I recently spoke with an HR Director who wanted to post a job on her own and find the right candidate through internal efforts. As this was not a mission-critical role, the strategy made sense.
After 3 weeks of posting the job on several job boards, she had 51 applicants with only 2 being relevant or a potentially good fit for the job. Somewhere in that equation is an opportunity to craft a better story and save precious time and resources. We’ve got 60 seconds to capture the attention of your ideal candidate and yawn-inspiring bullet points, won’t get it done.
In this edition of “Engineering 365,” we’re digging into strategies that can transform your applicant flow. We’re not just posting vacancies and hoping for the best. Let’s explore how we can craft narratives, ignite passions, and build bridges between dreams and reality through our job postings!
Tell a story instead of listing requirements:
Craft a captivating narrative that introduces your company, its mission, and the challenges it faces. Describe the role and its significance in the grand scheme of things and explain how the candidate’s expertise will contribute to overcoming obstacles and achieving goals. This storytelling approach will pique the interest of potential candidates and make them feel like they’re embarking on an exciting, meaningful journey with your company.
Leverage multimedia formats:
Consider creating a video that showcases your company culture and the role’s responsibilities through interviews, office tours, or animations. Alternatively, use infographics to visually represent essential information, like key skills, company values, and benefits. Interactive content, such as quizzes or games, can also engage potential candidates and create a memorable impression that distinguishes your job posting from the rest.
Encourage creativity in applications:
Instead of the traditional resume and cover letter, invite candidates to showcase their skills and personality through unconventional means. This could be a portfolio of their most impressive work, a video pitch that demonstrates their enthusiasm and expertise, or a creative writing piece that highlights their problem-solving abilities. By inviting originality, you’ll foster an engaging application process and better assess the candidate’s fit for your company.
Use data-driven insights:
Analyze the backgrounds, skills, and career trajectories of your most successful employees to identify common factors that contributed to their success. Leverage these insights to fine-tune your job postings, focusing on the skills, experiences, and qualities that matter most. Include others who are currently in the job, or have been in the past, to analyze your requirements for the job. This data-driven approach will help you target the right candidates and make more informed hiring decisions.
Create an interactive job preview:
Develop an immersive experience that allows potential candidates to explore the role and your company culture before applying. This could include a virtual office tour with interactive hotspots, an online quiz that gauges their skills and suitability, or a simulation of typical tasks they would perform on the job. By offering a hands-on preview, you’ll not only attract genuinely interested candidates but also help them make an informed decision about their fit for the role.
With these strategies at your disposal, you’ll create a hiring experience that not only captivates potential candidates but leaves a lasting impression!
Here are three ways that we can help you…
CTS carries out deep talent mapping, nationwide, to ensure our shortlists contain only the very best leaders for your Engineering and Manufacturing teams.
1. We help to attract and retain top Engineering candidates in addition to frontline leaders for your teams.
2. Reduce the cost of acquiring and training new hires by supporting and enhancing the efforts of your onboarding team for the first 90 days.
3. Provide a zero-risk and no-cost assessment of your hiring strategies with a 15-minute consultation.
Ready to elevate your candidate attraction strategy? Explore our latest tool tailored for HR VPs and Directors in the manufacturing sector. In just 2 minutes, gain insights to boost engagement and reduce turnover. In addition, receive a customized report for your team. See the link below.
