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Job ads, are you getting the right message across?

Martian Logic,

Table of Contents

    It is extremely important for job advertisements to reflect what candidates will experience if  progressed to employment. The ads need to be reflective of the actual role, offerings and logistics.  Candidates can be misled to jobs that don’t suit their skillset if job ads aren’t articulated correctly. Glamourised job advertisements can attract a larger pool of candidates. However, this can lead to high turnover rates and unhappy employees.

    Company values in the job description are of high importance. They provide an insight for prospective employees to understand the workplace culture they would be a part of. People more than ever are expectant of healthy workplaces, as they should be. Therefore, if an employee’s needs are not met by the company there will be likely be tension in their role. This exemplifies the importance of transparency in job ads, for both the employer and candidate. 

    This article explores various elements of the job advertisements and how they can impact a working environment.  Firstly, this article explores how companies can attract the right candidates to the advertised job roles. Secondly, it will highlight how employee retention can be increased. Moreover, the importance of company integrity and transparency in the workplace. 

    Attracting the right candidate

    HR and Management generally collaborate on the development of job advertisements. HR commonly interviews management so they can compose a job description for the relative role. The job role is then drafted by HR and edited with the job specifics desired by management. There are also software services available for HR to increase the ease of this process.  The MyRecruitment+  job posting software can aid HR in the efficiency of this process. This job advertising process is extremely important in attaining quality hires. Unfortunately for candidates, glamourised job advertisements are common. Companies employ this tactic to increase the chance of position fulfilment by enticing more candidates. It is understandable why employers may believe this tactic is beneficial as they want others to see the value in their company. 

    However, this tactic may cause an unfavourable effect. Through false advertisement, candidates are applying for a job that essentially does not exist. When these candidates transition into employment, they may be quick to realise that the job does not fulfill their needs, resulting in them discontinuing their employment. It is more efficient for a job advertisement to be clear, articulate and honest. This can eliminate time wasting in the short-listing process. If the job ad has a transparent job description, candidates with specialised qualifications and desired traits can be attracted to apply. 

    The importance of EVP articulation in job advertisements

    The readability of job ads are also very important, companies need to establish a happy medium of equally enticing and factual job descriptions. The Employee Value Proposition, (EVP), if articulated effectively, allows candidates to decide if the job application is worth pursuing. Therefore, generating higher quality applications. The EVP encapsulates an emotional agreement between an employer and an employee. It underpins a mutual offering of benefits to both the candidate and employer, allowing them to execute business objectives collaboratively. The EVP needs to be Internally executed before it can be conveyed through job descriptions, websites and social media, as explained by MyRecruitment+ Interview with Mike Beeley. 

    Employee retention

    Employee retention will be at risk if job ads lack transparency. This is a result of new hires being thrown into roles that they didn’t “sign up for.” Whether it be the salary, the job tasks, or the company values, a lack of honesty from the employer around any of these and it’s a recipe for an unhappy employee. Adversely, the company suffers too. Vacant job roles need to be fulfilled by carefully curated candidates to increase employee retention. Retaining employees can be a difficult task if they aren’t a good fit for a position, or the company. Company’s wouldn’t want to fulfil an employment if the employee was not performing at their best, or did not provide the skills needed to execute their job requirements. 

    Employees want to work for companies that make them feel valued. It is the reason that transparency in the workplace is so important. Through honesty in a job advertisement the candidates are offered the best opportunity to be successful in a new career. A factual job description can encourage alignment of candidate skillsets and values with the relative job description. Therefore, new hires will be more likely to stay in the position if they are successful with their application. An article by Forbes presents the idea that employees first is the most ideal way to conduct business. Forbes explains the notion of putting the employees first, as the customers then follow. 

    Functionality of the workplace, growth in teams and financial gain can all be benefits of adjusting the job description to consider employee retention. Articulation of EVP enables Employers and employees to gain from the benefits if accurate and consistent with the company’s internal practices. 

    Company integrity and transparency

    Integrity and money can be two conflicting subjects. However, they can actually work in congruence. If a company is integrous and honest about a job position in the job advertisement, they can attract better employees, with the correct experience and values. This can eliminate huge costs in employee turnover and increase business efficiency as they have the capabilities and skills to carry out their jobs. Effectively, increasing a company’s profitability.

    Company transparency also enables them to positively build their reputation, it’s no secret that people talk. If a company has lost an employee as a result of falsely manipulating a job advertisement to be something it’s not, this can adversely affect your company’s reputation. People don’t want to work for unethical companies, and prospective consumers would likely not want to buy from them. Transparency within a job application also allows for employees to feel valued and respected by employers. Therefore, they commence their job feeling trusting of the employer and it builds a strong foundation for a healthy relationship.

    An Entrepreneur article written by International Speaker and Author Brian Tracy, explains that Integrity is one of the predominant aspects in Business leadership. For a company to maintain integrity, transparency is necessary in the recruitment process. This begins right from the start of the employee/candidate experience. 

    Summary

    These key elements of the job advertisement, all depict a common theme of transparency and honesty for employee satisfaction and company progression. Attracting the right candidate stems from the very beginning, correct and honest articulation of the job description and EVP. Employee retention has the potential to be increased significantly through better execution of job descriptions and input from both HR and management on the requirements and tasks of job offerings. Furthermore, the employee needs honest articulation of the offerings and benefits to them. Companies integrity can be exemplified through providing factual job advertisements to candidates, this enables an increased reputation. There are streamlining softwares available to aid a business in increasing their recruitment efficiency!