Why Your Company Needs To Flip Your Recruiting Process On Its Head

In order to start recruiting the best talent for your company, you need to flip the model on its head.

The job ‘description’. That document we’ve all seen when applying for a job (often while applying for tens of others at the same time) is typically a two-page document that doesn’t really describe the job at all. So often we see this document not describe the job, but simply list the skills and requirements. This de-humanized document usually states that the individual has to be proficient in x, y, and z, should have a certain amount of experience, and certain education requirements.

It’s not just you who has seen the breakdown in the effectiveness of recruiting — the market sees it too. There has been a massive consolidation of the recruiting market – LinkedIn acquired by Microsoft, Workday acquired Identified, and most recently Randstad acquired Monster.com.

Why is this happening? Because employers like you are looking for a way to secure the best talent in the easiest way possible and it starts by giving candidates the ability to tell their story.

In Silicon Valley, one of the world’s most competitive talent markets there has been a surge in recruiting startups over the last few years. Most notably, the San Francisco-based technology, company, HIRED, has flipped the model on it’s head.

HIRED connects the right talent with the right opportunity using a 2-sided approach, where the curated marketplace allows candidates and clients to discover their perfect match more effectively and efficiently. The company is currently focused on sales people, marketers, developers, designers, product managers and data scientists.

HIRED’s model allows employers to apply to candidates — and there is an important lesson in this model, as an employer you have to be able to effectively tell the story of your company, it’s culture and its people to source the best talent.

Now how can you flip the model? It is essential that an actual description of the job is added in order to get a sense of the values and experiences at work. If we can do this, we can differentiate companies, people, and positions from one another.

Here are three things to consider adding to the job description.

1. Tell a story of someone who is already in the position

Telling stories of who is in the position already and what they like to do both during and outside work is important when getting emotion and feeling across. If work is something we do more than anything else in a day, it is important to know who the new hire is going to be working with and what that experience might look like. Do the hike on the weekend? Travel? Are they die-hard Blackhawks fans? How do they do their work? Where from? How philanthropic and community-centric are they? All of these things will really help understand who is working at the company and what life they are able to live as a result.

2. Articulate what a day in the life of an employee looks like at work

Understanding what a day in the life of an employee is like is great for determining fit. Depending on the working style of the applicant, there simply may not be alignment, and that is ok. Determining this before hiring is far better than after. Are employees expected to work overtime? Weekends? In teams? Generic drugs? Meet with their superior often? What is the environment in the office like? Headphones in? No headphones at all? Pet-friendly? Knowing that some people will thrive much more in the environment established and bringing them to the forefront will save countless hours and dollars in the long run.

3. Reverse-engineer the job and give it a new title

What really needs to be done by this new individual when they join the company? Are they really an Analyst, Manager, Executive Assistant, or something else? Consider reverse engineering the job description to really understand what needs to be done and then call the job whatever fits best. The worst thing that can happen is to hire someone based on a traditional job title because it has traditionally sounded good, only to see that the job has evolved and become something that the title no longer supports.

It’s time that you flipped the model and told your companies’ story to candidates. The further away we can get from the standard, nearly template job description, the better. Telling stories, understanding employees, and optimizing the workplace environment based on people and fit is how we can proactively create great places to work.

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Follow Eric on Twitter and LinkedIn. Check out his TEDx talk here. Also, check out The DRYVER Group for more information.