How to Sell a “Bad” Job to Top Talent

 Wouldn’t it be nice if the positions we were marketing to candidates were always exciting job opportunities within great employer brands and successful businesses? Truth is, not every company is a Google, Apple, GE or a glaringly white-teethed success story. Many companies are just middle of the road, some may be loss making, many will have low morale, high turnover, disengaged employees, and boring and out of dates products. How do you sell a “bad” job to top talent and make them sign on the dotted line and walk through that door. I’ve described several strategies that can help enable this below.

1. Don’t Mention the Bad Bits

One obvious strategy is to just focus on the good bits and don’t mention the bad points. The problem is that, thanks to social media and networking, the employee may know all about the issues and is therefore expecting to be persuaded – which will be an opportunity that you will have missed to make counter arguments.

On the other hand, the problems may have been kept under wraps, meaning that “leaving out the details” could be an effective strategy that could help you to seduce and close on the candidate. The problem is that research shows  that employees who have had a sugar coated job preview (rather than realistic job preview) are less loyal and are less engaged. So, while leaving out the bad bits may be an effective way to sell a bad job to top talent, this technique is most likely storing up problems for the future.

2. Truth and Opportunity

Another approach is to be truthful about the bad bits as research shows that candidates who have received a realistic job preview are more loyal and engaged, assuming they accept the role.

Also, you can deal with the reduced attractiveness of the job/company by presenting it as an opportunity to make their mark, raise the bar and build a glowing reputation for themselves. It could be easier following a failure than a superstar as the bar is much lower. I mean would you want to be the person replacing legends like Michael Jordan or Pele when the bar was set so high and having your subsequent performance compared to theirs? Isn’t there some value in replacing a lesser light, e.g. an opportunity to lift the firm out of the doldrums and shine?

3. Agree on Conditions of Acceptance

Some top talent may be up for the challenge on the proviso that certain conditions be met; for example, that additional budgets or head count be made available and that they be given increased autonomy or increased support. Establish what these conditions of acceptance are and forge deals within the business with key decision makers so you can grant the employee the desired conditions of acceptance, which will increase your chances of seduction and getting them to sign on the dotted line.

4. Show that You’re a Worthwhile Investment for the Future

Top talent will want their individual job to work out, but they will also want to be part of a winning time; so, to really convince them to join, you’ll need to show them your plans for success. In truth, you are asking them to invest in you now for success in the future. Do as you would when wooing any potential investor and have a key figure pitch them your turnaround plan or business plan – so they really believe in the viable and lucrative future of the business.

Of course, there is no magic wand for selling a bad job to top talent; in some cases it may just be an unsaleable product, but these strategies can certainly help you in many situations to encourage top talent to sign on the dotted line in a less than optimum, even unattractive, setting.