Ah, the noble job description. It plays such an important role in drawing candidates to your open positions, and yet, (how do I say this gently?) … many of them suck. OK, so maybe that wasn’t so gentle but it is true.
And now that we’ve addressed the elephant in the room, let’s talk about how to fix them (see, we’re all about solving problems here).
If you take an honest look at your descriptions and think that they too might (…gulp!) suck, then consider these factors as you work to re-write them. Then, let’s zoom ahead and look for a few companies that can help improve your job descriptions.
1. Textio
- Website: textio.com
- Pricing: Free (for some of the service)
- Quick snapshot: Evaluation and recommendation engine for your text-based job descriptions
The essence of your job description is the written word. But, what so many companies miss is that they let their lawyers or compliance team write what should be an enticing, appealing call to action. But, creative writing isn’t usually a lawyer’s best skill, right? So, enter Textio, which has analyzed millions of job posts and provides guidance on how to improve yours.
It can examine factors in the text itself like gender tone/diversity (i.e., does your language appeal more towards men, for instance), reading difficulty or repetitive phrases and then generates an overall score for your job description based on best performing ones.
According to Textio:
On average, hiring teams with a high Textio Score recruit 25% more people qualified enough to interview and 23% more women—and they do it 17% faster.
Much of the initial upfront evaluation of Textio is free. And, they provide some really great tips on their blog, too, so be sure to check that out as well.
Now, once you’ve written a compelling job description, it’s time to think about the visual aspect.
One study has shown that the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 65 percent of the population learns better through visuals, so images are clearly key to engaging people.
Let’s examine a few vendors who can help visually as well.
2. Visual.jobs
- Website: visual.jobs
- Pricing: Charge per job design
- Quick snapshot: Creative agency that designs images and infographics
The team at Visual.jobs starting off by examining the history of job descriptions for an e-book, and they realized that not much has changed in the last 20 years or so. So, they set out to improve job descriptions themselves by designing them visually.
The company, which is part of CKR Interactive, will evaluate your job description needs and design an attractive image to correspond. Most companies use them as infographics, social content posts or for printed flyers at job fairs, but be aware that the image is a static one if you place it on your website.
3. Ruutly
- Website: ruutly.com
- Pricing: $100/month for 10 jobs (other options available)
- Quick snapshot: Integrated technology to give your jobs a visual pop
Ruutly, a Toronto-based company, takes it a step further and has built a technology that brings a visual design to your online job descriptions. The tool integrates with your ATS and can effortlessly push out visual job descriptions for a few specific requisitions or all of them, depending on your needs.
We’re building relationships with companies that want to blow their candidate experience and employer brand out of the water,” said Ryan Porter, CEO of Ruutly.
Where as Visual.jobs produces a static image, Ruutly creates a living, breathing design that can easily be incorporated into new requisitions as they open. The designs highlight key aspects of the job such as work location, salary information, main responsibilities and desired experience.
Their main value proposition?
We’re bringing better quality applicants as they learn the company’s brand story, understand what’s important about the job and connect it to their skills in an easier-to-understand way, said Porter.
4. TMP
- Website: tmp.com
- Pricing: TBD, based on company needs
- Quick snapshot: Recruitment agency that offers strategic support and technology services
TMP, one of the top global recruitment agencies, offers a myriad of services, which now includes visual descriptions.
TMP’s visual description product is baked into their Talent Brew careers website platform, and automatically takes your pre-determined, text-based job descriptions and converts them into a beautiful design, complete with icons, logos, different fonts and colors.
Much of this can be customized, and according to TMP:
Clients using our Advanced Job Descriptions have a better qualitative conversion rate. So it takes fewer applications to get the most qualified candidates. Which means your recruiters spend less time vetting applicants, and more time choosing between highly qualified applicants.
Their visual descriptions product, however, requires you to purchase TMP’s entire Talent Brew platform. So, if all you want is the visual job description component, TMP may not be a great fit. But, if you’re in the market for an agency partner and an upgraded careers website, then check these guys out.
The essence of the job description still has to be well-made from the inside out. It’s up to you to determine what bits and pieces should go into the mix, and then these four companies can help you make them more appealing for your job seekers.
