Rewrite That Boring Job Description

Want to attract the A-players to work for your business? Here's what needs to be in the job description.

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Job descriptions are the last thing most of us think about because with all the day-to-day busy work, who has time? We know we need to hire talented people, but most of us go with the standard, dry list of bullets on a website and hope that someone fits the bill.

Get Creative and Attract the Stars

Job descriptions are marketing just like when you're describing your products or services, but even more important. Why? Just like you want to attract customers that come back again and again, you also want to attract A-players who love what you do, and love their job. Will they be attracted by a boring job description? No way. And what impression will a snoozer description give them of the type of company you are (when you're probably very cool)?

Given my small business marketing company, VerticalResponse, is located in the Bay Area and we go up against Facebook, Google, Twitter and many others to find great talent, we need to be creative! So, what changes did we make?

We pay attention to our job descriptions and talk about our great company!

Here's a sample:
VR people rock. We're fun and diverse; we work hard and play hard. When we release a new feature or product into the wild, it's immediately used by thousands of small businesses and non-profits. It's nice to hear our customers say, "We can't succeed without your marketing tools!" We're both growing and profitable, which many companies just can't say. Oh, and we have the best damn coworkers around!

We talk about our people, we talk about what we offer, and we feature things we're proud of like our volunteering programs and the awards that we've won.

So What Can You Do?

Take a look at your own job descriptions. Now take a few minutes to look at some of your competitors and other top companies and see how their descriptions read. Pull some that you like for inspiration, then plan some rewrite time. Keep a good balance of sizzle and substance, as there's still a job to be done. The more you can infuse your business's personality into your job descriptions, the better you'll be able to attract the type of person that's going to do wonders for your biz.

Seal the Deal

Once you've written a great job description, posted it and found that awesome candidate that's everything you dreamed they would be, make sure you seal the deal. We've been known to bring a candidate in for a series of interviews and hand them a job offer before they leave our office. We know the importance of making a special impression and how that gesture can seal a conversation with a candidate so they won't consider another company/offer.

So be ready to make that offer to an amazing candidate. The days of leaving them guessing are over. When you find a star, make sure they know you want them and move mountains to make it happen. It can make a huge impression on a candidate when another company they're considering may be dragging its feet, or going through a ton of red tape.

What are your thoughts on spicing up your recruiting efforts? Got a fabulous job description that stands out from the crowd? I'd love to hear in the comments.

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Janine Popick is the CEO and founder of VerticalResponse, a leading provider of self-service email and event marketing, online surveys, social media, and direct mail solutions. The company was ranked No. 2,802 on the 2012 Inc. 5000. @janinepopick