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Today’s Question: What unique and informative details do you include in your job descriptions to attract top candidates?
The answers below are provided by members of FounderSociety, an invitation-only organization composed of ambitious startup founders and business owners.
1. Our Option to Work From Home
We’ve found that a really big recruitment tool for us has been putting “ability to work from home” in our job descriptions. Because we are a cloud-based ad agency, there’s no reason qualified applicants can’t work from home some of the time. Creatives don’t like being stuck in a box, so giving them this option part-time has helped boost productivity and morale.
We mention how employees are given free memberships to the gym next door and how we have regular team-running clubs and gym outings. A lot of candidates love the idea that their workplace will encourage them to live healthier lives.
Though it is a good idea to write creative descriptions, unusual titles may confuse applicants, causing them to lose interest before even applying. Titles like “code ninja” can make experienced candidates think you’re looking for a 19-year-old who is fresh out of college and also hurt you job’s exposure. For example, no one is searching for “IT wizard” anywhere.
Rather than sending out a typical job post, I actually build a resume for my potential employees. My company “looks” for a “job,” which would be our new employees. That makes my company stand out.
We look for individuals who know themselves and appreciate what they offer, so we make sure to ask them what differentiates them from other candidates for the job. As a result, we get a variety of answers that sometimes lends to finding a candidate with a unique skill set or personality characteristic that enables more of a fit than we would have thought to ask for.
