This post is sponsored by Facebook.
Hiring is an art. But it’s an art that business owners don’t always have time to master, especially for small companies that lack human resource departments or teams of hiring managers. Many of these business owners are opting to create and post their own job listings. And in today’s labor market, knowing how to craft the right job listing, knowing where to post it and then finding the right candidate are essential to successful hiring.
Unemployment in the US fell to 3.7% in October, according to the Labor Department — the lowest level since 1969. And small businesses, in particular, are feeling the squeeze of the current labor market. Small businesses have seen employment eek up at a rate of just 1.2% over the last year, compared with 2.5% for larger businesses, ADP reported. Additionally, since job seekers have a lot of options, a higher proportion of candidates are turning down job offers.
So what can business owners do to navigate today’s labor market? How can they ensure their job listings attract attention so they can make the right hires? And how can they craft effective job listings in the first place?
Standing out in today’s job market
Attracting job seekers who already have a lot of options is no small feat. In today’s market, you have to be willing to go to them. In short, you should think digital — specifically social.
While in the past, hiring websites like Indeed and Monster were the traditional go-to job-searching sites, today’s workforce is much more active on social media. In fact, an increasing number of Americans are turning to Facebook, LinkedIn and other social platforms for their job searches, with Facebook in particular attracting about one-quarter of job seekers, the company reported.
Making sure your job listings get seen is a vital part of the hiring process. And bringing those listings to Facebook and other social media sites allows you to reach out to potential employees where they’re already spending a lot of their time — which means your hiring outreach will actually be effective. Additionally, businesses using Jobs on Facebook — a free resource — can boost their job postings to make sure they’re reaching the largest, most-relevant audience possible.
This strategy proved effective for Minnesota-based Bella Bridal Boutique, which turned to Jobs on Facebook to fill its openings after other recruiting websites didn’t work out. By posting jobs on its Facebook Page and boosting its listings to reach a large pool of jobseekers, Bella Bridal attracted 60 applicants interested in filling consultant roles between July 2017 and March 2018, and today the shop counts three members of its team of 13 among the hires made via Facebook.
Reaching job seekers is just one piece of the hiring puzzle, however. Once you start to hear from candidates interested in your postings, that’s when the real work begins. Jobs on Facebook gives business owners a place to review applications and reach out to applicants, all via their mobile devices.
At Bella Bridal, the tool allowed hiring managers to filter candidates and schedule interviews on their mobile devices on a platform they were already using every day. And when they identified candidates who could be a good fit, the Bella Bridal team could reach out via Facebook Messenger to connect with them and move them forward in the hiring process.
Jobs on Facebook is not only designed to make the hiring process easier for businesses, it also makes the application process easier for job seekers. Candidates who click the “Apply Now” button in Facebook are brought to a form that auto-populates information from their Facebook profiles.
Writing job descriptions to attract the best candidates
Even before finding the right channels to post your job listings, hiring the right employees starts with choosing the right words for your listings. And, not just any job listing will do in today’s economy.
Strong Suit Executive Search Chief Talent Officer Jeff Hyman suggests approaching listings as job invitations, rather than job descriptions.
“When creating a job posting, always ask: Why would a rockstar candidate want this job?” he wrote in Forbes.
When writing job listings, it’s important to keep in mind that you must manage applicants’ expectations. Clearly describe the job duties and qualifications. But don’t forget that there’s no such thing as the perfect candidate. Be sure to focus on the most important qualifications that will set a candidate up for success if they’re hired, rather than rattling off every single skill you can think of. Additionally, highlight the benefits of working for your company.
And as with any aspect of your business, don’t forget to keep an eye on your competitors. What do their job listings look like? What information are they including, and how can you build upon that so a candidate will apply to your job before theirs? Sites like Jobs on Facebook are a great place to start your research because they bring a variety of job listings from a variety of industries together. Be sure to make the most of those resources.
At the end of the day, when it comes to do-it-yourself job listings, Jobs on Facebook and other mobile tools are making it easier for business owners to juggle the demands of managing operations, while still making sure they’re making the right hires for their teams.
Read more about how Facebook can help take the work out of hiring for your business.