From a promotional email from CareerBuilder.com:
Last year, job searches on CareerBuilder.com increased by over 60% in January, breaking all previous job search records.
Obviously, CareerBuilder is trying to sell employment ads, but the quoted statistic is remarkable.
We hear people complain about finding talented salespeople using the big online boards but we have consistent success with them. The boards may be a problem for some positions, but I don’t think that is the common cause. From what I see, many companies post ads that are . . . well, atrocious.
Here’s my Minnesotan view on it: Imagine you are on a large lake that is renowned for good fishing. Now let’s say you don’t catch any fish, or at least keepers, for an entire week. You could state that there are no keeper fish in that large lake, but few people would believe that statement. My initial questions to you would be, what bait were you using? What other bait did you try?
See, too often we encounter HR departments that have written a job description based on their internal criteria. That job description (which reads like technical instructions to a mechanical assembly) is then posted on a job board resulting in a flood of misaligned resumes in somebody’s inbox. Granted, there are automated responders on the major boards so you will receive some completely unqualified resumes. But the quality of response is directly proportional to the quality of the ad.
If you want to attract the right sales candidates, you have to write the ad so that they see themselves in the ad. The best approach is to outline the parameters of a typical sale and describe the skills and aptitudes needed to succeed in that sale. A brief description of the compensation plan is also a requirement. However, it is unwise to go into great detail about all of the rewards the salesperson will receive if they land the position. That information will enter the equation at the appropriate time in your hiring process – and hopefully the strong candidate will use their qualifying skills to discover it.
For more specific information, please read this article from our newsletter. The article is from 2 years ago, but the principles are still effective today.