Are you a hiring manager or HR Leader who hears crickets when posting jobs?
Do you spend hours posting positions only to receive a few unqualified candidates or non at all?
What if, instead, you received well-qualified, brilliant, and engaged professionals who can’t wait to hear from you about your position?
We hear you. We’ve been there and have developed a new approach to job descriptions to help you attract the high-caliber talent your company needs to grow in this hyper-competitive market. This fresh approach changes the entire narrative of the job description and puts focus not on your company, not on the department or manager, but puts attention on the one person you need. The real Hero of your company’s story: The Candidate.
How’d we get here? You may have noticed that our popular culture has changed drastically over the recent years. Thanks to the influence of the internet, social media, and smartphones, we’ve become much more conditioned to think of ourselves and put more attention to feelings before other factors. Your ideal candidate has likely grown up seeking approval through Likes, Shares, etc., in addition to other influences. We’re the Hero of our selfie story, and modern marketing has caught onto this. A great example is the Lexus December To Remember commercial where the husband buys a brand new car for his wife. The commercial is speaking directly to the husband, who seeks to be the Christmas hero and needs Lexus’ help to have their wife fall in love with him all over again.
This commercial is not unique.
Another example is the Nike “Dream With Us” ad campaign featuring U.S. Soccer star, Alex Morgan, inspiring millions to follow their highest goals, with the athletic apparel company’s help.
The formula has been hiding in plain site: The Hero, the customer or the perfect candidate in our case, needs a guide (the product, or your opportunity) to inspire them and take action.
Now that you recognize the formula, you’ll see it play out again and again on TV and web commercials. There is less emphasis on the brand and the product’s value; while these are important, you’ll notice more focus on the story’s Hero, the buyer ie. your ideal candidate. The same formula works very well for attracting candidates, the real Hero, into your organization. We’ll help you put this candidate marketing approach to use so you can get back to building a great company and serving your customers.
Using a term other than “description” in your thought process can be very helpful. Job Descriptions are very useful internal documents. However, think of advertisements for external documents. Job Descriptions, while important, to be honest, are stale and boring. Advertisements when done right, are fun, entertaining, and tell a great story. And every great story needs a Hero!
Now that you’re thinking along the lines of job ads vs. descriptions, start by developing your storyline. Don’t overthink this step! No, you might not be writing the next New York Times Bestseller or an Oscar screenplay, but you will start to pull the main character (your ideal candidate) into the story of the position and company. It’s a fairly straight foreword process, and we’ll show you how!
First, start by considering whom you want to make the Hero. What type of person is your ideal candidate? Much the same way fancy advertising agencies define an “Ideal Consumer Profile,” think of an “Ideal Candidate Profile.” What is important to your perfect candidate? What do they love to tell their friends and family about their work? What do they want out of the opportunity? How do they picture themselves? As you can imagine, when engineering, manufacturing, and architecture consider a new position, they start by telling themselves a story of what they’ll get to accomplish, how they’ll help change the world, and how they’ll be rewarded for their feats.
Once you’ve taken notes of what attributes, motivations, and emotions inspires your Hero, begin creating the introduction to their story. An impactful way to start is by using questions that start to paint the picture for them. For example, here’s a simple starter: “Are you a creative Architect who’d like to make a big impact on your community?” Your ideal candidate will naturally think, “Yes, that’s me!” and continue reading. “Do you value balance in your life and enjoy family time, as much as you love great design?” Again, your candidates will think, “Yes! Tell me more!” From here, you can get into the detail of what your role entails.
Once you’ve invited your Hero into their story, keep them engaged with inviting words that don’t repeal them. Words like “Duties”, “Requirements”, and “Must” distract the Hero from taking your call to action (Apply!). Instead, substitute this narrative with “You’ll be empowered to:”, “You’ll be trusted to” “You’ll Bring:”, “Your expertise includes:” Using these terms and phrases keeps the interest level high, and doesn’t turn your perfect hire away from their story, and keep them on their journey to your company.
Using this new approach throughout the entire process will keep your great candidates engaged and interested in moving forward to next steps.
Advanced Tip: Don’t stop your genuine and honest Hero messaging once they start!
Once you have your hero picturing themselves saving the day in their new role, it’s time to show what their rewards will be. These rewards include company culture, values, benefits, and what’s unique about your company. Spoiler alert: All companies have great benefits, PTO, and health care. What are unique benefits that only you can offer? Often, this is communicated through your company’s vision, values, and mission statements. Whether written or not, every organization has a vision and values. Explain authentically to the hero how your product or service serves others, and the positive impact it has on our world.
Every person seeks to help those around them, their communities and their world. Candidates seek a way they can be the Hero, and your company values and visions shows them how they will advance your mission and save the day.
From here, the script falls into place, and you’ll create an authentic, real story for the Hero within.
Ready to start hiring your next Superhero? We’ve got you covered with a sampling of hero-centered advertisements here.