Today, millennials and the generation forward look for experience on the job in job descriptions, making it essential for recruiters to humanize them.
A reflection of an organization’s values and job descriptions can turn away even the most passionate prospects. A factor that impacts employee satisfaction is clarity in terms of their responsibilities. A clear job description leaves scope for less interpretation and ensures that the candidate knows the expectations. A job description is the first contact any candidate has with an organization and sets the tone of the interviews.
The first three sentences of the job description show if an organization is inclusive. Candidates apply for jobs based on assessing how intimidating a job description is. Every single word in the job description acts as a deciding factor for a candidate to apply for that role. After being hired, candidates tend to leave the organization if their job role deviates from the job description.
Make description experiential
Generalizing a job description creates scope for “n” number of interpretations. Millennials and the generation forward tend to apply for jobs that provide pay transparency in their job descriptions. Candidates hesitate to apply for a role when the job title does not align with other organizations.
Although keyword search is how job descriptions come on top, filling job descriptions with powerful words does not necessarily convey expectations. Experienced recruiters suggest that the best job descriptions focus less on candidate requirements or skill sets. They say that it focuses more on the kind of lifestyle a candidate will have if they apply for THIS job in THIS company. Like in marketing, customers are not buying a product but the solution. Job seekers will not understand the language of the organization or the percentages of the role.
Do not complicate
Millennials are already taking over managerial positions in a lot of organizations. Millennials, a generation that puts a high premium on work-life balance, are not attracted to descriptions with verbiage. Any consumer-based organizations understand that millennials look at the experience and how a product/service makes them feel. Hence, they are attracted to job descriptions that convey emotions and actions to achieve the lifestyle they seek. Millennials also think in terms of action. Therefore, they are concerned about the efforts that may go into the position.
To conclude, a specific job description attracts quality profiles and saves costs, time, and energy. Clear and concise job descriptions demonstrate how serious an organization is about hiring for the position. Since millennials are looking to see if they can build the life they want through this job, organizations must write a job description with the intent of employee retention.