Tag Archives: job opening

Attracting Quality Talent with Job Postings

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Attracting quality talent has its challenges (or let’s face it, you wouldn’t be reading this!) You could just seek the help of a local staffing firm (or better yet, ours!), or you might decide to take on the challenge of finding your dream hire alone. If you do, you’ll want to know the tips and tricks used by recruiters to help you get the process going.

Job boards are arguably the best tool a staffing agency has. But signing up and paying the monthly fee alone won’t make the magic happen. You’ll need to understand how to narrow your searches using string searching such as Boolean and be able to write the ultimate job description. Since posting jobs are typically the most effective use of job boards, let’s learn how to guarantee you’ll receive lots of qualified candidates!

Keep it Simple!

Job titles should not be more than a couple words long. They should be short and descriptive. Try to avoid internal job names if they vary from the industry’s terminology. For example, if the industry uses the title Call Center Manager – Chief Chatter might not attract the right talent!

Be Specific.

The core of any job post is the responsibilities section.  This section should tell an interested candidate exactly what they’d be doing in your opening. Keep the responsibilities concise and specific. Instead of saying the individual hired would be responsible for answering phone calls, routing calls, taking messages and returning voicemails it’d be better to say they would be responsible for managing a multi-line phone system which receives an average of 100-200 phone calls per day. We’ve quantified the latter description to make sure your applicants are comfortable with that type of call frequency and given them an idea of the pace of work.

Qualify, qualify, qualify…

When listing the qualifications for the position try to list them in order of importance. You may not find candidates that meet all of the bullet points on your list, but they might fill the top 3 and be just what you need. Limit this list to 5 items as too many qualifications can discourage even the most confident candidate.

How About the Perks?

Let’s give them something to get excited about! With the lowest unemployment rate in the last 50 years you’re in serious competition. You need to motivate them to apply by putting your best foot forward. This is where you can list things like the pay structure (where it’s base plus commission or bonuses), opportunities for career development, company culture, health programs and benefits, vacation time, company vehicles, etc., etc.

If you check all of these boxes you’re off to a good start. Remember to keep your post concise. It’s a job seekers market and most applicants today are applying from mobile devices. The goal is to capture their attention, help them envision their role with you and prompt them to apply. Don’t drop the ball in the last second of the game and remember to respond quickly to quality candidates or you’ll miss out.

Job Openings Outnumber Unemployed: What Should Companies Do?

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The number of job openings has exceeded the number of the unemployed for the second month now, setting it at 7.45 million open jobs to 5.82 million unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the largest margin on record – leaving a gap at 1.63 million – which is why so many employers are having a tough time finding good, quality candidates. While the number of openings in April decreased by 25,000, the number of hires increased by 240,000 and the unemployed fell by 387,000. Employers are eager to fill roles as the week’s pass, so what should they be doing in order to fill their jobs?

One of the most obvious things employers can do is raise wages. Quality candidates know their worth when they come in for interviews, so if you offer them something lower than what they expected, then it probably will not work out.  Raising wages in your company improves the productivity, motivation, and overall morale in your company. In the end, don’t you want employees who want to come in and work hard to make a positive impact on the company?

Another way companies can help with the job openings to unemployment ratio is to be quick when making a hiring decision. Did you know it takes one to three weeks to hear back from a company after you’ve applied? And the job hiring process as a whole? That can take up to twelve weeks; maybe, even more, depending on how many applicants the company receives. Twelve weeks is a long time to wait for one job and, most of the time, candidates are going through more than one interview process. Some ways you can speed up hiring is letting your internal team know what positions are open and see if any of them want to make the switch to a new department. By letting your employees know, they can also dig up some quality candidates of their own through their network. To speed up the hiring process, companies can also be more selective about the candidates they bring in for an interview and reach out to those not chosen so they can move on in their job search. One last thing that will help speed up the hiring process is using a staffing company, like HealthCare Support. Hiring recruiting and staffing firms for your hiring needs may cost money but will save you tons of time because while they are busy finding and screening quality candidates, you and your employees will be doing your own work with the thought that your company is in good hands. If speeding up the hiring process seems like a tough thing to do because of the size of your company, then focus on staying in touch with your candidates every step of the hiring process so they won’t lose interest.

The last thing companies can do is improve their company culture. With millennials becoming the main group in today’s workforce, they are drawn to companies that have an awesome company culture with great perks and benefits. Some of the most common questions millennials ask during an interview are, “what’s the company culture  like” and “do you like working here?” This allows them to get a feel if your employees are happy working for your company. Some of the perks and benefits that candidates are most drawn to are flexible hours, company incentive trips and prizes, unlimited PTO, gym membership discounts, healthcare coverage, working remotely, and food catering. A company’s culture makes a huge impact on one’s decision to work for a company, so in order to fill jobs, have a company culture that stands out from other companies.

With job openings exceeding the unemployed by about one million, now is as good a time as any to start thinking about what changes you can make to reel these unemployed in. Increasing wages, speeding up the hiring process, and improving your company culture are a great place to start.  Partnering with a staffing firm like HealthCare Support who can guide you through the process and provide insight to industry supply and demand, salary averages and speed up new employee onboarding could be just what your company needs.

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