After doing millions of dollars in business coaching with companies of all sizes and industries across the country and beyond, one of the biggest challenges we consistently see is hiring.
More specifically: getting the right people in the right seats.
We’ve developed a job posting format that we use ourselves and have provided to numerous clients with tremendous success.
One client came back to us after using this format and said:
“Patrick, we normally get a handful of applicants. This time, we had over 100 quality applicants. We actually had to shut off the Indeed ad because we had so many good people to sort through.”
So, I want to walk you through the individual pieces of the format, why we include them and why we believe this approach works so well.
What Makes a Great Job Posting?
One of the biggest mistakes companies make is creating a job posting that simply lists duties.
Here’s what you’ll do.
Here’s what you’ll be responsible for.
Here’s what your day-to-day looks like.
But the purpose of a strong job posting should go much deeper than that.
You want the person reading it to determine:
“Is this actually a great fit for me?”
You want them to see themselves succeeding in the role, not only performing the daily tasks but helping the company accomplish what it’s trying to build one, two or even several years into the future.
Ideally, as the right candidate reads your posting line by line, they should be thinking:
“That sounds like me.”
“I would love doing that.”
“I can absolutely see myself in this role.”
The goal is to create clarity around four things:
The company. The person. The role. And what success looks like.
Start by Speaking Directly to the Right Candidate
At the very beginning of the posting, give a simple description of the type of person and work environment you’re looking for.
For example, in our Operations Manager and Client Liaison posting, we explain that the role is mainly self-managed, offers flexibility, has minimal daily interruptions and operates in a relatively quiet workspace.
That information immediately helps someone decide whether the environment fits them.
If they want constant activity, frequent supervision and a lot of daily interaction, our position probably isn’t right for them.
And that’s a good thing.
A great job posting should not only attract the right candidates.
It should push the wrong candidates away.
Just like marketing, you have limited time and resources. You want your message to resonate with the right audience as quickly as possible.
Give Them the Basic Information
From there, provide the fundamentals:
Job title Position summary Company information Core values Core focus Location Hours Compensation and benefits
Your summary should provide a high-level explanation of the role and what that person will generally be responsible for.
Then tell them who your company is.
Who do you serve?
What do you do?
Who will this employee interact with?
What type of environment are they stepping into?
For example, we explain that The Greenhouse is a business coaching and consulting company and that we work primarily with business owners, executives and high-level professionals.
If a candidate reads that and thinks, “That makes me nervous. I’ve never worked with people like that,” it may not be the right role.
But if they think, “That sounds exactly like the kind of people I want to work with,” we’ve probably gotten their attention.
Include Your Core Values
Core values are one of the most important parts of hiring.
You want people who align with how your organization thinks, behaves and operates.
You don’t necessarily need to provide lengthy explanations of every core value in the job posting. You can dig much deeper into those during the interview process.
And when you do, don’t simply hand candidates the answer.
For example, one of our core values is Grow or Die.
I wouldn’t ask:
“Grow or Die is one of our core values. Tell me how you fit that value.”
That’s an easy question to game.
Instead, I might ask:
“What’s the last book you read?”
“What podcasts are you listening to?”
“What are you currently doing to improve yourself professionally or personally?”
Those questions help uncover whether somebody naturally demonstrates the value.
But that’s a topic for another video.
Don’t Make the Opportunity Unnecessarily Narrow
When describing location, hours, schedule and other logistics, be careful not to narrow the position more than necessary.
For example, maybe you ideally want a full-time employee but you would consider an outstanding candidate who wants to work slightly reduced hours.
If that’s true, say so.
If you advertise the position as full-time only, you may eliminate an incredible candidate before they ever contact you.
Make the opportunity broad enough to reflect what you would legitimately consider.
Hire for Values and Attributes Before Skills
The next major section of our posting is Attributes.
We intentionally put attributes before skills and responsibilities because we do not hire for skill set first.
We hire for values and attributes first.
If you have the right person, someone who has the right mindset, wants to grow, can solve problems, takes initiative and learns quickly, you can teach that person an incredible amount.
But if you hire someone solely because they possess the technical skills and they aren’t a fit for your values, culture or expectations, chances are good it isn’t going to work.
The order of your job posting communicates priority.
Put the most important things first.
Write Attributes as “I” Statements
One of the most effective things we do is write our attributes as first-person statements.
For example:
“I don’t need a lot of direction and am typically one step ahead.”
“I’m a strong, effective and clear communicator.”
“I don’t make excuses and get things done.”
There’s a reason this works.
When the right candidate reads those statements, they think:
“That’s me.”
They feel like the posting was written specifically for them.
Someone who isn’t a fit may read those exact same statements and think:
“That really isn’t my personality.”
Again, that’s a win.
Before you ever publish the position, spend some serious time determining the attributes of the ideal person for that seat.
Go Beyond a Basic List of Responsibilities
Next come the actual responsibilities of the seat.
This is another place where companies frequently fall short.
Don’t simply write:
“Client communication.”
“Scheduling.”
“Invoicing.”
“Event planning.”
Explain what the person is actually expected to accomplish.
For example, instead of simply saying “client communication,” we explain that the individual will be responsible for client check-ins, relationship building, communicating with prospects and clients and helping identify additional opportunities and solutions for those clients.
Instead of simply writing “client gifting,” explain that the person will be responsible for ordering and coordinating client gifts.
Be specific about:
What are they doing?
How are they doing it?
What does ownership of that responsibility actually mean?
Make the Responsibilities Useful After Hiring
A good job description or posting shouldn’t disappear once the candidate is hired.
It should become a management tool.
You should be able to revisit it during one-on-ones and ask:
Are you doing this?
Is this being accomplished?
At what level is it being accomplished?
Where are we falling short?
That’s why the responsibilities need enough detail to make them useful months or years after someone joins the organization.
List the Technology and Platforms They’ll Use
We also include the software, technology and platforms someone will likely use in the position.
For us, that includes tools like Microsoft Office, LinkedIn, Canva, Monday.com, WordPress, QuickBooks and video editing applications.
Again, this helps the candidate self-identify.
Someone may look at the list and think:
“Yep, I know almost all of these.”
Or:
“I haven’t used that one but I’d be completely comfortable learning it.”
Someone else may look at that same list and realize the technology requirements aren’t a good fit.
That’s useful information for both sides.
Define What Success Looks Like
One of the most important sections of the entire posting is: What Success Looks Like for This Role
This moves beyond someone’s daily responsibilities and fast-forwards into the future.
Imagine this person has been in the organization for six months.
What has changed because they’re there?
What has improved?
What are they accomplishing?
How is the company better?
In our Operations Manager role, success means things like more efficient processes, better workflows, fewer items sitting on my plate and a stronger client experience.
You’re giving candidates a picture of the destination.
The right candidate should read it and think:
“That excites me.”
“I can do that.”
“I’d love to help build that.”
If they read it and think:
“That sounds like way too much,”
then the posting has once again done its job.
Give Candidates a Simple Direction to Follow
Finally, we include a very specific call to action.
For example:
Email your résumé to this email address.
This serves another purpose beyond simply collecting résumés.
It tests whether the candidate actually read the posting and can follow basic directions.
Attention to detail is extremely important in our business.
If someone applies through a hiring platform but never follows the specific direction at the bottom asking them to email their résumé, we generally don’t consider them.
They didn’t read the posting carefully enough or didn’t follow the directions.
That becomes one final layer of vetting.
Build a Job Posting That Helps the Right Person Say “That’s Me”
That’s the format we’ve developed and used for our own hiring and we’ve had many clients implement similar versions.
The feedback has been tremendous.
They’ve attracted more quality applicants and we’ve repeatedly heard candidates say things like:
“I’ve never seen a job posting like that before.”
Or:
“When I read it, I felt like the position was built specifically for me.”
That’s exactly what you want.
Your job posting shouldn’t simply tell people that you have an opening.
It should help the right person recognize the opportunity while helping the wrong person realize it isn’t for them.
Build your posting intentionally, define who you’re really looking for, explain what they’ll own and paint a clear picture of success.
Do that well and you’ll dramatically improve your chances of getting the right people in the right seats.
>>> Download the Example Job Description <<<
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