employee’s LinkedIn profile has infinite potential. Don’t be shy about enlisting your employees’ aid in spreading the word – you never know who you will find.
Coming Up: Ask the Right Questions
