Just last week I wrote about peeling back the layers of recruitment and identified key points for consideration by employers and their recruiters.  I’m already thinking that the piece could be the beginning of my next recruitment guide, “How to do recruitment differently to support your business reputation”, although I need to complete the guide for candidates (“How to be the best candidate you know how to be, every single time”) before I go off on that tangent.  Market intelligence is a vital element of successful recruitment.  Market forces play an essential role in determining who is likely to be available to the organisation or business and at what cost.

“Who are our biggest competitors for this skillset – what do we need to know?” is my favourite research question, although responses often vary from blank expressions to half-hearted explanations about inadequate remuneration or brand uniqueness.  I have no wish to offend although in my experience, few organisations study their markets in sufficient detail beyond product or service differentiation.  Many seem to restrict competitor analysis to market penetration rather than employment opportunities and talent options.

My preoccupation with the market frequently pays off, if only to demonstrate the skills which are in demand, candidate trends and preferences (some might even say whims), the packages on offer and the experience levels sought.  Where investment permits, I’m a big fan of the market insights which come from market mapping.  This is particularly helpful to volume campaigns and rapidly growing businesses or start-ups, as well as executive campaigns.  It’s a good idea to utilise market insights when finalising job descriptions and key requirements.  There’s little point in going to market with an unrealistic proposition is there?  I draw parallels with product development as you’d expect.  Think, basic supply and demand principles.

It’s essential that job descriptions and requirements are readily understood by everyone who is likely to be involved in the recruitment process (and ultimately the successful candidate once they’re employed).  All too often organisational levels are frequently disguised and confused by extensive (and unrealistic) lists of requirements.  Entry level roles are hidden behind excessive experience levels.  All too often C-suite executives are required to demonstrate “attention to detail” rather than previous success “setting strategic direction”.  Trust me, I’ve seen the best and the worst.

So now to my next big questions:

·       How clear is the job description / person most likely to succeed?

·       How realistic are the requirements – how do they stack up with the role outputs?

Spoiler alert, Great Job Descriptions Attract Great People and guess what, the best ones are:

·       Accurate

·       Concise

·       Free from jargon

·       Easy to evaluate

·       Free from padding and repetition

·       Appealing to the audience

If you’d like help with gathering market insights, designing fabulous job descriptions or other aspects of recruitment, then let’s begin the conversation who knows where it might lead us?