Job Posting vs Job Description: Avoid Confusion

Have you ever stopped yourself in the middle of reading a job posting because you could not see its end?

What appeals to you about your purchasing decisions? The user’s manual, or the benefits that will meet your needs?

When shopping, what prompts you to enter a business? Its showcase or its financial statements?

These are the questions I brought to candidates for thought in my article A CV To Stand Out.

These same questions apply to employers so that the first impression is the right one, whether for display or direct approaches.

Because at the end of the day, it is all about your company being more attractive than other employers.

Here are a few tips that will help you maximize your response rate by standing out.

The difference

The job posting is often confused with the job description. Yet a big difference remains.

According to the Office québécois de la langue française, a job description is “the tasks, responsibilities and authority relations inherent in a position as well as the professional competence and qualities required to occupy it” and it results from a job analysis. It is usually found in company HR manuals as well as appendices to employment contracts and is intended to be an administrative document.

On the other hand, the job posting should be short, concise, and inviting, presenting a brief description of the job and the company so that potential candidates feel engaged and want to know more. Personally, I limit myself to 300 and 400 words. And the shorter ones are often the ones with the best impact.

The same role as a store showcase.

The job posting is therefore… a marketing tool!

A personae for each position

Through the job posting, candidates should see a career opportunity, a logical next step in their professional development, beyond a vacant position.

To do this, you must avoid the endless list of what the company is looking for, but rather position yourself in the place of candidates with the typical profile you are looking for, and how you can raise their interest.

In marketing, we call “personae” the representation of the typical customer.

In recruitment, the personae is the typical candidate. The better you know about him or her, the greater your chances of arousing an emotion, capturing his or her attention and interest.

• What are their motivations, ambitions, frustrations?
• What are their values?
• How do they realize themselves, what are the elements that can prevent it from happening?

The indispensable and the essential … only!

Here is one of the biggest challenges – because everything seems so important!

While attention must be drawn quickly, emotion must prevail over the rational, the job posting must captivate by keeping a mystery, attract not the greatest number of candidates, but those whose profile most closely relates to the position.

Here are the important things to include:

• Title – ideally with location and salary, when possible)
• Company presentation
• Key responsibilities (maximum of 8… essential and essential only!)
• Conditions of employment and working environment
• Candidates profile. What matters only – education, experience, conditions, essential requirements. Avoid overly detailed qualities such as “thorough, organized, teamwork, collaborative, etc. Because no one will say they are not when submitting their application. You will be able to validate during the interviews, evaluating skills.

We vs You

Gone are the days when employers would pull from a CV bank and be spoiled for choice. The world of employment is constantly changing, and a shortage of qualified talent is still real.

To maximize the chances that candidates will be attracted to your organization, avoid the classic and outdated formulas of the “We” type by replacing them with the “You”, representing the candidates. For example:

– “We are looking for” => “You are looking for”

– “We want” => “You want”

– “You must” => “We offer you”

Then all you need to do is relate what the position and your company will bring to candidates.

For example:

“Recognized communicator, you enjoy initiating and being part of major cost reduction projects, purchasing strategies, performance optimization, innovation and new product development”

Would be more inviting than:

“We are looking for a candidate with strong communication skills, a strong sense of initiative and performance optimization skills. The candidate will have to put in place purchasing strategies and cost reduction projects “.

The message remains the same you will say … but it will generate a different emotion.

Put your employer brand forward!

What are the elements that make you an employer of choice, your distinctive elements?

How can your positioning in the market influence the interest of potential candidates?

Why do your employees stay? Why do people want to join your organization?

Get to know yourself well and be able to identify the elements that differentiate you from other employers. The secret could be there, so put your organization first!

Take nothing for granted!

Each position will have its own posting, as the candidate profiles will be different. And so, will their expectations and ambitions to be.

Evaluate the performance of your job postings, compare them, run tests, adjust them if necessary if you are not getting the desired results!

Would you like to discuss your attraction strategy that will allow you to maximize your recruitment efforts and support your growth?

Write to us at info@jumprecruteurs.ca or directly at my address steeve@jumprecruteurs.ca and we will be happy to discuss and support you through the various stages.

For more tips on attraction, you can also read my article Talent Management: Attraction.