What is the salary competitive with? The bills they are trying to pay for? Is playing coy worth losing the right candidate? Quit playing games and list the salary if you are in dire need of candidates.
Too many times, recruiters and hiring managers add these generic descriptions to their careers page without thinking. You need to consider if what you’re saying is true and if it will attract a candidate to apply and want to learn more about your company. Or will your job posting just make them want to vomit? If you are competing for an LPTA contract, the ‘competitive salary’ is almost certainly not true, but have you done market research? Is your offer competitive with the market?
We’ve talked about phrases recruiters need to remove from their lingo, but here is some verbiage that companies need to remove from their website and career pages.
3 THINGS YOU NEED TO STOP SAYING IN YOUR JOB POSTINGS
1. We offer competitive salary.
Is playing coy worth losing the right candidate? Quit playing games and list the salary if you are in dire need of candidates. We understand you have profit margins to meet – but saying the salary is “competitive” is a placeholder that could be wasting your time as you interview individuals in the wrong salary bracket.
2. We’re looking for a self-starter.
Self-starter: a person who is sufficiently motivated or ambitious to start a new career or business or to pursue further education without the help of others.
Meh. Self-starter has been written time and time again. You can most certainly think of another adjective.
3. We need a Sr. Mission Analyst.
What does a Sr. Mission Analyst actually do? Even though the statement of work probably does indeed say that you need to have a Sr. Mission Analyst on the team, no one knows what that is, what field it is related to, or will probably click on it.
You want to remain unique and not be the umpteenth “intelligence analyst” but you do need to describe what the job is. If your job titles lack context, a Sr. Mission Analyst could mean someone who is doing research, someone managing a mission, or maybe conducting performance assessments.
JOB POSTING 101
As you are translating boring SOW’s into jazzy job descriptions, just remember these five rules:
- Avoid being too lengthy.
- Steer clear of nondescript titles.
- There is such a thing as too trendy.
- Lay off keyword stuffing.
- Highlight what YOU have to offer as an employer.
Cleared candidates only peruse a job posting for about 30 seconds before moving on to the next screen. You will want the perfect balance of friendly, relevant, edgy, and practical in order to attract the best candidates. Just remember, there’s a fine line between jargon and irritating.
THE CLEARED RECRUITING CHRONICLES: YOUR WEEKLY DoD RECRUITING TIPS TO OUT COMPETE THE NEXT NATIONAL SECURITY STAFFER.
