Follow these keys to woo a dreamy job candidate

By Jessica Levco

It need not be a sonnet, but face it — your help-wanted ad needs a
little love

If you’re one of the lucky few to be hiring today, it’s never been more crucial to find just the right candidate. And that perfect
marriage of employer and job seeker begins with the job description.

Scan some job postings on CareerBuilder or Monster.com and your eyes will probably glaze over. That’s because far too many sound
similar — impersonal, blasé, and stiff.

How can you get yours to stand out?

This February, month of valentines, find it in your heart to write a job description like a love letter.

“Think about it as a personal communication with that person,” said John Younger, president and CEO of Accolo Inc. “You’ve got
to engage with that person emotionally and intellectually.”

Simple enough: Write to woo. Here’s how to tug at your potential employee’s heartstrings:

Several crucial questions:

Shakespeare probably didn’t get Romeo’s balcony soliloquy right the first time, so have patience and prepare for the pursuit process.
Younger recommends asking yourself these questions before starting:

1. What will a new hire accomplish, and how will I measure that person’s success?

2. Why would the right person want this job? What will it provide for him or her?

3. Have I listed ed described the office environment effectively

Seek out a wordsmith

Most managers don’t enjoy writing job descriptions. Sometimes, they wait until the last minute, tweak old job descriptions, or
model their job postings to their competitors.

If you don’t want to write the job description yourself — find somebody who does. Ask the best communicator in your office to
write it.

“Pick somebody who connects with customers,” Glenn Phillips, of Forte’ in Alabama said. “Pick somebody who has the most passion
for the company; it doesn’t have to be the boss or Human Resources.”

Hold the baloney

Put your best foot forward, but don’t sugarcoat the job description.

“You have to be genuine — don’t give them a lot of b*llsh*t,” Younger said.

For example, when Younger’s company started an internship program, they reviewed several ads that kept saying an internship
was a “great experience” and a “phenomenal opportunity.”

He said most of these ads were blown out of proportion, so he wrote an ad that clearly stated that their intern would be
“overworked and underpaid,” but focused on what the intern could specifically do for the company.


By writing such an honest description, he said the company received a large number of applications and found some great
interns.

“The ad worked because it was heartfelt and honest,” Younger said. “It wasn’t laced with false pretenses.”

See for yourself — here’s the first paragraph of Younger’s posting:

How would you like to be the most overworked and underpaid technical intern on the planet!! Just kidding, it won’t be that bad –
but you will certainly be the most appreciated, because we need your help! As an Intern for our Technology and Development
team, you will play an essential role in helping code updates and new features into the next generation of our Web-based
Recruitment Process Outsourcing software. You will use your 2+ years of Java/J2EE, Oracle, JDBC, and OO programming
experience to complete development on multiple projects that will have a tangible, material impact on our rapidly growing business.
Accolo is changing a $90 billion industry, and you will have a front-row seat on our exciting ride!

It’s not exactly an invitation to long walks on the beach; it is engaging, though.

But I’m not a romantic

That’s OK. You don’t have to serenade anybody with a Gershwin ballad. But if the thought of Valentine’s Day makes you turn sour,
think about a job description like selling a car, Phillips said.

“You wouldn’t sell somebody a car by saying, ‘This car has four wheels,’ ” Phillips said. “Don’t go with the obvious. Be original.”

Show me, don’t tell me

Paint a picture of what it’s like to work for your company.

“Most people try to explain their job as a stale document, but a person spends so much of their lives at work — they become part
of a team or family,” Phillips said. “You have to give them a feeling of what you there. Describe the culture and environment. Is
it up-tempo? Is it a learning environment?

Can you bring your dog to work?”

Describe the job, not the skills needed for the job, says Mitch Byers, author of "Interview RX."

“A great job description helps the candidate ‘see’ the day-to-day activities in the position,” Byers said.

When writing a job description, “job first; company second,” Byers said. He said too many companies write three paragraphs
about the company and then only three sentences about the job. Flip it around. Use words to sell the challenges of the opportunity,
not the company.

“Once a candidate begins to think of themselves in the role, then it’s easier to sell the company,” Byers said. “Provide a company
Web address, and if the candidate is interested in the position, they’ll want to learn more about it.”