Companies complain that they cannot find talented workers. Could the job advertisements on the web be the cause of this difficulty?
Today's announcements are too long, boring, filled with clichés such as "we are looking for a team player", and overloaded with work requirements, many of which are not strictly necessary.
A good job description for so-called 'open' positions should be a maximum of 300 words, conveying a clear picture of the situation, as well as a sense of the employer's culture. Too often adverts fail at their simplest job: encouraging 'talent' to apply. Applicants spend an average of just 76,7 seconds reading even important job postings before deciding whether to send their resume or opt out.
Some companies have thus decided to pay job search start-ups to help them with the daunting task of making these posts more vital, shorter and easier to use for job seekers online or through smartphones.
TheMuse.com, a career website, requires companies to write a two-sentence summary of each position they seek and add a well-written description. Companies featured on the site pay a monthly fee, which includes editing help to make sure job summaries are appropriate and the creation of an employer profile page that includes videos of employees describing their work.
“It's no longer about getting as many applicants as possible,” said Kathryn Minshew, founder of TheMuse.com. “The goal is to get 10 candidates who reflect the type of person you are looking for”.
Indeed, many companies source candidates through internal promotions, employee referrals, and social networking sites, but 40%-50% of jobs are still advertised via a post on traditional job sites or career websites.
According to many HR directors, two mistakes in particular should be avoided: first of all, unrealistic expectations because it is very unlikely that any person will meet the 15 published job description criteria, then the laziness on the part of hiring managers to identify what is really essential.
Too many requirements can also discourage some well-prepared candidates: one study noted that women in general only apply for jobs when they believe they meet all the requirements, while men enter the competition even if they meet only 60% of the titles.
Still, those long lists of points have a role to play, as job descriptions can be helpful in setting internal expectations and goals. But the split between the job description and the job posting can help.
Sodexo SA, a food manufacturing company, uses two documents, a longer one for performance management, a shorter version for recruitment. A few months ago it began overhauling all of its 900 recruiting descriptions, removing jargon and adding buzz and keywords to make them more searchable online.
