Event horizon
Recruitment reflected, pt 2
I had a minor epiphany a couple of weeks back, which was either profound or a wisp of a dream.
I had just woken up to be fair.
Sad, innit, that recruitment is such a special interest I obsess about it when asleep.
I mean, I woke up at three in the morning and actually wrote some notes.
Notes that made sense in the morning, unlike the delusion I had about ChatGPT designed adverts attracting ChatGPT written CVs.
Anyway.
I had three conversations stemming from advert reviews, with a CEO, an MD and HRD.
(I'm still offering these by the way)
There were a few practical takeaways:
all 3 are actually amazing employers doing cool things, some of which might make the world a better place.
when I explained the practical issues surrounding salary non-disclosure they were all receptive. Perhaps £competitive doesn't always mean £lowball?
all have had good successes with advertising job description-led adverts, yet have also had failures from similar looking adverts
all three care about their candidates but
The candidate sphere outside of their recruitment process is an unknown unknown.
This is to say, none have critically assessed how their recruitment is looked at from the outside-in.
It's all done from the inside-out, hoping that readers will see the opportunity without showing it.
I made up these terms, but when I googled them, they are a marketing thing - an approach which puts the customer front and centre, making them feel the feels.
Nike - just do it
Dove - real beauty
Apple - shot on iPhone
Famous examples of outside-in marketing campaigns whose purpose was to make money.
In other words without the right blind spot check, it can be hard to see how a candidate's perception can work against you.
You’re caught in an inescapable <newsletter title> of your own making.
3/ How do candidates look for work?
Recruitment reflects, and your messaging must consider the steps potential candidates take to look for work.
It’s like shopping for shoes and soaps, or fruit, I suppose.
Shoppers have multiple channels in which they might buy a product.
If they need soap… oh sod it, let’s do headphones instead, which at least contains the right letters… you’d go to Amazon (ymmv). Search for your needs on a high volume commoditised marketplace.
Split by price (salary), delivery (location) and features (job description). The rest of it doesn’t matter so much as long as it’s good enough.
Much how someone would look for work on LinkedIn. Your adverts need only be good enough for people who need a job.
That’s right, people can apply despite what you’ve written. They may even be perfect candidates.
But what if they aren’t?
If you want running shoes… well avid runners know Nike’s aren’t necessarily the best. They might be attracted by an ad, but if the specifications don’t meet their needs, it doesn’t matter how cool the advert is.
They might even need gait analysis (a reverse reference) before they even consider applying. Or maybe they need to try out the shoes to check for fit (speak to you before updating their CV).
As for a phone, well, maybe consumers are hung up on the brand, in which case they probably have FAANG or Astrazeneca in their LinkedIn headline.
Or you might just be caught up in the way just do it galvanises action.
While others may look past the glitz for the substance that actually matters - battery life, camera quality, working arrangements, opportunity to make an impact.
You might not attract a FAANGstrazeneca groupie whatever you do, but why would you bother if you can attract better-suited people for the right reasons?
Unless you understand your next employer’s needs, how can you write an appealing advert?
Creativity should be the consequence, not the goal.
These brands above know why their customers buy from them and they speak to them personally, without fear.
Most job adverts at best sell the opportunity through features, rather than pull ideal candidates forward through the ikigai they might actually need.
If you’re caught in the gravity well of inside-out, all you’ll ever do is improve your words, not the message.
In the same way many recruiters are excited by the ‘better adverts’ offered by AI.
But if you're vulnerable enough to flip the narrative, that's where the magic is, and we should talk (employers only, and for a fee as I need to buy new Nikes).
Or maybe it was just a dream after all.
Regards,
Greg
P.s. buy my stuff - greg.wyatt@bwrecruitment.co.uk