Marketing the Open Position
It's more than just a job description!
Introduction
The employment market is getting more difficult everyday. Talent acquisition is a constant battle; recruiting and retaining talent is more critical than ever. As societal changes begin to increasingly impact what candidates are looking for, the process of recruitment and retention must evolve.
Take off the Human Resources Hat
The "HR Hat" views the world in black and white. It might be time to add some color to attract a new kind of candidate. Yes, there is plenty of "have to" language that is important in protecting the company, but what can we add to make the potential candidate WANT to work for you?
Put on the Marketing Hat
We are ADVERTISING an open position, so we need to begin thinking like an advertiser or marketer.
What's on the candidate's mind?
What are they looking for?
What "sells" the job?
What Successful Marketers Do
Competitive Market Analysis
The successful marketer conducts an analysis to understand what the competition is doing in their market.
What are your competitors paying for the same job?
What benefits do they offer?
What makes them a better or worse opportunity than your position?
Unique Selling Proposition
Successful marketers understand what differentiates their opportunity and their property from the rest of the market.
Why would someone choose your club?
What physical plant benefits do you have?
What historical/advancement/intangible assets can you leverage?
Unique Selling Proposition = Employee Value Proposition (or Perception)
What does this picture say about the culture at this club? It's the team at the club hinting that it's a fun place to work with a little levity intended to bring a smile. We are not talking about products necessarily, but a candidate driven market place. We are going to replace the USP with Employee Value Proposition (or Perception). Essentially, what does the employee get out of joining your team? Statistics show that 90% of positions are candidate driven, meaning that you are not selecting the candidate but rather, THEY are selecting YOU. What set of values do you offer that are attractive?
EVP, meaning Employee Value Proposition, is a set of values that you, as an employer, offer to your employees, and use as a magnet for attracting new hires. Besides attracting candidates, your Employee Value Proposition (EVP) can help you engage and retain employees. (TalentLyft)
Simply put, you can either offer them a higher compensation or you can focus on other values you offer as an employer. You can win talent over by emphasizing other relevant components of your Employee Value Proposition (EVP), besides a bigger paycheck.
What Millennials and Globals are Looking For…
They are looking for mentors
They want learning opportunities
They need variety in the work day
They are looking for flexibility
They are looking for unique benefits—student loan repayment, wellness options, etc.
They want to be part of something bigger than themselves (charitable causes)
They want work to be meaningful
Make Work Meaningful
Some of these things, along with our pre-conceived notions of these generations, don't seem to fit with our concept of our industry. I might ask; are any of these things negative? Is it so bad that they want the work they engage in to be meaningful? Is it so bad that they are looking for flexibility and variety? Yes, there are certain limitations in our industry because it is so heavily dependent on seasonality, but can we be creative within those constraints to offer options we haven't used before? Working 10-14 hour days because "that's the way I did it, and that's the way it's always been done" will simply lead to longer days with more tasks because we'll be doing it alone since we can't attract new talent.
Tips & Talent
According to LinkedIn research, when candidates have to give their final answer on a job offer, the deciding factor for them is how your company would impact their career advancement and how stimulating the job will be (both financially and intellectually).
Ideas to steal:
Treat your candidates like they are amazing (because they are!)
Lead with what you offer (your employee value proposition), not what you need (job requirements)
Describe the steps of your hiring process—timelines, what to expect
Highlight how much you value diversity and encourage candidates to be themselves
Leverage Visual and Social Media Outlets to Promote the EVP Associated With Your Opportunity
Job Post Sections - Old vs. New
Position Overview
Old
Review the facility history
Summarize the position
New
Highlight and define your Club's EVP!
Define your values, your culture, your mission & vision
Use key words from it in your job posting to showcase what it's like to work at your club
Essential Duties
Old
Bullet point list of things that MUST be done in order to avoid being fired.
New
Paint a picture of what they will learn and what they can become!
Show examples by talking about former employees who have gone on to great jobs in the business.
Include a testimonial from one of them if possible to speak to their experience working for your club or for you.
Compensation & Benefits
Old
Minimum & Maximum
Lessons (maybe)
Health/Dental etc.
New
Minimum & Maximum
Lessons (based on historical data)
Highlight multiple ways to earn more than the salary/hourly wage suggests
Leave open the possibility of candidates sharing in additional revenue streams THEY initiate or help implement.
Consider your CMA - what unique benefits and perks do you or can you offer?
Wellness, tickets, student loan repayment, charitable commitment, team building events etc.
Takeaways
Let’s take a cue from top hospitality leaders in advertising open positions
Utilize social media in addition to traditional avenues
Push to make traditional avenues less traditional
Be proud of your club and your team! Show that pride in the recruiting process in text and images.
