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Presentation materials for candidates

They are essential. Corporate magazines, booklets, interviews with employees, articles about the internal code of conduct, company presentations and an address by the management to potential employees will give candidates an inside line on the company. Place these materials in the meeting room and don't forget to give the interviewee a magazine at the end of your meeting.

This serves to shape your company's brand. Trade branding and a company's brand as an employer are completely different things. For example: Coca-cola is the most valuable brand in the world, however as a employer the company holds an entirely different position. It's a challenging place to work and few actively want to work there. HR-branding is shaped through the interaction with candidates. The recruiter conveys the values, ideas and concepts.

The ideal situation, is when the head of sales, for example, reaches out to a specific group of candidates:

«Dear all, my name is Vasily Stepanovich and I have been working here for 3 years. During this time, my team has grown in size from three to thirty and now I need another five fighters that will be just as strong workers as we already have here. I am looking for a sales manager for „Mega-Firm“ to work on my team, that will soon realize how wonderful it is to work here. Come visit us, I will have a chat with you after you have spoken to our personnel manager».

Example

A retail chain that is well-known in Moscow has opened its doors in Novosibirsk. It didn't have a particularly strong employer brand, but in Novosibirsk no-one had even heard of it. When opening a Hypermarket, it goes without saying that the company will need management staff and their deputies. So how did the management proceed? They created a presentation entitled: «We are your dream team! We can offer any director that strives for career-growth and professional development a space of 50,000 sq. m!»

Next, they indicated the names and telephone numbers of the exact people that will hold the interviews.

They didn't refer to their overall floor-space, volumes, dimensions and growth, they instead reached out to the people they were targeting as future managers of their company.

If the candidate was in any doubt about whether to attend the interview, they were sent a copy of the presentation. A few minutes later, the candidate came back with a positive response.

We very quickly generated a large and exceptional pool of candidates. The majority of them were highly-qualified and earned more than this company were offering, but the candidates were willing to lower their salary expectations because they liked the company's relations.

Every single candidate wanted to work for this company even before they had met with their potential employers! This is a perfect example of excellent employer branding.

Searching for candidates

If you can create a detailed vacancy then it will be much more straightforward to write the job advertisement.

How to write job ads

«Due to an expansion, a young, dynamic and actively-developing company is looking for men and women with highschool education and preferably without bad habits. High salaries, upon negotiation».

You really couldn't think of anything worse, yet job ads like these can be found plastered on websites and newspapers!

Job ads serve to sell both the vacancy and you as the employer. There is one very simple way to attract more attention to even the most run-of-the-mill job ad. All you have to do is add one piece of information and everyone will react to your text.

If the date is April 15th 2016, then you should write:

«The closing date for submitting your resume for this vacancy is April 25th 2016».

This simple phrase is effective for two reasons. Firstly, the candidate can see the clarity, certainty and confidence of the employer in what their need is.

Secondly, people play the role of candidate, by being successful, brilliant and highly-productive, during the interview. They are there to sell themselves. The rest of the time, even when they're reading the job-ads in the paper, they're just ordinary people. When they're driving along and hear a job ad over the radio, they're just an ordinary person and not a candidate. People do not focus on achieving success, but avoiding failure. That's how we're set up. Especially in Russia. Psychologists know this well. Therefore, when you note the last day for submissions, you're telling someone: «Buddy, if you don't send your resume before the deadline then you're a loser». And so he will send it just to avoid being a loser. Avoiding failure is a far better motivator than achieving success.

So write this phrase on popular job sites like hh.ru or superjob, on social networks and on your website – everywhere that you post the job ad. Try experimenting over the next 72 hours and you will see the difference in the number of clickthrough's, even if the content of the job ad is otherwise the same as usual.

But what if you haven't generated the required number of quality resumes by April 25th?

Just change the date to May 5th, that's perfectly fine. The job ad will be seen by people that haven't read it before that will respond just the same way. Recruiters are often of the opinion that candidates are always on the lookout, just as they are. This isn't the case. Even if 10 % of the candidates notice the new date, it's no skin of their noses.

Creative job ads

How did the great Gogol write his masterpiece, when he was lacking inspiration? Through sheer willpower, he forced himself to sit down and get to work. Inspiration came to him throughout the process. This also applies to you, if you're lacking creative ideas for writing a job ad then the best thing to do is write something, anything.

The famous Brian Tracy, the management guru and author of around 50 books, said at his masterclass: «If you need to think something through, write some kind of plan, do something creative or write down your thoughts, don't use a computer or tablet etc. Take a regular piece of paper and a pen and start writing. You will have far more interesting ideas. You need to think with your hand, your pen, you need to think in written form. You can transfer it to the computer later».

So, what can a creative job ad feature, and what should be avoided?

Firstly, you shouldn't lie. The job ad should reflect reality completely. You can exaggerate, downplay or embellish, but you mustn't deceive. With this in mind, it is essential to make intelligent use of what you place the emphasis on.

Secondly, never belittle the competitors of the employers.

Do you remember when the first IKEA store was opened? A large number of personnel had to be found immediately, but the salary offered was lower than the market-rate. Nevertheless, they were able to complete the assignment. How? They placed the emphasis on the candidates. They wrote:

«We're looking for a head of plates!» Specifically «the head of», and the job ad was humorous, unusual and interesting throughout. People will submit their resume for a vacancy like this out of curiosity alone.

Example from the restaurant business

In the restaurant business, as a rule, turnover of waiters and waitresses is very high. They come and go, and there is always a shortage. They are always in demand and they are hired on the spot. «Do you have a sanitary certificate? Are you ready to start? Go get changed and away you go».

Job ads frequently look something like this: «Urgent, we need a hundred people and we need them yesterday!» This creates a bad first impression on candidates, creating a disinterested attitude to work in advance.

The famous Goodman restaurant chain took a quite different approach.

Their waiters and waitresses work there for years. How id the management manage to achieve such a feat?

Part of their approaches was the use of smart job ads.

A few years ago, when the Goodman restaurant chain was actively expanding, they needed to find a large number of waiters on a very tight schedule.

And not just your average candidate that was looking for some temporary and casual work, but result-driven and self-confident candidates looking for a long-term job. A case of quality over quantity.

They accepted people with and without experience.

Goodman posted the following large and bright ads in advance:

«No vacancies. To get on the waiting list call 123-45-67»

This was technically true, at that time there were no vacancies. However, there soon would be, and in great quantity.

So what happens when a waiter, who is used to seeing job ads along the lines of «Waiter urgently needed. Competitive salary» and «Waiters needed yesterday for a restaurant» and then suddenly they see a job ad which says «No vacancies»? They ask themselves: «how can that be?» But they're intrigued about the chain and what on earth is going on. So this considered, worthy and unusual approach leads them to write a letter or call, to which the reply is:

«Your resume is on our waiting list, thank you».

A short-while later, when the chain plans to open a new restaurant and many new staff are needed, the recruiters call around the candidates:

«We finally have a vacancy for you and would like to invite you to meet us».

So the waiter pulls off the uniform of some other restaurant and joyously heads over to the interview. After all, good things come to those wait! He passes the interview and is hired! The waiter starts work, a job he values more than any of his previous jobs. As a result, Goodman has a wonderful waiter, and the individual has a first-rate job.

People are always telling me: «this approach wouldn't work for us, because…» And then I always remember my travels around Russia for training courses and discussions of interesting new ideas. In Ulan Ude they said this approach would only work in Irkutsk, since it wouldn't work in Ulan Ude because it's such a small town. In Irkutsk they sighed: our city is such a depressed little place (why does everyone think their city is depressed!), nothing can work here, if only we were in Novosibirsk! In Novosibirsk they gaze longingly at Moscow, opining that you can only employ such creative job ads in the capital.

But this approach works everywhere. It's no surprise that until something won't work until you actually try. What have you got to lose? Nothing!

To make a creative job ad, you need to figure out what the key features of your vacancy are, how best to describe that in words and to then put those words together.

For example, you have a vacancy for a kitchenware sales manager in Moscow. What words would we write down?

1. Retail

2. Restaurants

3. Retail B2C

4. Wholesale

5. Sales plan

6. Office in central Moscow

7. Young line manager

8. Ability to work independently

9. Arranging meetings

10. No subordinates

11. Salary 50, 000 rubles plus commission

12. Office three minutes walk from M. Shabolovskaya

13. Company is in top-5 rating for the industry

14. Company has been on the market for 200 years

15. Corporate events

16. Private medical insurance

17. Ergonomic workstation

18. Officially shown salary

19. Free lunches

20. Licensed computer OS

21. Working with the best restaurants in Moscow

22. Working with the best chefs

23. 15 people working in Russian office

24. Company known by everyone on the market

25. Knowledge of English language

26. Show-room in the office

27. Business trips to Europe etc.

There are 27 points in this list, you should write no less than 35 and preferably 40. If you prepare the foundations, it will be easier to construct a creative message, since these are the words you will combine to form your ad.

Next you need to understand the nature of the candidate for this position. Next, you convey to them via the ad just what it is that your company can offer them.

If we write a traditional ad, it will look something like this:

«Looking for a client relations manager for HoReCa segment. Duties include:

– Meeting clients

– Completing sales plan

– Preparing commercial offers

– High salary, subject to negotiation».

Does that look attractive? Not particularly…

What can you create using the list of words that you put together? Something like this:

«Would you like to interact with professionals of the restaurant business? Be on first-name terms with the chefs and managers of the best restaurants in Moscow? Whilst working for the largest glass kitchenware producer in the world? Have the chance to interact with management everyday, and not just once a year at the corporate end of year party?

No more days stuck in the office, you can visit the best restaurants and not spend anything, in fact you'll be earning money! We offer the successful candidate an officially shown salary of 50, 000 rubles and a monthly bonus for meeting KPI. You can communicate and share experience with your colleagues around the world. Is this the vacancy you've been searching for? Then send your resume by email right now…!»

Can you spot any difference? Which job ad would you respond to? The vacancy itself is one and the same…

I'd like to share my experience of searching for our colleagues: recruiters.

Who usually works as recruiters? Girls younger than 30 years old. I call them «22+». «22+» girls often show up without or with only minimal experience, frequently with a degree in psychology. For some reason, they think that it's cool to be a recruiter.

What's important for «22+» girls? Interaction? Meeting interesting men?

After a moment's thought, I posted a Facebook status:

«Girls, evening is falling. Are you bored? I can teach you to meet affluent men, and immediately learn their marital status and actual income level, and get their mobile phone number. Top-managers will call you and beg for a meeting. What were you thinking? That's right, Business Connection is inviting recruiters to join the team. Get in touch».

Next to this was a photo of billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Attractive, creative and effective! It worked instantly.

You can use this approach for other vacancies too, for example:

«Can you put together and take apart a car with your eyes closed? Then our vacancy for a mechanic is perfect for you!»

Interested parties will think: «Oh, I didn't think of that approach, I should go and see them. If they need serious and experienced people then I guess they must have something to say for themselves».

Example

One visitor to my seminar told me a story:

«I needed to find an actor that didn't have any acting experience. So it was a waste of time to search for one through the regular databases. I posted the following job ad: „Needed – one rugged man between 30 and 40 years old, 3 would be even better, to shoot an advertisement. Money and fame guaranteed“. There were 10 click-throughs within an hour and a half».

Important: you can't make a creative job ad if you don't understand the specifics of your vacancy and the people you want to respond to it.

Example

Problem: a company can't find regular sales managers in Vladivostok and reaches out for advice. The following conversation takes place:

– «There's no such thing as a „regular“ sales manager, there's always some kind of quality that characterizes your company and the vacancy. What do your company do?»

– «We sell large bottles of water, 19 liters. Lots of companies sell them, there's nothing unique about it…»

– «Maybe you make salary payments not twice a month, but 3 times? Or maybe it's not cash in hand, nor officially shown but rather fixed in a foreign currency?» – «Yes, we have a completely average approach on that, but we still can't find people».

– «Where is your office, in the centre?»

– «On the outskirts. Well, to tell you the truth, it's out of town. We can't afford to rent in the centre. We're in a high rise out of town office block, on the top floor. To be honest, the lift doesn't always work».

– «Do you have a good view?»

– «You can see the ocean».

– «Do other offices in town have an ocean view?»

– «No».

– «Good. Maybe you have a short working day?»

– «No chance, we work around the clock. We come in early in the morning and don't leave til it's dark outside».

5 minutes later the job ad is ready:

«Do you want to see in sunrise and sunset looking out onto the ocean from your office window? Our office is the only place in the city that's possible».

Afterwards, the working conditions and candidate requirements were listed.

It worked.

The capital has its own characteristics too. Muscovites, by which I mean people who have lived in the capital for five years or more, don't usually like work that involves traveling around the city. So how can you make a job ad that will deliver?