Holding a Job Seeker's Attention

For decades, the most common way to advertise your job opening was a classified ad.  And when writing a classified ad, every word mattered... both for the cost of the ad and for the attention of the reader.  

Then came along the internet, followed by job boards. And the cost per word disappeared. It makes sense that hiring companies would post their job description. But it doesn't work very well because a job description is not a job ad. 

Advertisers have been refining their craft for over 100 years. Going back to the early days of catalogs & newspapers, moving into radio & television, and today the world is learning how to advertise on the Internet.

For hiring companies, the art of advertising helps you get the attention of the job seekers you want to interview & hire. It's more nuanced than using colors or bold print or fonts.

Job boards perform differently in each market and for various industries.  Before you spend money on a board, consult with an expert who knows which board will get you an acceptable ROI.

One Click Apply made life easier for job seekers and harder for hiring companies.  It takes experience to quickly separate the interviewable applicants from the spam.

A job description is primarily written for HR Compliance. It works well for managing employee performance, but it was never intended to be used as an advertisement to attract job seekers.

Writing a job ad requires getting into the job seeker's mindset. Understanding what they will find fulling about the work. Yes, people still care about the company and their manager. But what they care about even more in today's job market is the fulfillment they will receive from the job.

Decades spent recruiting people into jobs has shown us what causes people to apply, interview, and say yes to the offer. That has changed over time. It has shifted from the company brand to the manager's approach and now to the daily work. 

Job seekers are focused on quality of life, and they want to talk less about the day one requirements of the job and more about what it will be like to live in the job for a year or longer.

Most people don't wake up and want to search for a job. It's stressful. And once they decide to do it, they encounter...

• Searching on a job board
• Clicking on multiple ads
• Deciding whether to apply
• Waiting for a response
• Talking to a HR screener
• Taking an assessment
• Interviewing with the hiring manager
• Meeting the team

By the time an offer might come, the job seeker is exhausted. Hiring companies who make the process more enjoyable are going to hold job seeker's attention longer.

Unfortunately it is typical for a job seeker to go days without hearing anything from the hiring company. Time gaps are common between apply & first contact, between screening & interviewing, and between interview & offer.

Each of these time gaps create doubt in the job seeker's mind. And as doubt builds, most job seeker's start to turn their attention elsewhere, making it likely another hiring company will get them. 

Not only do you lose a good applicant, but you lose the time already invested in the pursuit.

Hiring managers do not have time to review every applicant. Plus, it can be mind numbing to review 10 resumes before you get to interview a single applicant.

Filtering applicants is an important function of hiring. Focusing on the needs of the hiring manager allows HR to support them efficiently without losing the attention of the applicant.

ATS's put process and technology underneath the talent acquisition function, and we couldn't do what we do if we didn't use an ATS. And yet, we remind ourselves to never lose the human touch.

Providing a concierge service to applicants helps hold their attention as you move them through the process from apply to interview to offer.