A talented digital marketing professional can help you increase brand recognition, boost traffic to your website, and ultimately increase your bottom line. They also know their value. That’s why they are very discerning about the opportunities they will consider.
So, how do you get a top-tier digital marketing professional to take a chance on your brand? You start by attracting them with a compelling job description. Take a look at these tips to help you get started.
Anatomy of a Job Description
No matter what the field, a good job description is written to emphasize both accuracy and attraction. Of course, it will have a thorough description of the qualifications, duties, and requirements. In addition to that, it’s also important to describe the company culture, work environment, and benefits positively.
In a sense, you have to think like a marketer. You are obligated to be accurate and thorough. At the same time you want to frame things in a way that motivates your target audience to answer your call to action. In this case that means getting talented digital marketing professionals to send you their resumes.
You also have a unique challenge. It’s important that you attract people who have values, goals, and working styles that will fit into your organization. There’s more. You must also take diversity into consideration. You must be careful to write a job description that appeals to a wide range of applicants, and doesn’t in any way make any group of potential hires feel unwelcome in applying.
Write a Description That is Both Truthful And Compelling
It is worth spending a bit of time creating a concrete definition of this role, and what you will expect someone you hire to contribute. Take into consideration their duties, and the impact they will have on your organization. Try writing this out with a focus on the difference a potential hire could make in this position. Once you have this figured out, use this to write an overview of the position. Keep things upbeat and positive. For example:
“We are in need of a talented and creative content creator. You will be an important member of our team, and we’ll be counting on you to share informative and compelling content to busy customers who are in search of productivity solutions. Bring along your tech-savvy writing, and understanding of SEO concepts!”
Job Titles Matter
It may not seem that consequential, but the truth is that the job title you use can really make a difference. It affects how job seekers view your company, and which ones will be attracted to your listing.
Think about companies that get ‘creative’ with job titles. You may have seen a listing for an ‘SEO Rock Star’ or ‘Social Media Guru’. Businesses often do this because it sends the message that they offer a hip, young, laid back work environment.
You could do this as well. There are certainly good reasons to. Just understand that there could be some unexpected results. For example, these job titles may not be all that impressive to the 40-year-old digital marketing professional who has exceptional skills and experience. These job titles can also be confusing. What exactly does ‘rockstar’ mean anyway? Also, keep in mind that people will search for jobs using traditional titles. It would be awful to lose out on talent because you decided to be too creative with your job title.
Consider keeping things traditional. You can always insert buzzwords like wizard or guru elsewhere in your job description.
Focus on Hiring Talent Not The Most Trending Skill Set
If you are hiring a digital marketing professional to grow and evolve with your company, be careful that your job description focuses on the right things. After all, you want someone who is able to work with your team, understand your customers, and contribute towards company goals regardless of the digital marketing trends that happen to be current.
Before you write your job description, consider that the social media platforms and digital tools that are important right now, may not be on the radar two years from now. Keep in mind that people can be trained in various technologies and tools. They cannot be trained to have the ability to communicate well in writing, to fit in with your team, or to understand how to reach your customers. If you are truly looking for a commodity, consider hiring a consultant. Otherwise, look for overall experience and talent instead of proficiency in the latest digital marketing tools.
Use Feedback From Marketing Team Members
Be careful about using job descriptions from HR files or marketing department documents. You could end up missing a few important details. Remember that roles tend to evolve over time, especially those that are tied so closely to technology, customer sentiment, and social media trends. Unfortunately, official job descriptions may not be updated frequently if at all.
Make sure your job description is on the right track by reaching out to existing members of the digital marketing team. They have the immediate experience and exposure to be able to tell you if your description is accurate, and how it needs to be updated. They will also have great ideas on how to attract candidates who will be perfect for the job.
There’s something else to consider. Team members will also know which qualifications are absolute ‘must haves’, and which are a bit more optional.
Keep it at a High-Level
There’s no need to provide a detailed list of the details of every single responsibility, or the daily minutiae of the job. That’s just going to make eyes glaze over. Instead, focus on the overall responsibilities. You can do this without providing needless details of each task required to meet those responsibilities.
Treat the required skills in the same way. For example, you could mention that communications skills are a must without detailing every single form of communication they will be expected to use.
Motivate Job-Seekers to Act Now
If you don’t create a sense of urgency, job seekers may apply at other companies. They may assume that they can always submit their resume to you later on. Get them to take action now, by adding in a time limitation. For example, you could write that you must receive all applications on or before March 31st.
If possible, provide direct contact information. If you use a generic email, or @HRdepartment, applicants may assume their resumes will sit in an HR inbox before anyone decides to call them for an interview.
Be Clear About Company Culture
The importance of finding a cultural fit cannot be overstated. When your job description clearly illustrates your company culture, you will attract the right candidates. Even better, you will improve the likelihood of retaining that new employee.
Give a vivid description of the work environment, perks, and management style that workers will encounter if they are hired. You can even communicate culture through the tone of writing you use.
Final thoughts
The process of hiring, training, and onboarding takes a significant amount of time and money. That’s money lost if you attract the wrong person. It’s impossible to even quantify what you lose should you fail to interest the right talent at all. When you compose a job description that is attractive and compelling, you increase your chances of getting the attention of the right digital marketing talent.
- How to Create Compelling Job Descriptions For Digital Marketing Pros - 11 March 2021
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