Some might say there is currently a war on talent between companies in the digital, media and tech sector where they are fighting to attract the best staff. Other experts point to a possible talent crisis occurring where company growth could be halted simply because there is a shortage of skills to facilitate it.
You may find yourself needing to recruit now so we have some crucial tips so that you don't lose out on precious talent. Make sure you check your Job Ad before you advertise it on our Jobs Board.
Like never before your Job Ad needs to be the best it can be; so ask yourself:
1 - Is your Job Ad balanced?
What do we mean by that exactly? Well, imagine if you’re a job seeker and all you read in a job ad is a long list of skills/attributes you must have to fulfill the role, yet precious little text about what the company will give you in return. I'd be inclined to think that I’d be worked like a dog in a miserable devaluing environment, but I bet that isn’t the case at all!
- DO create a nice even balance in your text between what you want and what you will give in return.
2 - Have I described what the actual role is?
Most of you will think this sounds ridiculous but you will be surprised how many job ads we see that don’t actually say what the job is. Of course a PHP programmer looking for their next role will have some idea of what that might entail (programming!), BUT even if you are recruiting for such a role, stating only the job title is not enough!
Think about what you can say about the nature of the way your business works and how different your clients might be. Include information about team size, autonomy, number of projects, scope of the work, variety in clients, project duration, communication channels (the list goes on!).
- DO think about what the average day might entail and describe it in the job ad.
3 - Am I selling the business and making the role sound enticing?
Have you described the fantastic growth achievements of the business? Have you demonstrated how proud you are of your company culture and how well the staff work together as well as have fun at your Friday beers? Do you shout about the training budget you allocate and how much you value you give to staff progression? Have you described your cool office space with the best coffee?
Not every office has what you offer so shout about it (as long as it’s honest).
- DO paint an honest positive picture of what it’s like to work with you.
4 - Is the salary listed?
This isn’t the first time we've mentioned how important salary is and you can read a former blog post all about it, but in a nutshell think about what you would do yourself - if you wanted to move jobs would you waste two hours of your evening applying for a role that didn’t give any salary indications? You probably wouldn’t, and yet employers don’t often remember that skilled people aren’t just sat around at home waiting for their job to be emailed to them; they are already in work and might only think about leaving if a juicy carrot comes along to entice them!
- DO give some indication of what you can offer in terms of salary and benefits.
5 - Have I removed any barriers that could prevent a jobseeker from applying?
Your office is located deep in the Sussex countryside miles away from a train station? Ok, that’s going to be more challenging attracting staff, but you probably already knew that. What you could do to combat it though is state what you might think is obvious: plenty of parking (it’s a rare thing in Brighton but some people may wish to drive to work), staff car share schemes, flexible hours around bus times, ad hoc working from home, good cycle paths, lovely country walk from the nearest town etc
- DO be honest and present a solution to what someone might see as a challenge and reason not to apply.
The Golden Rule
Before you advertise your role, take a critical look at the job ad and put yourself in a jobseeker’s shoes. Be the person you want to hire and think hard about whether you’d be attracted enough to apply! Even better would be share it with your team and ask them to comment; it may well be that inviting their opinion will contribute to your staff feeling valued and an even happier office!
Check out the Wired Sussex Jobs Board and advertise your role now or if you have any questions about recruiting or using our site contact support@wiredsussex.com