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You Only Have 3 Seconds…

by | Oct 23, 2012 | Employee Hiring, Interview Process

I have read multiple articles recently about writing resumes, and the primary school of thought is that a candidate has 3 second to capture the attention of the hiring manager. The resume has to be easy to scan, because the hiring manager is looking at hundreds of resumes, and they will only look at the candidate for 3 seconds.

Did you know that the same is true for candidates looking at job ads? When a candidate is applying for jobs online, they will review a ton of job ads in one sitting, and apply to those jobs that sound appealing.

So how do you write a job ad that stands out? Here are a few tips:

1)    Do not use your job description as your job ad. Usually job descriptions are long and tedious to read, so candidates will not spend the time to read it fully and completely. They will scan it, and you have 3 seconds to capture their interest.

2)    Use your mission statement in the first line of the ad. Candidates want to know that their work is playing a part in something larger than themselves. They want to know that their work matters, so tell them WHY your company is doing what it does.

3)    Keep it short. Begin with your mission statement, use a few bullet points to tell candidates what you are looking for, and then give clear instructions on how to apply. You can always give candidates more information as the interview process continues.

When you are writing your job ad, remember this is a marketing piece.  Make the ad a direct reflection of the job, the mission and the values of your company. It is an invitation for them to apply, and you want the tone to be positive. At the end of the day, you only have 3 seconds….

Shake Out the Rug

by | Sep 22, 2011 | Updating Position Criteria

Have you ever walked by a small dust bunny on the floor and thought “I should sweep that up.” Instead, you lift the corner of the rug and shove it underneath with your toe. Later, you take time to lift up the rug and are appalled by what you find! Hiring for a vacant position works much the same way.

When entering into the interview process, take the opportunity to evaluate and “sweep up” your job position to begin your search from a fresh perspective. Review the job description with the person who is exiting. Revisit how the open position fits into the company structure and make changes to its reporting requirements. Reinvent the duties, responsibilities, and expectations of the position to meet any progressive changes within the company. And shake out the rug by letting go of any residual bad feelings you may have about the previous employee, especially if the termination was unpleasant.

Cleaning your rug and sprucing up the position is not only necessary thing to do for the company, but it sets up your A-list Candidate for successful working experience.