The Secret Weapon in Attracting Quality Candidates: Better Job Ads

One hopeful sign of economic recovery is that many ARM firms are expecting to increase their staffing levels next year.  According to insideARM.com’s most recent Credit & Debt Collection Industry Confidence Survey, a majority (55.1 percent) of collection agency professionals are planning to hire more staff in the next six months.

It is still a “buyer’s market” for hiring new talent today. Not only are many qualified ARM professionals looking for work, but there is a growing talent pool of passive job seekers – people who are currently employed, but are waiting out the recession before making a move.  As the economy recovers, these candidates will begin to respond to new opportunities.

Having more talent to choose from does not necessarily make it easier to find the top performers, however.  In fact, many companies miss the opportunity to attract A-level candidates when posting their open jobs online because they confuse a job description with a job ad.  A job description is more of an internal document – a listing of skills and requirements that reads more like a spec sheet than an ad.  Imagine a car company simply posting a copy of a window sticker to sell cars! To improve the quality of the responses to your job ad, consider improving the ad.

Remember Your Audience
Lou Adler, well-known recruiting expert and the CEO of The Adler Group, recommends that you create a job ad that describes a compelling opportunity for a star performer.  Start by asking some questions about the ideal candidate for the role:

• What will this person need to do to be successful?
• What impact will they have on company success?
• How will the new employee be challenged?
• What is the opportunity for growth?

Then, use the answers to these questions to craft your ad. For example, would you want to apply for a job that “must have experience managing and training collection personnel,” or a job that offers you the chance to “use your experience to build a stellar collection team from the ground up?”

Remember, high-performers are probably not looking for a job that just fits their skills; they’re looking for a job that will take them to the next level.

Treat the Title as the Headline
Job search results usually display just the title, location, date, and employer, so depending on criteria, two jobs could look almost identical.  Online job seekers will scan though search results and may not open every job listed.  Your job can stand out from the crowd simply by showing some creativity in the title, which essentially serves as the headline to your ad. Consider adding detail to the position, such as “Senior Collector – Prime Telecom Accounts,” or “Creative Collection Specialist – Competitive Bonus.”

Use Links
It is surprising how many hiring managers still post online ads as if they were printed in the newspaper classifieds.  Most online job boards support formatting and links, so use this to your advantage.  Add links to relevant places on your website to give top candidates a chance to learn more about your company and the opportunity.

Sell Your Company
A critical factor in the success of a new hire is culture fit.  Will this person work well with your team?  Is your company a good fit with their values and priorities?  Help them make that determination by describing the culture of your office. What is it like to work there?  Are you a team of “high-energy professionals?”  Are you actively involved in the community? Does your company support a specific charity?  Is there a company accomplishment your staff takes pride in?

These simple adjustments can make a huge difference in who decides to apply for your job – a critical first step in hiring the right people!

Check out the new and improved JobsInsideARM.com – with powerful new features for job seekers and employers!

Stephanie oversees all operations for Kaulkin Ginsberg. She has more than twenty years of experience in operations management and consulting, both for start-ups and large established firms. She can be reached at 240-499-3806 or by email.