Why specificity is key to finding the perfect candidate

Hiring people, like so many other things, relies heavily on good communication. Your job ads need to excel in enticing those applications. Key to that is being specific about what the job entails, what the candidate can expect from the organisation and what shape the ideal candidate would take.

It is incredibly important to focus on being specific in recruitment campaigns. The reason is simple; time is money - for everybody. When you provide total clarity about the job and about the ideal candidate, while also effectively communicating your organisation’s core mission and culture, you put yourself in the best position to receive the optimum amount of worthy (and credible) applications.

That said, you are effectively selling your organisation - so it is right to feel like you should make use of a few little sales techniques in order to develop interest. But at it’s heart, your recruitment campaign needs to expressly communicate expectations from all sides. Those sales techniques should be employed sparingly, and only in ways that complement your key message.

There is only one thing worse than not receiving any applications and that’s receiving thousands of applications from unsuitable candidates!

Specificity is key to attracting the best talent

Improving the quality of applications that you receive comes from understanding exactly what the ideal candidate looks like for that particular role. And that comes from knowing that role inside out. Ask yourself a few key questions:

• What knowledge is needed to really succeed in this role?

• What attitude is needed to really succeed in this organisation in general? (Just look around you!)

• What sort of person do these answers add up to - who exactly is our target audience?

• What exactly are those people looking for in a new opportunity?

• What steps are they taking to discover that new opportunity?

Once you’ve thought about those questions, you have effectively gone full circle in pinpointing not just what it is that you should be looking for, but also what the person you are looking for will be looking for.

Come at job ads from a perspective of attracting and filtering the best talent

The way you should view recruitment campaigns is having two aims. The first is to entice and encourage engagement by potential applicants. You can do this with job titles and a short, specified role descriptor, including a few simple (and unexaggerated) points about the business and benefits. The second is to gently filter out unsuitable candidates. No harsh or competitive wording is needed to do this - just a selection of mental checkpoints that a candidate can work their way through and decide whether or not they can picture themselves in the role and will commit to an application.

Specificity in recruitment campaigns allows recruiters to ensure that the most qualified candidates apply - and also that those candidates are serious about their application.

If you find yourself battling to receive optimum applications for your recruitment campaigns, why not get in touch and see how we could help?