Since human resources are a top expense, invest in finding valuable employees to scale the business.
As startups pay more attention to the employee lifecycle, recruiting takes priority. It all starts with a well-crafted, attractive job posting.
To catch attention, the posting should emphasize the most exciting aspects of the position and company while being forthright.
Invest time in defining the job for a mutually positive outcome:
Benefit the company. Plan how this new role will interact with others and collaborate productively.
Attract viable applicants. Include specific criteria for success and opportunities to develop as the company grows.
Reflect your values. Demonstrate your commitment to clarifying the expectations clearly leads to a mutual respect.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵
To build the best job posting, interview people who will work with the position and discuss how the role will impact the company.
Then create a concise version for public posting. Shorter job posts receive more attention.*
Apply your branding in format and writing style. However, AVOID being excessive about your company (discussed more below). Include the major potential downsides. Why waste everyone's time with interviews if there are clear deal-breakers?
The job posting should be concise and clear. Interviews will reflect your values and the website and social media will carry the brand.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Often, it’s tempting to look for someone who can do everything all under one title. To find the best person, be sure to fit your expectations into one role. As a gut check, compare your posting to others.
Separate essential and preferred qualifications. All qualifications should tie to success now and to potential learning as you grow.
Consider qualifications which carry forward over many roles.
As the company grows, it’s unlikely the job needed today will be the same in 6 months, let alone 3 years. 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴-𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲. Also, be clear on core values. You will interview for them later, but set the expectation in the posting.
𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱?
There are pros and cons to including compensation in the posting.
By including the salary range and any bonus considerations, candidates can decide instantly whether the job is worth applying. It also makes future conversations easier since the expectations are already set, especially if there is no flexibility in salary.
On the other hand, listing the compensation may detract viable candidates who would otherwise love the role. The job may still be interesting based on important aspects such as exciting responsibilities, collaborative team, coaching-minded supervisor, potential promotions, company growth, etc.
Also, if an amazing candidate would warrant further consideration and a higher salary, then hold off posting the compensation.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀
Some candidates really care about benefits. Offering strong health benefits, paid time off, and retirement plan could be huge. Other benefits include work flexibility, parental leave, paid training, social events, and other perks which influence a decision.**
Include stock options to lure the right people who want to align with your company’s success.***
Offering a share of the anticipated upside aligns motivations and behaviors towards growth.
Be sure to explain opportunities to grow in the role. If you know the career path for high performers, emphasize that in the job posting. You want to attract driven candidates who care about growth.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆
In the post, talk about the company - but only briefly. Incorporate the brand, vision, and values in the writing and add links. Interested applicants will do their own research.
Consider a landing page for recruiting where candidates can take a deep dive into the company. Include videos and pictures there, as well as recent articles and posts, displays of work outings, and quick interviews from employees.
Check you scores on Glassdoor and other sites which talk about working at your company (and respond if necessary).
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁
Like all good content, put the most compelling attributes (role and company) in the Summary. Grab candidates' interest immediately.
𝑨𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆. Overly casual job posts tend to perform worse than more generic posts (candidates are 2-4x less likely to apply).**** This is also true compared to overly professional or quirky listings.
Avoid gender-biased language (e.g. “aggressive,” “dominant,” and “rock star”) which may turn away some highly qualified people.
Other considerations:
Use common terms since too many insider terms may detract a wider base or seem arrogant (you will evaluate qualifications later)
Post early in the week (the number of views goes down as the week progresses)
Pick a title people know (helps with keyword searches)
Research other posts to ensure yours is not too far out of line, unless that's intentional. If you are not getting responses, adjust your content or style. Apply A-B Testing***** on headers and messaging.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
There are many ways to post: job boards, social media, industry media, and network groups offer a range of benefits and downsides.
However, 𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍 for job applicants. Employees will tell the candidate about your company, helping screen interest, and they don’t want to risk their reputation by introducing someone who does not work out.
Also, typically people of like-minded motivation and skills appreciate each other’s talents, so it’s likely the referral will be a strong fit.
I strongly recommend a bonus for referrals. The saving in time, money, and alignment makes a small reward completely worthwhile.
Two more thoughts in promoting new roles:
𝑷𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔. Always search for new places to list. Growth comes from a diversity of ideas and if you are missing a key population, then you may be missing their ideas too.
𝑴𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒔. Evaluate outcomes based on search costs. Determine which sites bring the most applicants, interviews, offers, and even long-term hires.
You always want to spend money where it works. Invest in finding the best.
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* Article on shorter job posts: https://bit.ly/3jRX08G
** Post on Startup Compensation: https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/post/ad205acb
*** Post on stock options, go here: https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/post/9327d7fa
**** Article on casual tone: https://bit.ly/30k1m1h
***** Post on A-B Testing: https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/post/d46e1519