Four steps to finding the applicants you want.

No matter what position you want to fill, you want to hire people who bring both the skills you need and who are a good fit for your organization. By spending time at the beginning of the hiring process to make your business attractive to candidates, you are much more likely to find the people who are right for your company.

The job description

Start at the beginning, with a relevant and catchy headline for the position that contains searchable keywords. Overall, the job description should convey information succinctly, using bullets, short paragraphs, and descriptive headers to make it easy to scan. Your candidate has a lot competing for his or her attention, so make your point quickly.

Next, tailor your message to your audience so candidates feel an instant connection. Your tone and style for a delivery driver position could be very different from the tone and style you use to attract someone in sales.

As for the actual job skills section, be sure to accurately describe what the job entails and the traits you are looking for. Start with the technical skills such as the software platforms the candidate must know, and then describe the competencies that are more subjectively defined, such as “team player.” Be sure you outline what those soft skills look like at your company, so you and candidates are in alignment on what those terms mean for you.

Let the company’s personality and values come through. If the posting sounds generic, then your company sounds generic, and you’re going to attract mundane candidates. You’re building your company and your brand, and you have a special culture that’s your own. So show it!

Your website

If a candidate is interested in your company, they will be checking out your website and social media. Do they give a prospective hire a good sense of who you are, what your mission is, and, again, a sense of your corporate culture? Are there photos and bios posted on your site of your employees – at least at the leadership level – so that candidates can see the real, relatable people that work for you?

Your employees

Encourage your current employees to refer candidates for your open positions. After all, they know what the company is like, what skills are needed for various roles, and can help identify some of the best-suited candidates from their networks. In addition, employee word-of-mouth advertising and endorsement will attract good people to apply. No matter what their role in your company, employees can be your best ambassadors.

A few words about the application

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) suggests that you keep the job application short, sweet, and easy to fill out. At least 60% of job seekers stop filling out online job applications because they are too long or complex and “the fallout for organizations from this persistent issue is the loss of top talent, and poor word-of-mouth from candidates frustrated with the process.” SHRM goes on to note, “According to a study from recruitment company Appcast, recruiters can boost conversion rates (candidates viewing a job ad who go on to complete an application) by up to 365 percent by reducing the length of the application process to five minutes or less.”

Finding great employees can be time-consuming and challenging, but the rewards for the extra effort are worth it. Bakers Pride takes the time to hire great employees so we can ensure our customers receive the highest quality fresh-baked goods and best customer service. You can count on us to bake delicious seasonal specialties and perennial favorites, delivered daily in the St. Louis area. Contact us to find out how our team can help you.

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