Attracting the right candidates comes down to the power of the pen

Passive and Active jobseekers agree ñ effective job postings donít skimp on details, especially skills and responsibilities

Experience, Inc., the provider of university career networks, announced results from its Fall 2004 Job Posting Survey and the release of its publication ìTen Tips for Writing Effective Job Descriptionsî, a white paper for HR professionals that specifically addresses the survey findings. More than 5,000 college-educated candidates from across the country participated in the survey, which explored why job postings may not be attracting the right candidates. The results? Quite simply, the wording of ads directly influences whether qualified candidates apply.

The survey, completed in the Fall of 2004, polled both employed (56% of respondents) and unemployed job seeking candidates (44% of respondents), and top-level findings found only minor differences in the way the two looked at job postings. High-level findings include:

Jobseekers focus on the skills needed for a job before evaluating ìwhatís in it for me.î
45% of all respondents cited job skills/requirements as the first thing they look for in a job posting, as compared to only 23% who looked for job responsibilities first, which may indicate a market environment where jobseekers believe meeting requirements is more important than what the job entails or how the candidate will learn and benefit from the position.

Employed candidates placed slightly more emphasis on job responsibilities and salary than unemployed candidates, suggesting that employers may need to position their job ads differently depending on the type of individual they want to attract.

Jobseekers cite lack of information about openings
Jobseekers want to see more information in postings in two primary areas: job responsibilities (32%) and skills required (25%), which is the inverse of what they looked for first, pointing to less satisfaction with the information provided on responsibilities.

When two job descriptions with identical responsibilities were presented, the majority of respondents strongly preferred job ads that offered more detail about qualifications, goals and benefits for candidates. Clearly, more information presented in a beneficial way appeals to qualified candidates.

Different factors drive applications versus accepted offers
When shifting from applying to accepting a position, candidatesí top criteria quickly changed from job requirements and responsibilities to salary (20%), career advancement opportunities (16%) and location (11%). Recruiters should recognize that the factors that attracted candidates to apply are different from those that attract candidates to accept positions.