The job-ads jungle of job-sites - vanishing employers and traps of thick phrases

From Ralf Junge's blog entry: Im Stellenanzeigen-Dschungel der Jobbörsen – damit Arbeitgeber nicht verschwinden

We talk a lot about what makes a good employer. In my preview for 2014 I wrote, the matter of identity will be of more importance. Employers will have to (re)think their position and perception. The 'finding of employer brand' plays a particular role as well.

Yesterday, I read an interesting article in the newest edition of Markenbrand (a magazine about Employer Branding) about perception of employers at job websites. In 2012 more than half of all job-seekers used online-job markets. For companies these job-websites offer a wide range  of possibilities of job-ads, also. Why it is not wondrous that the number of offers increase continously. Yet, this causes piling problems because the result when searching becomes an unstructured mind map of googillion possible matches. For Users, especially career-starters, it faster gets difficult to distinguish between all different offers - a true information overload.

When checking the hits of a search it more and more turns into pabulum - or as the German would translate literally 'unit goo'. All phrases are on repete. Honestly, it is no fun to continue reading. Maybe you know the following phrases: 

"We offer a challenging and exciting job in a growing firm", or "we offer an attractive work place in the heart of (city xy)", or "a motivated team awaits you". All of this has got nada to do with poyitioning an employer brand!

Have job-websites reached their limits? Do companies have to think of other more expedient channels in order to reach candidates better and to be recognized? Will companies drift away from job-portals?

Redesigning the concept job-ads on websites
The answer is no. Job-websites offer so many possibilities to create job-ads exciting and attention-grabbing, differing from other companies. Of course here are creative heads asked - in graphic design as well as writing. It starts with the job-title which is the first point of contact of a job-ad. Do you remember the campaign by Axel Springer which showed "applicants" with self-ironic and funny job-titles? Remember to put in enough buzz words so the proper search result is shown. 

Further possibilities are offered by design and within the display text. Important and often underestimated is the time of publishing. There are peaks where job-searchers are most active - working days between 6 and 8 AM, around noontime and in the very evening. On top of that, the job-ads published on job-sites should be shown on the companys websites as well. Another factor is the kind of application. Offer an online-mask with option to upload files or ask for an application by eMail. Figure out how your target group ticks and after which criterias the job-ads are regarded - and optimize your online presence in the jungle of job-websites. 

Ralf

Why isn't HR mobile yet!

From Ralf Junge's blog entry: "Warum sind wir nicht mobil?"

My smartphone and I are like Bonnie & Clyde - inseperable, it is an essential part of my life. So much as wenn I don't have it with me, panic attacks almost occur. Technically my entire schedule is organized on my phone. Since I am looking for a new job, I am using my phone for my job search as well. But this, hardly is any fun.

Trying to look at job-ads via mobile I fail. Honestly: the up and down scrolling as well as the constant mini and maximizing is a pain. Actually, it is a pitty. Shouldn't it be logical to have a job search enabled to run via mobile phone.?! Survey results show quite clearly, web access via smartphone are increasing. And users demand a mobile optimization, for job-ads also.

Current studies affirm the saddening truth. Only a handful of companies are publishing actual mobile optimized job-ads. At least Monster.de released a pioneering announcement at this years Zukunft Personal - an annual fair for HR. 'Job-Ads are to be published with a responsive design.' We will see how long it will take companies to notice this trend.

I admit, mobile accessibility is not compellably required for every company. But when it comes to reaching the young, technology and web-affine target group as employer mobile optimization is needed. Especially as employers compete in the race for talents.

So what are we going to do now? Employers pretty much get the next target group directing innovation or channel served on a silver platter. Considering the current speed of innovations in HR, I strongly assume the Zukunft Personal 2015 it is called: "Recruiting is mobile now".

Job-Ads from the other side

Last month, being on XING, I noticed a fun written job-ad by BFFT, a (not so well known to me) automotive engineering company. The Job-Ad was for a an Internship in Personnel Marketing who obviously belonged to the Pinky and Brain Generation. It sounded truely like fun to me, however, it was "just" an Internship. For career starters of three years working experience for instance, such ads appear disappointing. 

Nevertheless, this kind of ad actually made me think about why a probably not young staffed company would start or at least try to speak the language of current all age 17-25...

Three days later I came across the job-ad by Lululemon seeking for a new CEO on Hawai'i. Businessweek wrote about it. Now this company is surely no nine day wonder. In fact Lululemon is a grant success in regards to Yoga-Fashion.

Companies trying to speak the "young ones language" is okay. However it has to walk the same talk as the corporate culture does! Having a frumpy or very old-fashioned corporate culture does not make you morally eligable to display a wrong image of a younger company on job-ads. After all, Job-Ads are the first thing that intrigues potential employees to apply for the job. The only acception is a total image change has happened, which is usually only done when the company is in trouble or merged with another firm.

Lululemon did it right tho. And boy, that ad went offline quickly, too. Their somewhat healthconscious hippy target group naturally speaks as the ad did. And if the company is supposed to be lead just as it was or as easy-going" as before it is surely right and fun to portrait such image via job-ad. If you need a CEO to be a firefighting leader, however, employers should reconsider the language in their job-ads. Especially when you write the ad all fun, but you are a stick-in-the-mud company, things are going to be a waste of time for both sides. 

Dearest companies, please, act accordingly - or like the old Hawai'ian would say: ho'opono.

HR, wake up! - Rethink your application procedures

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: "Personaler wacht auf! – Umdenken im Bewerbungsprozess"

It is well known, the German Economy and with it the German work force, suffers from a skills shortage. Living or working  in Germany, you might have noticed this already. The more I cannot understand why this fact and/or problem is no reason to wake up or becoming active.

Times when applicants stood in line to apply for a job are over. The competition for skilled workers is too grant for employers. Even applicants don't tremble for jobs much anymore. If it isn't that one, oh well, it is going to be the next one. After all, the application procedure is a two-sided thing in getting to know another.  Now you might say, ain't nothing new. But there are sill colleagues who work with the same methods and thinking as they did 10 years ago.

1920, Toronto: Women apply for waitress's jobs at the CNE. The job paid $1.25 per DAY!

It starts with the recruitment. Too often insignificant and weird job-ads with horrible stock-pics and no clear messages are published. And they wait, for most possible fitting candidated to apply. Usually not successful. Applicants don't want to watch trendy, fancy employer videos where employees dance and sing with a bright (fake) grin. The only thing they might win with "acting" like that would be the Golden Mangel Award.

Be yourself. You got enough to tell about yourself already - that is how companies come across real and believable. Be interested and show your applicants that while the application procedures also. When applications landed in the inbox, let them know they have reached you! In a personal interview, please don't let them rephrase their résumé all over again. You should know what they did already if you read the application. The worst, however, are the assumptions "read" out of the résumé being expressed through suggestive questions then. No, I certainly don't want to justify myself and feel like in a police questioning in an interview. Eventually, it is not about which impression I leave, but what impression the company representives leave on the candidate. If you haven't notice yet, most High Potentials have more than one door of job-opportunity open!

And after the interview, we don't want to hear nor read: "I was able to figure your image out. I will contact you then". You already know wether the interview went well or not and what feeling you have about that applicant fit in the team with the open position. How about you, yes you, the company representive, ask your candidate: "What do you think? Would you like us as your employer?" 

It is time to wake up!

The Job-Ads check, or, "The Entrance to the World of Pain"

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis's blog entry: Stellenanzeigen im Check oder auch der "Einstieg in die Welt des Schmerzes"

You might think I am exaggerating. Honestly, I wish I could push it but they job-ads I am going to show you will prove it. Paging through German magazines I sometimes land on pages with job-ads and, well, find the entrance to the world of pain (kinda like Smokie in The Big Lebowski). Check this out.

But maybe you find this different. I would like to give you two examples I am more than happy to discuss with you then.

Example #1: Ferchau 

(Ferchau is an ingeneering company specialized for the aviation industry.)

It says, "Convert your energy successfully". Erm yes, and...how, with a foursquared rack-wheel?! It also says, "You can do that better". Turning the quadrangular round?!

What kind of profile is actually looked for? And for what? What is the offer? Or is it an Image-Ad? If so, what does Ferchau stand forexactly? Cause this certainly is not explained in this ad at all.

Kind of too many inconsistencies - Ouch!! Don't you think?

Example #2: Bundeswehr 

(German Federal Armed Forces. Yes the GFAF also functions like a business. Now while we have no Major Tom nor Uncle Sam we instead have ust the black eagle hoping for applicants. I guess. (*EN))

Here it says, the "Ingeneering career at Bund is sharper than it looks". I am sorry, what? What the heck, erm eagle, does that mean?! You can have a sharp career at the Bundeswehr? What is that supposed to look like? 

Here as well I am asking myself: What and who is searched for? Why Bund instead of Bundeswehr? Why having an excrutiating log jammed structure in this job ad? With a confusing punch line if you can call that one even.

Ouch! I know I am hurting. Are you too?

JT

AIDA in Personnel Marketing - Simple rules simply applied?!

Translated from Jannis Tsalikis' blog entry AIDA im Personalmarketing - Einfache Werber-Regeln, einfach mal anwenden?!

Every advertisor (should) have it running in his blood, the rules above all rules for advertising communication: the AIDA principle. Applying the bases of this principle should help developing a (at least halway) good communication mean. It is so simple and nice to apply to to almost anything - of course the in Personnel Marketing, also! Let's apply the rules to the Personnel Marketing. The four bases of AIDA would look like this:
 
Attention
The applicants awareness is attracted. The mean must somehwat surprise, stick out and be visible - it gotta catch an eye or two.

Interest
The applicant starts to be interested in the advertising employer at some point and in some way. The target group should be and feel addressed to.

Desire
Going one step further, the interest in working with the employer is awakened. The wish to get the job advertised is generated and strengthened, convincing the employer.

Action
The applicant applies for the very job finally. At the „Point of Application“ applicants are endorsed applying for the job.
 
Easy, isn't it?
 
We can test this systematic with this simple example following. 
Please look at this poster below and judge by applying the prior explained rules to this very job-ad.
 

Attention? Well, yes. I would say such a big poster is hardly not to be seen. The layout, too, with its uberdimensional exclamation mark and the great combination with the questionmarks. Erm, yeah. Very fine! *cough*

Interest? Does the target group feel addressed? Now, considering in Berlin-Wedding, a district of Berlin with quite a few Teenager, one of them will be attracted to a job-ad as such while walking through the mall out of great boredom. With a lot "good will" we can put a check in the box on Interest.

Desire? Is this statement convincing? Start an apprenticeship as Hair Dresser/ Barber so you won't be bored as the job-ad promises? And appreciation? Appreciation and approval (stated in the ad) with a job that under the TOP-10 of the most unpopular jobs? The convincing reasons to apply for are definitely missing. At least now, Personnel Marketing is failing much. Quite a pity! 

AIDA in Personnel Marketing? It isn't that hard to follow those advertising rules, is it?