If you feel like you’re close to getting your startup idea off the ground, this might be one of your life’s most exciting times. Maybe you first devised the idea years ago, but only now do you have the funding and a solid plan for this business venture. Doubtless, you have visions dancing in your head of what it will be like when you take your company public in a few years.
You also know that you need some great employees, or else your startup is probably not going to succeed. No company has ever risen to prominence without having the best and most qualified people in the most prominent positions.
The question is, how will you find the candidates to fill those jobs? The first step will be writing job descriptions that are so enticing that no one with the skill set you need can help but apply. We’ll explain how to write the most compelling job descriptions in the following article.
You Must Make the Job Sound Exciting
Writing the perfect job description isn’t easy. You want to be creative yet honest. You can’t misrepresent what the job will be like, or else the person you recruit will probably leave once they realize you deceived them.
That means you need to come up with ways to make even the most mundane jobs sound interesting. You’ll have to emphasize the fun parts, if there are any, and deemphasize the position’s boring aspects.
You might use a little bit of selective humor. If you’re self-deprecating in the job description, that sends the message to candidates that you would be a fun boss.
You Should Explicitly State Pay and Benefits
You should also never have a job posting that does not say precisely what the job pays. That’s the first thing any applicant will look for, regardless of whether the job you have for them is CEO or fry cook.
If the pay sounds good to them, they will keep reading. If the rate you’re offering is too little, they will look for other positions. This way, the money is out in the open from the very beginning.
You should also list any benefits, such as health insurance, stock options, gym memberships, company cars, and so forth. If you give your workers plenty of paid time or maternity leave, make sure to list that before the candidate gets too far into the job description. They will be looking for that sort of thing.
Talk About the Potential for Advancement
If this job is a starting point for someone, meaning they will begin as a low person on the proverbial company totem pole, you need to mention if they can work their way up. Again, don’t deceive them, but if they might have a chance to move into a more prominent position if they show an aptitude for the work, it helps to mention that.
You might choose to briefly lay out ways they can earn a higher salary or get more benefits as time passes. You can say you’ll give them a guaranteed raise in one year if they stay with the company that long. That should get their attention since it shows you value employee loyalty.
Make the Company Sound Like an Excellent Place to Work
Above all, if you want to land some of the best candidates in each industry, you have to make it sound like they will enjoy working for your startup. A lot of corporate environments aren’t the friendliest or most welcoming. You want to make yours sound different.
Use plain language that describes what makes your company a place these workers will enjoy coming to every day. Try to depict your workplace as one where everyone gets along, and the employees have a say in how you conduct business. Make it clear that you value your workers, and you don’t see them as faceless cogs in some corporate machine.
If you do things like Casual Friday, Taco Tuesdays, or if you offer remote work sometimes, mention all of that. The better the description, the more bites you’ll get, but remember not to mislead anyone either.
If you don’t feel like you can write these sorts of job descriptions, hire a freelance writer who can do it. If all of your job posts sound tedious, you’re not going to get the best candidates, and your startup is not as likely to thrive.