You don’t need to go far to see the power of language in action. We can all think of a time when one kind word made our day or a misunderstood statement caused a rather awkward disagreement.
When it comes to the hiring process, language is key.
The words we use and the way we conduct ourselves through language can have a massive impact on our candidate’s experience and our employer brand as a result.
Here are a few tips to help you make sure you’re using the right lingo to get the talent that you’re looking for.
1. Be Clear
First things first, you need to write the perfect job listing. Ditch cringe-worthy terms like ‘’tech ninja’’ or ‘’coding guru’’. These are old, tired, and above all give the candidate very little information about the role.
As more potential candidates find jobs through social media and internet search engines, the need to be clear and transparent when advertising jobs are more important than ever. Using concise job titles that can be easily searched on job platforms will ensure that your job posting catches the eyes of the right talent and fingers crossed your future employee.
2. Keep it short and sweet
Nobody wants to spend all day reading a job description online. Well, at least I hope not. According to recent studies, the average human’s attention span is now only 8 seconds to keep your job posting to the point. Clearly, list out the experience and skills needed to be successful as well as the responsibilities that will come with the role. You are more likely to receive stronger applications this way. It’s a win-win for you and the candidate.
Once you’ve written the basics don’t be afraid to add a little bit of color to your posting. Let candidates know what it’s really like to work for you. If you have a Tuesday morning yoga class tell them about it. If you hold a BBQ every summer put that in too. Talking about your company’s culture is a great way to entice talent.
3. Keep it gender neutral
Well, it is 2017 people. Be careful of the tone of your job listing. Does the language in your job description have male connotations? Or is it completely gender neutral?
Research shows that job listings which have a gender-specific tone get fewer applications. Keep your descriptions gender neutral to ensure that they appeal to candidates across the board.
More applicants mean more talent for you to choose from. It’s a no-brainer.
4. Remain professional
Especially in the interview phase. This is not just a friendly chat, you are assessing the candidate’s competency for the role and this should be reflected in how you email them, speak on the phone and interview them in person.
Even if you have worked with the candidate before or know them personally, try to keep a level of professionalism in all communications. This will also help put the candidate at ease as it will set the professional boundaries from early on.
5. Be enthusiastic
At every stage of the hiring process, from the initial job posting to the offer stage you must demonstrate enthusiasm. Show talent that you are passionate about their work and you are excited at the prospect of having them on board.
You want to create a good impression, firstly of yourself and secondly of the company as a whole. Think about it, if you went to an interview and the hiring manager did not seem excited about the company would you want to work there? Definitely not.
Your candidates will be much more likely to accept an offer from a business that sounds like a brilliant place to work.
About the author: Alice Murray is a Content Creator at Jobbio with a passion for employer branding and graduate development. She’s a keen traveler and a self-proclaimed lazy runner.
