Advertising for Recruiters? Blah blah blah blah….

by Paul Sharpe, 25th November 2021

“Are you the next member of the family”, “we are currently looking for”, “to be successful”, “we hold office drinks on a Thursday”, “we are unique in our domains”, oh and don’t you know that “we are specialist too”? Blah blah blah blah……

There are 364,000 jobs for recruiters on LinkedIn and the competition for this talent has never been fiercer. So why are businesses struggling to attract talented recruiters? Did we lose two generations of recruiters joining the industry during COVID? Have some furloughed recruiters never returned to the industry? Has ongoing uncertainty over COVID during the winter period held some people back from moving jobs?

Food for thought or are these actually impacting recruiter recruitment? Is it that we focus on actually promoting our brand and business and not really engaging and influencing the people we want to come and work for us?

Which brings me neatly to the vital first few lines of the job advert and here are some examples that I have seen this week:

• This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is considering moving…..
• Are you currently a Recruitment Manager, Recruitment Business Partner, Resourcing Manager or Senior Recruiter looking to further your career?
• We are XXX. XXX a global total workforce solutions firm founded in XXX. We enable organisations to thrive in an age of constant change by building, reshaping, and optimising workforces.
• We have an excellent opportunity for an experienced Recruiter to join us here at XXX.
• Qualifications – Bachelor’s degree
• We are looking for an exceptionally driven and experienced Technical Recruiter
• About us – XXX is a medium business in STAFFING_FIRM_GENERAL in XXX We are inclusive and supportive. Our work environment includes: Safe work environment / Lively atmosphere

DOES THIS REALLY INSPIRE YOU TO READ MORE? DO THESE FIRST FEW LINES GRAB YOU, DO THEY STAND OUT AND SHOUT COME AND WORK FOR US?

Sadly, it is a no from me.

If I was a recruiter and open to moving agencies I wouldn’t care much about the size of your business and nor would I want, you to tell me this was an exciting and excellent opportunity. I would want you to cajole me into coming to that conclusion myself. It’s about what I am looking for, what’s in it for me and if you match that with what you offer.

So, what does that offer typically look like in organisationally led adverts?

• A “market-leading” company
• An “exciting” opportunity
• Excellent pay and benefits
• The job title and job description
• Explicit about the experience needed
• A list of “need to have skills”
• A list of “desirable” skills

This isn’t really about what I want though is it? Neither does this content engage with me, in fact it completely turns me off.

Conversely, let’s look to the handful of organisations and agencies who have really nailed this and focused their content on what the candidate wants:

• Work-life balance and being trusted
• The vision for the business and how our values align
• The future organogram and what that means for everyone
• How the work is meaningful and rewarding
• How you help people feel accepted and inclusive
• Examples of current and collaborative teamwork
• How you give people autonomy and when the leadership team step out of the way
• How you support continuous learning and personal growth
• How people progress and increase earning potential
• How you communicate and celebrate success
• How people have the opportunity to influence and shape the business

It’s a long list, so how do you cover all that? The video job advert is a fundamental feature and still under utilised. CV-Library claim that almost 80% of candidates would be more likely to apply for a job that contained a video in the job description. Just 50 seconds of content enables recruiters to assess their fit and decide if they want to continue to watch. It’s the easiest and best way to grab people’s attention and promote your brand from the get-go by making the “why” of your business come to life.

Stop and think. Drafting that ad? Forget your blah blah blah, focus on the candidate and make that really come alive with your video advert, after all, we are in a people-focused industry.