How do you plan to conquer this year’s hiring challenges? We have two suggestions.

First, if you’re having trouble recruiting, you may need to operate more like the marketing department instead of HR. That’s the message from Ron Johnson. In his recent Fast Company post, Johnson acknowledges the huge cost that comes with employee turnover.

Second, you need to review how well your job descriptions match the work that will be done by your new employees.

Is Your Brand Management Connecting with Potential Employees?

When managers recruit new employees, they may not see the kind of candidates they’re hoping for. Even worse, they may be losing top candidates to the competition. Strategic changes to branding and job descriptions can help to reduce these problems.

Organizational leaders are accustomed to tasking the marketing department with developing branding initiatives. They know prospective customers are paying attention to details such as the available products or services. Potential customers want to know about quality and price.

Socially conscious consumers go a step further. They look for how well a brand takes care of its employees and the environment. To appeal to those potential clients, businesses may add an About Us page to the website. And they engage with concerned citizens on social media. This is a great way to reduce hiring challenges.

With properly established guidelines, the social media engagement can enhance a brand’s reputation.

What Do Job Seekers Want?

What organizational leaders may not realize is that serious job seekers are also checking out company details. According to AudienceSCAN data, nearly 1/​3 of job seekers consider company reputation before accepting a position. And 25% think about the company’s purpose and values. If they don’t find what they want, you will face more hiring challenges.

And if your organization hasn’t been thinking about the company’s reputation from these angles, it’s time to start. The HR department may need to forge an alliance with marketing team members. As Johnson suggests, the goal is to give outsiders, future team members, a peek into the organization. Job seekers are curious about what the work experience might be at a specific company.

What Types of Posts Attract Jobseeker Attention?

Of course, they can glean some of this information from Glassdoor. But those reviews don’t show the whole picture. When an HR department takes the time to post on the website or social sites about employees, they are sending a message. That message is all about how important team members are to the organization. Simple posts might celebrate:

• Work anniversaries
• Project completions
• Training offered by the company which led to certifications

This kind of positivity will attract candidates to submit applications for open positions.

Do Your Job Descriptions Contribute to Employee Success?

The second strategy for solving your hiring challenges is to develop custom job descriptions. This is a multi-​step process designed to optimize your hiring outcomes.

When it’s time to recruit, review the staff members who have had the most success in the open position. Using a psychometric assessment like TeamTrait allows managers to understand the characteristics of these employees. A comprehensive assessment considers motivators, work traits, and likely workplace behavior.

Adjusting Job Descriptions

In assisting employers, a trained expert should review the typical duties included in a job position. This expert compares the industry standards to the job description written by the employer. In doing so, they identify specific traits of successful employees at the organization as they related to the position.

At that point, the job description can and should be adjusted. Unfortunately, hiring managers often don't edit the job description. “What I see over and over is the job description doesn't match who the manager is REALLY looking for.” This comment is from TeamTrait creator and SalesFuel CEO, C. Lee Smith, who serves as an expert in matching individual characteristics with specific aspects of a job.

With the right job description and public-​facing content, employers can attract great candidates. But there’s another step in the process of reducing hiring challenges. Candidates must take the psychometric assessment, and that step should be completed before an interview takes place.

The hiring manager can focus on potential aspects of an individual’s likely work behavior to ensure the best fit. And they can use the Four Fits tool in TeamTrait to determine which candidate to hire.

More job seekers may be entering the market. But that reality doesn’t reduce your hiring challenges. To find the right person, improve your marketing and develop a custom job description.

Image by RDNE Stock Project on Pexels.