To persuade someone is to give them a reason or an incentive, or to induce a mood, in order to change what they think or feel. But how we would able to persuade a job candidate to choose us through the clutter of job advertisements?
As I stated in my previous post, a job can be considered as a product. Treating the job as a product can help hiring managers to market the product in a more effective way to attract suitable candidates. A good salesperson (whether it is internal HR or external recruiters) need to design the product not only to find a right candidates, but also to positively influence their attitude, so they will stay with the company for a longer period of time.
Following points need to be considered to design a job adv to attract customers, but more importantly make them to be your loyal customers.
Define your target market
If you clarify characteristics of your target market (age, lifestyle and etc...), then you can customize the message to the targeted group in a more effective way. Try to be as specific as possible.
Clarify the unique product features
Perhaps, a sound understanding of your competitors’ offerings can help you in this context. You should differentiate your offering from competitors’. It could be through emphasizing the company’s culture, offering distinctive benefits, or the way you structure the job advertisement.
Communicate effectively
To communicate effectively, you need to paint a realistic and accurate image from your company, and the benefits you are offering to the customers. An example of inaccurate information is the potential salary income up to xxx$ which advertise by some companies. It raises the candidates’ expectations. The job candidates would also form a negative attitude towards the company, once they realized the suggested salary is hardly achievable. The ultimate goal is to create a realistic and accurate picture of workplace, a role overview and benefits in candidate’s mind, so they would be able to make an informed decision.
Consistent connection with target audience
Applying for a job may be seconds for a person who is actively looking for a job, or years for an employed person who doesn’t get what he wants from his existing employer. There are a significant number of people who are not actively seeking a job, but they would do at some point in the future. So you need to find a way to connect with them. It can be through a website where job candidates can register their interests, or through social media where they can keep updated regarding job openings and news.
I would like to take the chance to thank Tony Wiggins (Director Organizational Development at QLD Health), Morgan Stewart (Group People & Learning Manager at Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club Ltd), Khalifa Ahmad (International Relations graduate from Griffith University) and Ada So (MKT graduate from Griffith university), for becoming a fan of the blog. Thank you.
