In a few short weeks, the Social Recruiting Strategies Conference will head to the Windy City, where Jason Webster of Ongig will talk about compelling job descriptions and how they can be used to delight top talent. During his session “What Candidates Really Want: Candidate Delight!” conference attendees will learn what “A-Players” are looking for, why it matters and how to get there.
In preparation for the event, I had the opportunity to chat briefly with Webster about his session and how it appeals to a broad recruiting audience.
Boring Job Descriptions Do Not Delight
“I’ve literally picked the brains of 150 candidates to find what they look for in positions and how they find them,” said Webster. “People work so hard to source candidates but then rely on the same old job descriptions, so we’ll look at how to make the job seeking experience both fun and engaging.”
Though an incredible amount of focus is being placed on social recruiting, mobile recruiting and other emerging technology right now, the recruitment process really boils down to the visibility of an organization and how attractive it is to top talent. And a large part of the attraction piece comes from knowing who you’ll work for, who you’ll work with and what the environment is like.
“Three of the main reasons people leave a company are their boss, their coworkers and the culture. However, if you go online today, 95% of job advertisements don’t show these things,” Webster said. “Most of the time you can’t even find an address!”
Using Visual Job Descriptions
Aside from making the basics clear to job seekers, it’s important to go above and beyond to reach what Webster calls the “A-Players,” who are likely passive candidates.
“Companies have the mentality that ‘everyone wants to work here,’ but most “A-Players” are not going out of the way to find you and do extra work for you,” said Webster. “It all comes down to delighting them.”
According to Webster, one way to do this is through video, which seems to be an emerging trend in the recruitment space. Not only does it provide a compelling visual, it makes it easier for companies to showcase the things that candidates care most about.
How Do I Get Started?
If you’re ready to start delighting candidates with your job descriptions, register for SRSC Chicago to attend Jason’s session on Thursday, May 24. If you can’t make the conference and want to follow along on Twitter, use the hashtag #SRSC.
Image: SolarFeeds
Author: Autumn McReynolds
Autumn McReynolds is a master of communication, and with two years in the recruiting industry and over five years of experience in journalism and content creation, she was thrilled to take her career in a new direction as a Blogger and Content Strategist focused on talent acquisition in the digital age. In addition to writing, Autumn spends her time managing social media accounts for business and pleasure. Follow her on Twitter @AutumnMcRey.
Thanks for the article. I’m super excited to share my knowledge and passion for “Candidate Delight” next month!
No problem – thanks for chatting with me! It’s a great topic, and I look forward to hearing more at SRSC next month.