Tag: job description | Artisan Creative

Episode 2: Writing Impactful Job Descriptions

Monday, October 9th, 2023|

Once you’ve clarified why you are hiring, the next step in the hiring roadmap is to determine who the ideal candidate is.

And specifically, what are the core technical skills and interpersonal skills, that are missing within your current team that you need to address?

These answers will help determine the requirements the role needs and support the details needed for writing a viable and accurate job description to clarify the day-to-day responsibilities.

Equally important is to define the hard skills or IQ the role needs (the technical know-how, the programs, the education), as well as needed soft skills ( the communication skills, leadership skills, the EQ for the role).

Think of creating the job description as a marketing opportunity for your company. This document promotes your company to potential candidates and creates a strategic roadmap for hiring and retention success.

Writing this impactful job description is a critical step in the recruitment process, however, it is too often considered an admin task that is rushed, copied from other roles found online, or relegated to ChatGPT so it can be done quickly and posted on external or internal job boards.

Yes, you can use AI to start the foundation of the requirements, however, you’ll have to customize and tailor it so it is unique to your company, conveys your voice, and your message, builds trust, AND supports your employer Brand. Otherwise, your role (and company) will sound like hundreds of others on the web and will get lost in the noise of other job posts out there.

A good job description should demonstrate what success can look like for a candidate, clarify potential, and growth opportunities, list the company values, perks, and your company’s unique offerings.

Unfortunately, many job descriptions read like a laundry list of wants and todos, and rarely differentiate between what is a MUST HAVE. Many job descriptions focus only on what the company needs and neglect highlighting what a candidate may want.

If the salary is not aligned with the years of experience you are asking for, determine whether you can offer better benefits, sign-on bonuses, or early reviews to boost the overall compensation package. Or if the salary parameters are not aligned, consider if you really need someone with all the skills listed, or can you hire someone more junior who may not have that experience and whom you can teach, mentor, and groom?

Clarifying these parameters helps define the expectations, goals, and success metrics for any job opening. In fact, without these, you may elongate the hiring process by sifting through unqualified applicants and waste your and your team’s most valuable asset, your time!

Once you are clear about the must-have skills that are needed, you can build a process or create a toolkit to evaluate the applications that are being submitted or the interviews you are conducting.

Geoff Smart, the author of the book WHO, suggests creating a Scorecard and details his process for it in the book.

You and your team can determine and rank the hard and soft skills you are looking for and plan how you’ll move an applicant through the hiring process.

Regardless of the hiring framework you use, the recruitment tools you have, or the assessments you may have in place, these preparation steps will help determine the years of experience you need and the seniority level the role requires and that will directly correlate to the salary and the length of time it may take to find the right candidate.

Only you can decide what qualities and experiences are a must-have, what you are willing to teach on the job, or when to extend an interview or reject an application.

Let’s do a Pulse Check

How do you define and differentiate your company to applicants?
How do you differentiate between the must-haves vs. the nice-to-have skills & qualifications, as well as hard and soft skills?
How do you define what success looks like and what it offers a candidate?
How realistic are the must-haves in the job?

Watch the previous episodes in this series:

Episode 0: Introduction

Episode 1: Transforming Your Hiring Mindset

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What is CX?

Wednesday, May 29th, 2019|

According to design thought-leader John Maeda, Customer Experience, or CX, “is a term that roughly encompasses marketing, product, support, design, and HR (employee experience).” The CX perspective sees every touchpoint in terms of an overall customer journey. CX best practices encourage businesses to differentiate in terms of product, the overall value created for a customer and to communicate through an open, continuous feedback loop enabled by real-time research and social media interaction.

CX is a broad field with an open, evolving landscape. Here are some key areas of CX knowledge for creative business leaders and potential opportunities for creative job seekers considering CX or CX-adjacent creative careers.

Design

As a design discipline, CX is similar to, yet distinct from, UX, or User Experience design. Per the Interaction Design Foundation, “CX design and user experience (UX) design are sometimes used interchangeably because both are concerned with the overall experience of using a product or service… CX design tends to adopt a broader view than UX, and has a slightly more commercial focus.” Designers focused on CX may work closely with those in UX, may have similar skills, or may shift back and forth from one field to another. These days, CX design is becoming a distinct and powerful discipline with its own tools, values, and vocabulary.

Strategy

CX strategy is the overall game plan for pursuing optimal customer experience in ways that are appropriate for the objectives and values of a business. It aligns CX prerogatives with larger business plans, determines how investments of time and money will be allocated for CX, maps and connects all relevant touchpoints, and creates harmony between internal resources and customer expectations. For those who love to discover how many different puzzle pieces fit together to form a bigger picture that fosters customer loyalty and delight, CX strategy provides an exciting overhead view.

Tactics

There are many tactics, tools, and techniques for implementing CX strategy on the ground, where the rubber meets the road. Every consumer touchpoint provides an opportunity for comfort-building maneuvers such as email personalization, experimental growth hacks, and the classic elements of great customer service, all of which involve many moving parts that have their places in the greater scheme of Customer Experience and business success.

Culture and Leadership

Great CX must always begin at the top. Mutually rewarding end-to-end customer journeys should resonate with strong, well-defined, harmonious corporate values and missions. To make all this work, great CX requires committed and enthusiastic understanding and leadership in incorporating customer feedback, building from a place of empathy, and envisioning business endeavors in terms of a journey and a process. CX and company culture are interdependent, and they’re everyone’s job, especially those in trusted positions of leadership.

At Artisan Creative, we’re helping to build the teams, the workplaces, and the customer experiences of the future. Contact us today to learn more.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the 523rd issue of our a.blog.

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How to Find Your Ideal Candidate

Wednesday, April 18th, 2018|

In past posts, we’ve covered some of the important factors that separate effective job descriptions from others. One of the most important is effective SEO using language familiar to your prospects, setting expectations appropriately, and differentiating between strict requirements and “nice-to-haves.”

Today, we’ll share a few pro-level tips that will really set your job descriptions apart and help you attract the most qualified, in-demand candidates.

Go Big

An increasing number of candidates, particularly those of the Millennial generation, are looking for job opportunities that align with their values. Therefore, look beyond the standard compensation package speak and whether or not it’s important to know the full Adobe Creative Suite or just Photoshop. If you want to attract candidates at the cutting edge of technology and culture, write your job descriptions with an eye toward the larger mission of your company – what you do, why you do it, and how larger ideals (and groups of people in need) are served by your work.

Get Small

After you’ve conveyed a broader idea of what it means to work at your company, describe a typical day on the job, in clear, meaningful detail. This will communicate all responsibilities associated with the job, and also give prospective applicants a taste of your company culture. It will also demonstrate that you understand the position you’re hiring for and that you know what sort of candidate would be most apt for it.

Use Pictures, Sounds, and Feelings

Take your first draft and rewrite it, making sure that every sentence paints a picture, creates an experience, and inspires a vivid emotional response to attract your ideal candidate. Potential applicants should be able to visualize an imagined scenario of working and excelling as part of your team. This will result in a memorable job description, and create an opportunity for your ideal candidates to resonate with your corporate culture.

Use Humor

Humor works well only if it’s true to the personality of your company culture. If you write a job description that’s comfortable with the realities of the job and life at your company, you can start the working relationship on a light and friendly note. Most teams of creative professionals who spend a lot of time working together develop their own collective sense of humor, including inside jokes and references. Using humor can separate your job description from thousands of similar ones.

With 20+ years of experience matching creative talent with top clients, we have a refined sense of how to cast a great opportunity in the most flattering light. Nothing makes us happier than making a great match. We know that a lot of pieces have to come together to make that happen, and we’re here to help guide you through that process. Contact Artisan today to get started.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the 467th issue of our a.blog.

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Best Practices For Writing Job Descriptions

Wednesday, March 14th, 2018|

Writing a concise, precise, and compelling job description is an essential skill for managers, recruiters, HR professionals, and anyone with similar responsibilities. A good job description should be widely visible, narrow down your applicant pool to the most qualified, and inspire those top-tier candidates to follow through with their applications.

The best job descriptions do much of the hard work of recruiting before you communicate with any candidates in person. When you learn to write effective job descriptions, you will build a stronger team and make better use of everyone’s time.

Writing high-quality job descriptions relies on an understanding of how communication works in the era of the internet and an appreciation for what your company does including why specific roles matter. If you write job descriptions, keep these best practices in mind.

Know Whom You’re Looking For

The better you understand your role, and what sort of candidate can best fill it and create success, the more effective job description you’re likely to write.

To draw the most qualified candidates and find people you will love to work with, start picturing your ideal applicant and what success looks like. Be as detailed as you can, addressing all the specifics of background, skills, experience, and attitude. Then, write your ad in reverse, as a description of that person.

When doing this exercise, it may help to use some of the formulas that marketers apply to crafting a “buyer persona.”

Regarding requirements and qualifications, make sure you distinguish between those that are truly “required” and those that are simply “nice to have,” or can be learned on the job. You may find a less seasoned candidate who makes up for it with an eagerness to learn.

Soup Up Your SEO

The majority of candidates who respond to an online job listing will discover it using search engine technology. Therefore, in order to communicate with people, you must first communicate with the robots and algorithms that drive online search.

Do some keyword research and make sure you’re using the most common and descriptive terms in your industry. Spend an hour learning the basics of SEO, and it will pay off in much wider exposure for your job ads and attention from more qualified applicants.

Be Mindful of Mobile

More and more people are searching for jobs using mobile devices, and this worldwide trend will only continue.

Therefore, when crafting your ads, make sure that you employ mobile-first copywriting techniques. Keep it short, break information up into small chunks, and place the most important information near the top of the description.

Also, be sure that your postings look good on various browsers and at various screen sizes. The web is constantly adapting, but it always pays to check before you put your job descriptions out into the world.

Stand Out

Considering the immense volume of job listings a typical job seeker is likely to see, your most crucial challenge when writing a job description is to be eye-catching and compelling, and to spark enthusiasm with your ideal candidate.

At Artisan Creative, we have over two decades of experience in matching top-tier creative professionals with opportunities they love. Contact us today to take the first step toward making your ideal match.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the 465th issue of our a.blog.

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5 Tips to Make Your Job Search Less Scary

Tuesday, October 31st, 2017|

Although there are many skills you can develop to make your job search easier, it can still be something of a numbers game. Even highly skilled and in-demand professionals sometimes need to practice patience for longer than they expect. When rejection comes, as it inevitably will at some point, it’s easy to take it personally.

Job hunting can be, in a word, scary!

Experts such as Artisan Creative’s a.team can help your search by sharing insight about a company and the nuances of a specific role and what the hiring manager is looking for.

Fortunately, there are few steps you can take to lessen the fear of encountering that job hunt terror, and maybe even find some excitement and optimism in this challenge most of us face at least a few times in our lives. Here are a few of our favorite ways to make your job hunt less scary.

1. Know What You Want

To find opportunities you can get excited about, you must first understand, in detail, what you are looking for. Talk to one of the professionals at Artisan Creative, ask friends who have jobs they enjoy, and do some serious introspection.

Do you love agency life, or would you rather work for an in-house team? What sorts of projects do you love to tackle? Is your ideal environment clean-cut and corporate, or do you work better with a dog curled up at your feet now and then?

2. Structure Your Search

Some websites will let you apply for dozens of opportunities, and indicating your interest in a role is only a small part of your job search. You should also follow up, tweak, and perfect your resume and portfolio and do the right research.

In The Muse, Richard Moy describes a job-hunting process broken down by days of the week, designed to keep him time with his family and allow plenty of breathing room. Experiment with a structure like this, making sure to respect your personal priorities. You’ll probably have more success in your search if you are practicing self-care and living the best life you can.

3. Manage Your Emotions

Sometimes the lack of rewarding work can feel like an existential threat. You may worry about what might happen if your job search takes too long. When you’re in the throes of a stressful search, it can be easy to take professional rejection as a personal attack. You may get overly excited about one opportunity, only to be disappointed when it doesn’t come through. It can get harder to maintain self-esteem and personal well being.

Paradoxically, when you get emotionally caught up in the highs and lows of the job hunt, you may find it harder to present yourself as the calm and competent professional you know you can be. Then it gets even scarier!

Although the job hunt can be an emotionally intense experience, it can also be an excellent teacher. When you face challenges, you can learn to broaden your perspective and practice emotional control. Learn a simple mindfulness practice to manage your stress levels.

4. Keep It Confidential

If you are starting a new job search while employed, you can start by reaching out privately to recruiters, former colleagues, or anyone else who may be able to help, without drawing too much attention to yourself online. Your search will seem less scary if you have others helping you out.

5. Ask For Help When You Need It

To paraphrase the Rolling Stones’ anthem, you can’t always get what you want, but you can usually get what you need. When you’re scared or in need of help, guidance, or just sympathy, don’t be afraid to ask for it.

If you need specific help, try reaching out to your professional tribe through social media, or send a thoughtful email to a mentor you trust. Make sure you have a partner or close friend who will help talk you through your anxieties about job-hunting.

You can also talk to the experts at Artisan. We have years of experience helping creative professionals find great opportunity and turn fear into fortune. Contact us today to learn more. We hope you enjoy the 448th issue of our weekly a.blog.

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How to Write Compelling Job Descriptions

Wednesday, July 12th, 2017|

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.

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