As we think about the year ahead, putting together a strategy to effectively hire the best talent and fill open roles is at the top of every company’s to-do list. And we want to help you get a head start.

The pressure that is placed on HR professionals to find and retain great talent can feel like tireless work.

The time, the research, the resources, and the expertise needed to successfully post, nurture, and fill jobs (in a timely manner), feels like an unsolvable task. Not to mention trying to predict recruitment trends, anticipate where your perfect candidate is searching for a job, strategize how much to budget for job advertising, and calculate things like cost-per-hire. It truly feels like an unsolvable problem.

And it’s even tougher right now. With the talent shortage, a change in the way people work, where people work, the skills gap across certain industries, and a looming recession, it’s more important than ever to think about and strategically plan how to tackle some of these problems.

We live in a world dominated by technology and technology improvement; it’s changing and shaping the way we do things. And at JobTarget, we’re using its power to help solve this seemingly unsolvable problem in HR.

So, the question becomes…

What can you do to put yourself in the best possible position to fill your open jobs?

1. Leverage available tools to understand the talent pool you are trying to reach

What does the talent pool look like? Where do they live? What are they looking for? What skills are important to them? What salary band does the position need to be in? What types of job sites does this audience leverage to find jobs? Ask yourself these questions. Research like it’s your job (because it is). Understand exactly who you’re trying to reach and exactly what language they speak.

2. Create a job ad that is fundamentally sound to optimize conversion

Now, you dig into writing the language they speak. Focus on things like an appropriate job title, a tailored job description that speaks directly to your audience. Make sure they stop what they’re doing and pay attention to this job description.

3. Create a winning advertising strategy and publish it to the most relevant places that your ideal candidates search and engage

If candidates can’t find you, advertising for the job is costing you money with no ROI.  Think through the channels and job sites these candidates may frequent. Where do they hang out? Where do they live and breathe? Be there. They shouldn’t have to work too hard to find you.

Now, let’s zoom in a little further on points 1 and 2.

How do we create job ads that convert?

I can’t stress this enough: it’s really important to focus on your audience.

After your research, you’re able to create a relevant and industry-related job title that’s persona-focused.

A short, targeted, job title allows jobsites and search engines to deliver the most relevant search results to job seekers, which will improve your performance when it comes to job advertising.

Your job description should be short enough that it’s easy to be reviewed but detailed enough so that when a job seeker is reading through it, they understand the nature of the work.

Even the tone of the job ad matters. Make sure it keeps the job seeker focused and allows them to picture themselves in the role.

Include salary information. Many states are starting to require this in their regulations, but more importantly than that, job seekers want transparency, and they want accurate information. That alone increases conversion rates.

What about you as an organization makes you special? Include it! That could be the game-changer that persuades a candidate to apply.

Final thoughts

Now that you have a perfectly curated job title, a short, yet detailed job description, and the precise tone to reach a specific audience, how do you put it all together and create a winning advertising strategy?

We'll tell you. Stay tuned for next week’s Part 2 blog.

You’ll learn:

-        How to create a winning advertising strategy

-        How many job sites job seekers visit before applying

-        Who actually gets credit when candidates do apply (and how you can make sure it’s you)