Attract better candidates by writing better job postings

Employers have a hard time finding quality candidates despite having a large selection of applicants to choose from. Instead they are receiving resumes from unqualified or under-qualified people who feel that they have nothing to lose by applying to positions they are not qualified for.

Employers, however, are left sifting through hundreds of resume and may end up finding only a few qualified people to interview.

One reason is that strong candidates out in the open market tend to get snatched up by another employer more quickly. Another reason is that firms are doing everything they can to retain their best employees, making them very difficult to recruit. These passive job seekers are currently employed, in demand, and selective with their options but will consider another opportunity if the right one comes.

In order to reach these individuals, your job posting need to sell your company and the position rather than just listing the job qualifications and description. In other words, these job seekers have choices and they need to be convinced to leave their current position and go to yours.

Based on a 2009 CareerBuilder survey, below are a few things job seekers say they first consider before applying to a position:

• Company’s stability and longevity in the job market: 32%
• Good career advancement opportunities: 20%
• Good work culture: 14%

Does your job posting appeal to any of these decision factors?