After A Morning of Job-Surfing

Dear Human Resources* People:
I’d like to work for you, I would. But given that first impressions are everything, that first impression kinda cuts both ways — starting with your help-wanted ad.
If you’re not getting the really awesome people applying for you, maybe you might want to make sure you’re not writing ads that include the following, and here’s why:

1. You want a “rockstar.” Give that I’m not really a fan of doing cocaine off hookers’ bellies on bathroom counters, I’m not sure I have what you’re looking for. Keith Richards, maybe he’s your deal.

2. You’re looking for someone who can create “viral” content. If one KNEW how to make viral content, do you know what they wouldn’t be doing? Applying for your job. No offense. Anyone who consistently create “viral” content is the next producer of the year, okay, and not a $20-an-hour employee. If you want well-circulated web content, though, I can do that. That’s realistic, and it’s something you can ask for, and is what I’d deliver.

3. You want a “guru.” Sorry, but I’m still learning social media, and I guarantee you that anyone worth their salt is, too. Social media ain’t OVER, it’s still evolving, and we’re all on this ride together. Some of us are intent to be students and don’t think we’ll ever be masters — just highly consistent and always awesome. It’s not about where your “guru” is today, it’s what kind of an online community they’ve built for the long-term, because staying power is HARD on the web today. Some of us, though, epitomise it.

4. You’re using super-hip lingo buried in long paragraphs of uber-corporate jargon. You’re hip or you’re corporate, so decide which type of person you want on-board, because one isn’t the other, and you don’t seem to know which you are.

I can’t tell you how many jobs are written with the above styles, and they’re selling what they’re unlikely to deliver, because they’re overwriting and overselling.
This does you, and me as the job-seeker, a huge disservice.
Make sure your job posting reflects who you are and what you’re really looking for. Buzzwords might give you the impression you’re attracting those who are “a cut above,” but you might just be isolating more than those you’re attracting, because it doesn’t sound sincere.
I want to work for you. But, based on your advertisement, I can’t.
I’m a great communicator, a fun team-player, loyal as the day is long, and always thinking forward, not backward. I say exactly what I mean, and don’t need to oversell things, because quality sells itself.
When it comes to writing movies, books, stories, and songs — less is more. It’s true also of job advertisements.
Until we get to salaries.
Let’s be realistic — for most of us, the world revolves around money, and in Vancouver, there are a lot of folks who won’t apply if you don’t list a salary range. (I’m not necessarily one, but I certainly look for that information.)
We’re not expecting you to nail a number down, or to have you promise us the world, but we need to know if our financial responsibilities can be met with your position. If not, then let’s spare both of us some time.
We all know it’s not just about the paycheque. We all want to be valued, and find the right place. Know the job you offer, and who you want.
We don’t need to be oversold on our jobs. We just want to work someplace we fit into, and your job advertisement is where that relationship begins. Please think twice before posting.
Love Steff.
*Mostly PR, marketing, communications, writing, and editing jobs are what I’ve been surfing, obviously. Got solid part-time work? Maybe I’m your girl.

12 thoughts on “After A Morning of Job-Surfing

  1. Brigette

    Please know, that unless you are applying at sizeable corporations, it’s likely an HR professional did *not* write those ads. πŸ˜‰ And even if they did, they’re not writing them without input and feedback from the manager and/or executive team.
    Also, I completely agree with you about the salary range. I’m not sure why it needs to be a secret.
    ~ an HR professional who does none of these things πŸ˜‰

      1. Bruce Campbell

        On the topic of professional versus people; one of the biggest challenges with being a professional is the amount of your cognitive talent co-opted to the overhead of managing the profession. Making sure that you don’t go over the allotted and paid-for time. Cutting corners because your client can’t really afford what excellence you really want to bring to bear. Thinking about the time and the money when you should be listening to the client.
        I know these things are what professionals are proud of being able to do, as well as serving their clientele, but I put it that the real danger is professionals (not naming and shaming here, but I hope I have moved the readers to think of some good examples) where the love of the vocation definitely has taken a back seat to the love of the fees.
        One of the podcasts I follow voiced the real problem with our economy; professionals thinking that closing the doors rather than opening them is a good way of securing income. If we start thinking of value as something that erodes if it’s not evolving and moving, then perhaps the attitudes might shift with employers, with professionals, and hopefully with our world in general.
        I’m such a Utopian. Sorry.

  2. Sam

    Hey Steff,
    Great post, and I agree with all but one of your points (and I don’t even disagree with the one). I’ve recently stumbled into the recruiting field (specifically IT staffing), and I post some of the opportunities online (Craigslist, Kijiji, LinkedIn, etc). And for compensation I always put “competitive.”
    Most of what I’m dealing with are government contracts where rates aren’t defined, or at best a wide range is provided. But since candidates are literally competing against other candidates, and since the hourly wage can comprise as much as 50% of their application score, I need to emphasize to them that the lower their rate the better their chances. It’s hard to do that if I’ve posted a wage range like $69-$100 an hour; no one’s going to want $69/hour once they’ve got $100 in their head, even if there’s zero chance they’ll even get an interview with the higher rate.
    When I was job hunting last summer I hated spending time carefully targetting my resume and constructing a perfect cover letter only to discover that they wanted someone for $14/hour (despite their laundry list of required skills and education). Some employers are cheap and are looking for the best deal, rather than the best candidate. But it’s a different story when vendors are involved (and most government orgs have to go through vendors).
    Basically, if you’re interested in a position but the wage isn’t posted, it’s still worthwhile to apply or even just shoot an email requesting the wage information, especially if you see terminology like “our client requires” indicating there’s a middleman. I know I’m always happy to discuss rates with potential candidates before making them do all the paperwork. πŸ™‚
    Good luck with the hunt!

    1. A Scribe Called Steff Post author

      Sam, if the ad is written well enough and it sounds like a company I’d love to be a part of, or a job I’d love getting up for in the morning, I will apply without salaries indicated.
      Been around the employment block too much to work for people who don’t make my heart go thump-thump with their opportunities, and pay is of the “if it gets the bills paid” consideration, primarily.

  3. Bruce Campbell

    great post, Steff. Thanks for articulating what I and I know many others have felt for a long time about job postings. It is indeed tough to create the best job description for any specific role. Of course organizations want people who will be great at the role being advertised, and hopefully provide even more skills and experience around the edges. What really irritates the hell out of me is seeing the gigantic lists of credentials & qualifications so many advertisers seek, including advanced degrees (ie, 6+ years of post secodnary education) next to hourly wages of $17–$20 per hour.
    Superstore pays better than that for a senior cashier. There’s job satisfaction, and then there’s basic survival.

    1. A Scribe Called Steff Post author

      There’s a reason I’ve actually applied for part-time “box store” employment. I’d rather a retail job that I can leave at work, get paid $14-17 an hour, rather than a lot of the jobs that pay the same, will invade my after-hours, be demanding mentally, and have a stressful learning curve.
      Some of us, we work to live. Believe me, retail’s attractive after a while.

  4. Wendy Blackheart

    Can we also eliminate job ads with poor spelling? I know you might be looking for a new receptionist to do this shit for you, but please, use the spell check before you send out the damn ad.

  5. Trish Smith

    When I worked for a nonprofit back in Denver, Colorado (and I’ll name them, too, because they rock so damn hard – Colorado Coalition for the Homeless), I worked in HR for a woman by the name of Leann. She was a kick-ass HR director, partly because she was a stickler about creating job ads that were well put-together, informative, and that didn’t include tons of jargon. She’d shriek in horror at the crap some of these companies are slapping together and calling “job postings”. More HR departments (and anyone else creating a job posting) would do well to take a lesson from her.

    1. A Scribe Called Steff Post author

      Wendy: Hear, hear.
      Trish: Yep. It’s a big deal when someone’s getting the HR department done right. It’s the lifeblood of any organisation, and it all starts with the job advertisement.
      Erik: Thank you, sir. πŸ™‚

Comments are closed.