Are you wondering why you cannot seem to find the best match for a job you need to fill? Tired of going through hundreds of applicants that don’t fit the bill?
Then pause for a while and breathe. Next, get the job description that you made and peruse the contents. Is it easily understandable? Have you provided vital information? Were you specific and accurate in your descriptions?
START WITH A CLEAN SLATE
One of the main culprits of not finding the best candidates for a job is a poorly-written job description.
As the one tasked to find, screen, hire, and train job applicants, it is important that you release a well-crafted job description so as not to attract the wrong people. This is one way for you to already separate the chaff from the wheat, and help your company avoid costly hiring mistakes.
When you are at a quandary on where to start, our tips and insights below will most likely be able to help you avoid errors in recruitment such as writing an ineffective job description.
As a multi-awarded job consultancy firm in Dubai, we can offer you professional guidance on how to attract the right people for the right job. Our years of experience and expertise in offering topnotch recruitment services around the globe have helped us gain a proven track record of matching excellent candidates with the some of the leading companies in the UAE and abroad.
To achieve success in your hunt for the right applicant, here are five traps that you should avoid when writing job descriptions:
TRAP #1: VAGUE JOB TITLES
When writing job titles, you have to paint a clear picture of what the job is. Make sure that it answers the following questions:
● What is the accurate description of the job? Writing “Digital Marketing Officer” instead of “Marketing Staff” will most likely attract applicants who have expertise in digital marketing, thus streamlining your search.
● Does the job title indicate ranking order? E.g. Junior Sales Representative or Senior Manager for Administrative Affairs
● Does it exaggerate a role? While it may be refreshing to use playful rewording on “traditional” titles, it can also lead to a lot of confusion as well as waste of time, energy, and resources entertaining avid applicants who were attracted to the catchy job title (e.g. saying Director of Hallway Maintenance instead of Janitor).
● Is the title generic enough for comparison to similar jobs? This helps applicants when they do their comparative search in terms of work conditions and pay.
According to a survey done by Appcast on what makes candidates click, lengthy job titles can pose a risk to attracting less qualified applicants. The click-to-apply data demonstrated that job titles with 50-60 characters pose the highest probability of drawing in more qualified candidates.
TRAP #2: A DELUGE OF DUTIES
Writing down the specific responsibilities of a job down to the minutest detail can have its downside.
When listing down the duties and responsibilities of a certain job, be careful not to mention every little task that needs to be done and the way to do it (e.g. “In charge of stapling together all documents. In stapling documents, the staple wire should be positioned an inch…”)
You only need to come up with a clear and concise bulleted list of the key responsibilities, the desired outcome, and the required time to do such task (e.g. “Create a quarterly media plan that will generate at least $3 million in PR values”).
Preferably, it should:
● List the most important task first (or the most time-consuming)
● Not exceed three sentences for clarity and readability.
● Be more focused on the outcome instead of how the tasks as to be accomplished.
● Not exceed fifteen items.
● Include extraordinary conditions such as travel, relocation, and exposure to radioactivity, etc.
TRAP #3: UNDEFINED SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
A good job applicant will know the difference between skills and competencies. You should provide for two separate spaces for each so they can indicate their specific attributes in them.
Skills will refer to their learned knowledge such as proficiency in accounting programs, for example. Competencies will be more about their innate characteristics that will add value to their work such as leadership, teamwork, adaptability, and dedication.
TRAP #4: BLURRED LINES AT WORK
Every organization has a working hierarchy and this must be clear to the applicant as to what department or division he reports to and work with. Direct working lines and relationships must also be included so the applicant gets a glimpse into the working dynamics and relationships within the company.
A clear and simple organizational chart that demonstrates the working relationships will also help. Vertical lines can show reporting hierarchy while horizontal lines can depict working relationships, e.g. between departments.
An example will be:
The Assistant Vice President for Media Communications will be under the direct supervision of the Office of the Vice President for Marketing.
Trap #5: Secret salary
Keeping the applicant in the dark regarding remuneration and other employee benefits will deter qualified candidates from actively pursuing the job posting. It is advisable that a salary range be included in your job description.
You may also include specific employee privileges such as a health card, car and housing, and travel opportunities, if applicable.
A WORKING FORMULA
Considering the above mentioned tips will certainly up your chances of success in attracting high-caliber candidates for your job vacancy. However, if you don’t have the time or inclination to go through such pains, you can always enlist the assistance of a professional job recruitment agency.
Highly capable headhunters in the UAE like the ones we have at Robbert Murray and Associates can also lend you indispensable knowledge and expertise on how to avoid these traps.
The laborious task of poring over hundreds of applications, screening applicants, and conducting numerous interviews will all be lifted from your shoulders.
Our years of experience in the industry will churn out a formula for success that will attract and acquire the best talent for your organization.
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