Negative space
Candidate attraction from repulsion, recruitment writing pt 15
Okay, the subtitle is misleading.
This almost-certainly-an-article isn’t so much about using repulsing people to attract them, which is a form of negging, as it is about descriptions that can deter unsuitable readers while attracting candidates.
There are many benefits to this idea, which I’ll get into in a bit.
An example from a recent People Director advert, which led to placing someone who hadn’t been looking for work:
“This isn’t just any typical food manufacturing company, with an as-is workforce that only requires handholding and firefighting.”
A bit of context: HR in the East of England is fragmented, with many senior HR practitioners being more of the old-school personnel approach than commercially focused. And others adopt the People title with no rhyme or reason.
A common reason for commercial HR vacancies rejecting candidates who have identical CVs to successful candidates is that line above.
It resonates with many commercial HR practitioners that have interviewed either as an employer or candidate.
Firefighting here means the high volume of employee relations common to food manufacturing. No time to do the proactive stuff.
I should point out this was a confidentially advertised vacancy.
Were it branded or directly advertised, you’d need to think about how this kind of description is perceived, in case you’re seen to criticise your ‘competitors’.
When I ran it on LinkedIn, there were 32 applicants, 14 of whom were auto-rejected by the killer question ‘do you have full right to work in the UK’.
10 were suitable enough to call.
2 of these were submitted to the employer, alongside 3 found through other means. 1 of them got the job.
In total, I spoke to around 40 candidates before presenting this shortlist.
“That line really struck a chord with me, and it’s so true of some the companies I interviewed with last time”, said the candidate that went on to get the job.
She wasn’t the only person to comment so.
Disappointingly, not one person spotted the M&S allusion.
By highlighting what it isn’t, this line draws attention to what it is:
The negative space of a vacancy.
It’s actually pretty simple to find this kind of example for any common skill vacancy - I include a niche HR role in this category.
“What reasons have you had for declining candidates, in terms of skill sets, context or attitudes?”
“Why wouldn’t someone work out in this role?”
“Why did it go wrong last time?”
The answer’s with the hiring manager.
If it’s a role for which there are archetypes for success and failure, you can set the scene while speaking to the ikigai and experiences of your readers.
We should be mindful of bias of course:
“This isn’t a company with a diverse workforce or where people stay longer than a year” might be an accurate counterpoint to concerns about culture fit and institutionalisation, but perhaps not something you want to advertise.
“You’ll hate it here if you’re a West Ham fan.”
“If you enjoy the machinations of structured corporate life, this won’t be for you.”
It’s an approach that works for many reasons:
It sets the scene with texture and candour
It appeals to the experiences of candidates and builds trust
It tells them they aren’t going to waste their time by going for the wrong job
It shows you know the truth of the vacancy, from unexpected angles
For readers that enjoy “a steady reactive workload where they can support line managers through disciplinaries and grievances,” they’ll get a sense they aren’t an ideal candidate, confirmed by the rest of the advert. Nothing wrong with what they do, of course, it’s just a different type of HR.
It’s an ‘essential requirement’ in disguise that helps readers make the right decision while giving an implicit and constructive reason for saying no
It’s unusual enough to be a pattern interrupt that encourages credibility and to focus on the rest of the advert
If relevant, I’ll include ‘negative space’ in my adverts, whether above-the-line or below-the-line.
If you were wondering about the picture, which is a style you are likely familiar with – it’s Rubin’s Vase, an optical illusion whereby two faces are created from the negative space of the vase.
The next could-be-a-catechism is on the correlation between employee and candidate experience, and how doing the right thing may improve your bottom line.
I don’t know what I’ll call it – any suggestions?
Thanks for reading.
Regards,
Greg
P.s. While you are here, if you like the idea of improving how you recruit, lack capacity or need better candidates, and are curious how I can help, these are my services:
- Go-to-Market, operational and technical leadership recruitment
- manage part or all of your recruitment on an individually designed basis for one client
- NEW recruitment writing as a service: ask me about it
- recruitment coaching and mentoring
- recruitment strategy setting
- outplacement support
Just hit reply to check if my approach is right for you.