How to Attract Top Talent with Quality Job Postings

How to Attract Top Talent with Quality Job Postings Sponsored by Workopolis: In the hunt for great candidates, a job posting is your first important step. If written well, your job description can attract much higher applicants from the start, saving you time and, most importantly, money. Of course, that’s easier said than done. If you’ve ever experienced the frustration involved with staring at a blank page, you know writing just about anything can be a challenge. You don’t, however, have to struggle. You just have to do your homework. Start with an intake meeting to get the nitty-gritty on the position. What is the day-to-day reality of the role? What are its responsibilities, tasks, and objectives? Once you have that information, it’s all a matter of writing (and re-writing).  Here are some tips on how to write job postings that attract top talent. Clarity counts You need to be very clear and specific about required qualifications. When a candidate reads your job description, they must instantly know if this position is for them (and if they have what it takes for the position). If there is any uncertainty, you will be inundated with resumes and candidates â€" the bulk of which may not be qualified for the position. To avoid this, clearly define and list qualifications that are mandatory for the job. This should include things like professional certifications, years of experience, and education levels. For more technical roles, it’s also a good idea to list software, platforms, and coding languages to give applicants a good sense of the work involved. Top talent knows what they’re doing, and they know their value on the job market. If there is any confusion over your required qualifications or skills, they will look elsewhere. Use industry-specific job titles Creative job titles (like Data Ninja or Grand Poobah of People) might seem like an easy way to make your company look fun and hip, but this can backfire: they can keep your job posting out of search results. Think of it from a job seeker’s perspective. What would they be more likely to search for? A job as a ninja or an analyst? While the former certainly sounds more exciting, most people with a data background will opt for the latter. The same goes for industry jargon and organization-specific terminology. If you have a specific term for an analyst, how does a job seeker know this? Instead, use commonly known titles that are in-line with industry norms. These are the keywords candidates will use in a job search. So even if it feels boring, when it comes to the right candidate, boring is beautiful. Keep it short and sweet This position might be the most important role in your organization, but it doesn’t mean you have to channel your inner Tolstoy. Stick to what’s essential, and don’t overwhelm the reader. The goal should be to make things easy to read. So, where possible, use subheadings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to break up blocks of text. It’s also important to use simple language; the more understandable it is, the more you can expand your potential reach.   Sell your brand The reality is many of the top candidates out there are already employed. Your job posting has to entice them enough to want to make a change. So, you need to put a focus on the positives of your company, including the location of your office (especially if it’s in a trendy neighborhood), the hours (do you offer flex time or work from home options?), vacation time, the salary range, and any other exciting perks and benefits you might offer. An important thing to remember is not to shortchange the work itself. Many of the most talented candidates out there are looking to challenge themselves and progress in their careers. The chance to work on an exciting project, for example, can often be an enticing proposition in and of itself. Avoid cliches You know what we’re talking about. Job postings tend to be filled with descriptors like “detail-oriented” or “hard-working.” You might really want these types of employees, but the subjective nature of these words can create misconceptions about what is actually required for the job. Instead, use specific, objectively proven (e.g. leadership skills proven by prior experience managing a team). It’s also important to use keywords that are associated with that kind of role. Again, put yourself in the shoes of a job seeker. You might be hiring a “copywriter,” but a qualified job seeker might also be searching for “communications” or “editor.” Dust off that thesaurus and show off your vocabulary.     For more job posting tips and templates,  download our free eGuide,  A Practical Guide to Writing Job Postings. Here’s a sneak peek: About the author:  Workopolis  is Canada’s leading career site for job seekers and a leader in HR technology solutions for employers.

Just To Get a Rep - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Just To Get a Rep - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career As a mode of communications, the internet in general, and social media, in particular, has allowed us to connect to others in many different ways. We can share all types of happenstances in our lives and this ability can affect our lives both our personal and professional lives. Social media, for some, has seemingly blurred the lines between what you do  say as a person  and how you position yourself in business. Thus, while I fight the urge to go left and refer to the  music in the title of this post  let us go ahead and discuss ways by which you can manage your reputation online. SEO is easier than you think Before you start attempting to debunk this talking point, lets think about a couple of things: SEO is about making your quality content easier to find; and Being consistent and staying on topic are important in SEO. Granted, this section can be considered as leaning towards your career. With that being said, what you do is part of who you are and, by extension, part of your personal brand. So, if you are showing your worth by participating in thought leadership activities, this is for you. According to a  Harris Interactive poll,  85% of respondents google people to learn about them. Your own content marketing activities are part and parcel of the point-by-point process of building your reputation online. These pieces of content must be consistent with things that are important to you as they are now searchable my subject and name. If you are using these pieces of content to further your career, keep in mind that, according to a  Harris Interactive poll,  85% of respondents Google people to learn about them. Being social To be clear, we are all more than just what we do or our career. We have family and friends with whom we share time and do things. The people we know and the moments we share make us whole and fulfill our desires, however, there are moments that may not need to be shared with everyone. Being authentic and open does not mean we have to leave all of the windows and doors open in our proverbial houses. While there is nothing wrong with sharing your moments or thoughts with the world, there is nothing that says that you must share everything. Furthermore, understand that what you share is open for feedback and discussion. Yes, this falls under the umbrella of standing your ground, and because of this, you must have already decided that the point(s) youve made or story youve shared is important enough to outweigh the circumstances that could arise. Please note: this is not to say that you shouldnt share personal details about your life that are important to you this is only calling out t hat fact that the things that you share in social media are not done so inside of a vacuum. What you share is not exclusive from your reputation. The key here is that we are all the sum of our parts. We can all continue to be full human beings with our own thoughts, goals, desires, and opinions. Just recognize and understand that what you share is available for review by any and everyone else online.

30 Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

30 Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Open communication in the workplace is good but there are some lines that should not be crossed. Therefore, you should be careful when speaking to your boss and instead of directly saying what’s on your mind; you should reframe your thoughts. Especially, you should avoid using the below phrases. Otherwise, you can ruin your career. That’s not my job. That is not my problem. I am here for the money. I don’t get paid enough for this. I can’t do this. I am bored of doing this. I don’t have time to do this. I am here until I find a better job. I want to do the easiest task. This takes too much time. I could be doing better things during this time rather than working on this. You never told me to finish this task. I don’t like working for other people. Why is Jane/John always working on the best projects? It is not my fault. It is his/her fault. I don’t like working with Jane/John. I will leave unless you… That is impossible. I am too busy. My old boss was better than you. That is not how we always do it. Why do we need to change it? I was hoping a better raise this year. I don’t know. We have a serious problem. As a millennial, I expect/do…. You didn’t show me how to do it. I have tried it before and it didn’t work. I don’t want to do it this way. I know you said “No” but I talked to your boss and s/he said “Ok”. I think I should talk to your boss about this.

12 Ways Women at Work Can Support Each Other

12 Ways Women at Work Can Support Each Other I  would not be where I am today without the mentorship and advice of other women.  My mentor sat me down, got out her Rolodex, connected me to her network and encouraged me.   Because of  her, I got my first job before I  even  graduated from college.   On the other hand, I worked for  a woman who talked about me behind my back and  tried to get me fired.    After  a few years of trying to patiently deal with her  insecurity and jealousy, I couldnt take it any longer and  requested to transfer to a different team. I believe that women need to support each other as much as they can.  If you are successful at managing your work and life responsibilities,  you must  share what  you have learned.   Your advice can help other young professional women not make the same mistakes. The more that we encourage and help one another, the more successful we ALL will be. [Related Post:  20 Successful Women to Follow on Instagram] Here are  12 ways you can support other women at work that will change lives in the future: Offer to mentor and coach another young professional woman to become the successful person you know she can be. Ask someone you work  with  to lunch today.   Forget about your to-do list and spend time getting to know  those  you work with every day. Initiate a womens forum at your company to highlight women leaders and encourage discussion  of womens issues in the workplace. Offer to speak at schools and colleges about your job and how you became who you are today. Set an example. Be aware that other women around you notice if you are constantly being pulled in a million different directions and are  stressed out by life. Is this the kind of role model you want young women looking up to? Have an open door. Are you approachable? Attend motivational seminars and events with your staff. Dont make assessment time just another check in the box. Be honest and give those who work for you true development actions that will make them better over the next year. Write down what you know and share it with others by blogging or submitting articles to magazines or blogs. Never, ever  gossip or talk about someone behind their back. If you have a problem with someone, tell them in person. Dont measure others on appearance and dont be judgmental. Celebrate others successes instead of  being jealous. No one wins when women dont support each other. How can you help other women at work?

The Benefits And The Drawbacks of Pet-friendly Offices CareerMetis.com

The Benefits And The Drawbacks of Pet-friendly Offices Original Image Source â€" Depositphotos.comPet-friendly offices are the way of the future, they say. But is it really a good idea to allow pets at work?I’m going to say ‘Yes’, and you might think it’s biased. I hear you, but I’ve worked in pet-friendly offices for quite a long time now and as a pet parent and an employee, I totally agree with pet-friendly offices. But wait, a pet-friendly environment is not always achievable and even if it’s possible, pet-friendly offices are not a success for every company.evalIf you’re an employer and want to make a pet-friendly office, you might want to read further to see what considerations and policies will be needed.On the other hand, if you’re an employee and just looking for what the pros and cons of pet-friendly offices are, you should go through this article to know what you might expect.in a pet-friendly office.The Considerations for pet-friendly OfficesevalPet parents working in pet-friendly offices won’t have to spend money on pet sitting or dog walking services when their pets go to the office with them. In addition, coworkers also get to hang out with furry friends and have a quick break in the fun atmosphere created by dogs and cats around. This can be relaxing and therapeuticfor many.Whether you’re an employee or an employer, you’d like to go through these considerations for pet-friendly offices. Without those, the whole idea of having pets around may turn into a total failure.If you’ve decided to make your office pet-friendly, please check with the building policy for dogs. Some building does not allow dogs or any pets at all. If this is the case, you might not want to turn your office into a pet-friendly one, unless you’re willing to relocate.The next consideration in order is whether a dog-friendly office is right for your company or not. The offices which are a host a lot of crucial client meetings, should not be pet-friendly. The same can be implied to the offices which have a fo rmal dress code. Because pawprints and hair on the dress is never a good look. On the other hand, if your office is more casual, it might be easier to have dogs and other pets around.Even if the pet-friendly environment is fine for your company, you now need to check whether it is also suitable for employees or not.evalThink of these questions:Do you have too many dog parents on staff?Have employees been asking for this perk?Will employees enjoy the work with the dogs and cats around?A quick and honest poll can certainly help with this.If you’re fearful of dogs or cats, you might not want to work at a pet-friendly workplace so always check if they’re providing a separate space to accommodate humans and pets.If not fearful, some people are allergic to them. For instance, maybe one floor for dogs and another floor should strictly dog-free kind of space can be arranged. If this is not feasible in your office, then you might want to rethink the decision.evalMoreover, you would like to check that all the pet parents are responsible enough to tackle all the bad behavior and accidents caused by their pets. Obviously, dogs don’t behave 100% all the time. They might bark right when you’re on an important call with a client. So, always try to seek an answer to this question. And about the accidents, well, you should make sure there’s enough carpet cleaner stocked up in the office.What General Policies You Might Find in pet-friendly OfficesIf you’ve decided to turn your office in a pet-friendly one, it’s time to make policy. In a nutshell, the policy will contain all the rules around having dogs in the office so that everyone can feel that they’re on the same page for the pet-friendly environment.Some common rules can be that all the office pets must be up to date on their shots, and of course, be housebroken. Moreover, an employee with a dog has to mention whether his dog can be kept off-leash in the office or not. And also point out any areas and spots in the office that are off-limits to pets.The policy should also include the procedure of raising and addressing complaints. For example, if a dog gets too many in-office accidents, maybe you would put him on probation. And how many more chances a dog is allowed after probation before getting a permanent ban?Most offices follow “one-bite rule” according to the Society for Human Resource Management I have worked with a start-up based in the US where the dogs were allowed since the beginning.Juniper, the dog of our founder and CEO was around the office in the early days of the company.And now, when I left that job, there were about 10 dogs around in the office. Not to mention, the things we learned along the way.“No dogs on furniture” rule is a must. This helps encourage good behavior as well as keeps dog parents and non-dog owners pretty happy.You might need to keep lint rollers handy. You never know where pet hair can end up.Ensure that your office has pet-friendly cleaning products and insecticides to make sure that an office is a safe place for your dogs. The facilities team of the office should be responsible.If you’re making a dog-friendly culture in the office, make sure you mention that on the careers page of your website as well as in the perk section. This is an important perspective for employees when applying to a pet-friendly office.Employ a check-in system for dogs also to know which dogs are present in space. This can be very helpful in the case of an emergency.The pet-friendly environment is one of the ways to make the office a happy place. And there are other ways to reduce stress which you can try if the pet-friendly office is not preferable for your work.The Benefits Drawbacks of A Pet-friendly OfficeI’ve summarized the pros of working in pet-friendly offices here.Pets around the office help reducing stress and make employees feel more relaxed and comfortable.A pet-friendly atmosphere helps increase employee satisfaction and impro ve moral.Pets are a great medium to make internal communication better. Pets make all the teammates feel connected with a common interest.Pets may change a person’s perspective of a business. That said, customers are going to make a positive interaction when given a chance to pet an employee’s pets.Employees can save a lot of money on pet sitting and pet walking. And they need not rush to their home early to satisfy their pet’s needs.Pet-friendly environment makes recruiting easy as it changes the perception of candidates as well as it helps retain employees for a longer period.Here are some of the cons of pet-friendly offices.If not used to working while pets being around, pets can distract the owner and co-workers.Dogs need walks and while taking them out for a walk can produce noise of barking whining.There is a need for a separate dog and human area for people who are allergic to dogs and are fearful of them.Pets gather a small crowd of employees around them looking for en tertainment when they’re supposed to be working at their desks.Dogs and other pets might have occasional accidents and may damage equipment by chewing or knocking them over.There will be legal matters in the case of any injury done by animals or caused by them. And for that, a company has to make a legal policy with the help of lawyers.The EndNoteevalI hope you may have discovered some key considerations for creating a dog-friendly office as well as if you are looking for getting a job in a pet-friendly office. If you’re still wondering about the decision, there’s indeed a lot to think about.Keep each point into consideration while making the policy and you’ll be fine. Conclusively, considerations and policies have been made on the basis of the pros and cons of having pet-friendly offices.eval

Looking for a job as a freelancer writer Start here

Looking for a job as a freelancer writer Start here 0 Flares 0 Flares Freelancing is as popular as ever and why not?  Earning money on the side or full-time with your skills sounds like a nice big piece of pie, doesnt it?  So sweet! If youre looking forward to getting started, here are some tips for you. Study Other Freelancers Thoroughly study the problems faced by freelancers. Find out where they started, what their skills are, and which companies theyve freelanced for.   You can now research other competitors of those companies and pitch similar work. Research Price Many beginners try to attract a company by offering low price for the work. Maybe avoid this. If youre confident in your skill set, then dont sell yourself short.  Besides, people are smart.  When they see the low price tag theyll think two things: 1.  I can afford this person. 2. I can afford this person because they arent that good. Go high.  Go you. Avoid Too Many Freelance Gigs Especially when getting started.  If you take on too many gigs, youll be overwhelmed.  When youre overwhelmed, the ball is dropped.  When the ball is dropped, you are dropped.  When you are dropped, you have no more money. Wait until you get a handle on things and then increase your work load and add new clients on. Learn To Sell Your Talent Dont be worried about sales.  Be good at what you do, present case studies, build a portfolio, and plan time each week for sales.  Sales could mean emailing 10 prospects.  Sales could also mean calling 100 prospects.  It really depends on how big your jobs are and how many potential clients you have. Looking for freelance writing jobs? You can find the right job at   thepensters.com

How Resume Follow Up Emails Can Help Your Business

How Resume Follow Up Emails Can Help Your BusinessResume follow up messages are important and it is an effective way to keep your relationship with applicants on the right track. In fact, you can do a great deal to establish your career through follow up communications, but sometimes people lose touch. With the help of a resume follow up, you can re-engage any number of potential clients with confidence.Perhaps you have written a letter to a prospective employee or employer that contains a concise summary of your current or past experience. After all, the prospective employee has probably written down their questions and you might have a follow up e-mail ready for them to send back with answers. The problem is that people tend to forget to contact you after they send in their resume or perhaps they forget to even send a resume to you at all. Either way, that time spent on the phone never translates into any financial benefit.It's true, there are a lot of job openings out there today, but you may be among the thousands of others who've thrown up their hands and quit. There's no shame in this situation as it is often an extremely difficult decision to make. Still, you have to make sure you continue to pursue leads or work in the sector in order to be truly competitive. To that end, resume follow up is an effective way to help you re-engage those who leave.You could also consider utilizing the entire process of resume follow up as a way to come up with more contacts and prospects. This will really increase your profit margin and make it a more interesting industry to work in. If your current employer comes into contact with a candidate who was left alone, they'll be forced to take notice and will be in a position to tell their other employers about your organization's efforts.Ultimately, your career advancement will hinge on your ability to create connections with potential clients and employers. By keeping in touch with your customers and prospects, you can help each of them to avoid potential complications as well as being able to remain consistent in your marketing efforts. In short, you'll be able to connect with your audience and win new clients as a result.Career advancement begins with making sure that every business opportunity you work with is professional and does not meet with resistance. Fortunately, resume follow up systems allow you to easily generate and distribute resume follow up messages for your own benefit. All you need to do is fill out the form and you'll be able to send one of your tailored messages to everyone who has applied for the position you're seeking. In this manner, you can create a consistent supply of leads that stay consistent with your business endeavors.You can then have the ability to follow up with the leads on a regular basis, depending on how long they have worked for your clients. This is a significant benefit over most other marketing efforts that simply send generic messages to potential clients. Y ou can develop new relationships and retain clients with the use of these personalized follow up messages.Keep in mind that while this process can be beneficial to your clients, it can also be a benefit to you. You have the ability to remain in contact with them and make them feel as though you value their involvement in your company and are willing to help them find more of the same. In turn, this is beneficial to you as well because you get to continue to expand your network and work your way toward gaining and maintaining new customers.