Are we making recruitment too difficult?

“Why don’t we simplify recruitment?” – it’s a loaded question and one I ask myself (as well as my clients) frequently.  We dream of applications from amazing candidates, yet our job adverts are dreary and often confused.  It seems we crave concise, focused CVs and succinct cover letters or supporting information, then overlook great candidates and scold recruitment partners for insufficient detail.  So, what really matters in recruitment and what comes first?

Most of the time it’s a job description, although sometimes we work with outdated versions, complete with eccentric language and hide behind the excuse that nobody reads them anyway.  What chance do our jobseekers have, if we can’t write in accessible and up to date language which resonates with the audience?  How do busy people assimilate the minimum that they need to make an investment decision and apply?  And let’s remember, some people in our audience aren’t even looking to move jobs.

Now let’s put the Jimmy Choo on the other foot and consider our colleagues and partners who are shortlisting.  What technologies should they employ?  Is their overriding objective to screen candidates in or out of the process?  Whatever the answers to these questions, they’ll always need a comprehensive starting point.  They should know what the job is all about and who’s most likely to succeed.  And they need to recognise where the job fits into the organisation.  So, why do we leave so much to chance and interpretation?  Why do we make it so difficult?

I sometimes wonder how the person describing their job so successfully to a friend over lunch at the weekend, makes such a dog’s dinner of describing the same job once asked for a written job description.  We say we want to encourage diversity, yet we continue to write nonsense – little known abbreviations often compete with organisation or sector specific terminology and ambiguity.  And we haven’t even got to gender-specific language or accessibility.  I’m hoping that by now you’ll have a few ideas about what needs to change and what’s within our collective gift?

There’s a strong case for an early market appraisal – what skills do we need and where will we find them?  What similar jobs exist in the (local) market?  How many people who share our values, have those strengths and how will we attract them?  There are some who will say “the job is the job”, although maybe we need to step outside of our bubble and think a little differently?  Let’s break the mould and simplify recruitment for ourselves, our partners and most of all, our candidates.

The market is moving at pace, and we can’t afford to get left behind.  With more and more organisations incorporating video clips into their recruitment processes and younger candidates pitching directly to their Linked In audience with great success, it’s time to think a little differently.  And in the same way that when it comes to CVs “less is more”, let’s make recruitment inspiring and fun for all participants!  There’s more to come – I haven’t finished yet, and if you’d like to chat about your ideas, then Let’s talk.