At Artisan Creative, we recruit for a wide range of creative, marketing, and digital roles, and therefore post an array of job descriptions to our Open Jobs page. We write job descriptions every day and would like to share some best practices with you.
When you’re writing a description, we recommend using the following pointers to ensure you attract the best candidates–not only from a skills perspective but someone who is also the best culture fit with your team.
As a hiring manager, how you write a job description will make an enormous difference to who is attracted to your company and role.
Pick the Right Title
Start with a job title that reflects your company’s needs and culture. Craft a description that portrays the role specifically and accurately. Job titles and expectations change with technology, time, and shifts in the landscape of your industry. If you are hiring for a new role, do some research to see how the job market is searching for this kind of position. Make sure the right candidates gravitate towards your opportunity with a clear awareness of how they might fit in with your team.
Be Specific
It’s important to identify key responsibilities. Your candidate must be willing and qualified to do handle the must-have requirements. Remember it takes every new hire time to get up to speed in a new role – your aim is to identify potential talent who can minimize that learning curve as much as possible.
Eliminate jargon and buzzwords and replace them with more concrete and concise language. Use strong action verbs and relevant words that communicate passion and values. Tell a story! Borrow tested formulas from storytellers and marketers to make your job descriptions connect.
Use Strong Keywords
While you want to use fresh and exciting language, you must also consider what potential candidates look for online, and how search engines will spot and rank your description. While tired buzzwords can obscure your meaning, popular keywords can be useful in luring qualified talent.
SEO and social media play essential roles in the modern job search. To ensure that your job description will be seen by as many eyes as possible, read similar job descriptions online, and use keywords that are specific to your related industry. Remember to include the titles of their potential coworkers as they will be working closely or reporting to them. Additionally list programs they will use, or the trends they should follow.
Also. be mindful of how your job description will appear to mobile users, as their ranks are steadily increasing. If your current company website or job portal site isn’t mobile-friendly, consider updating it.
Requirements
If a skill is “nice to have” but not “required,” make a point of noting the difference – some candidates will make up for a lack of prior knowledge with high adaptability and an eagerness to learn.
Highlight Your Company Culture
We are currently in a candidate-driven market. If you are trying to attract a candidate who may have multiple opportunities or may be considering leaving their current role, think about “why” they would be attracted to your firm and list those details. For example, if you have a friendly pup roaming the office halls, or your office is next to the beach or offers flex scheduling… mention these great differentiators.
The clearer you are in your job descriptions, the more targeted your candidate pool will be. For more guidance in finding the right candidates and building the right team to fulfill your mission, contact Artisan Creative’s a.team today.
Artisan Creative is celebrating 20+ years in staffing and recruitment of creative professionals. Over the years, we’ve learned a thing or two that we’d like to share with you. We hope you enjoy the 433rd issue of our weekly a.blog.