Jul 19 - Written By Pamela Meister
Do Your Job Posts Attract The Best Remote Workers?
As it is increasingly clear that remote work is here to stay and there is increasing demand and comfort for professionals to work from anywhere, it’s no secret that companies must be competitive to attract top talent. Whether hiring for a contract or an employee role, it’s clear that being remote-friendly is the way to go. Many of the best and brightest professionals are comfortable working from home (or wherever they want), and expect to continue working remotely. Several recent studies show that remote workers are happier, stay for longer, and report better productivity.
These are all important factors, especially when you consider that hiring a new team member can cost $4,000 or more. This estimate includes time and money from listing the job, to interviewing candidates, and ultimately onboarding them. With this in mind, how can you be sure to attract the best remote workers, especially when you may never (or rarely) see them?
The key here is to write eye-catching job posts to spark your ideal candidates’ interest and then getting in front of the right people at the right time. If this sounds a lot like marketing, then you are right on the money. Marketing is exactly what a job post should feel like, simply with a different target audience.
How to Write Job Posts That Attract Top Talent
No one wants to weed through hundreds of applications to find the top candidates to interview. With an expanded international application pool, HR teams may find themselves with even greater numbers of applicants. But, a worse proposition is to weed through hundreds of applications and find that none of them is a great fit. There are some common components in the best job posts we’ve seen.
Create a Catchy Title
We all know that a person’s title is, at best, a tiny representation of what they may do. However, if it sounds fun, you’re going to get more eyes on your posting. Here are a few great titles we’ve seen lately:
Freelance Content Copywriter and Blog Specialist (sounds far more interesting than “Writer”)
Client Happiness Evangelist (would you rather apply for that or a “Customer Service Rep” position?)
Guru of Graphics (this is far more attractive than “Graphic Designer”)
There is, however, a catch. As in all things, clear wins out over clever. So if your title is fun, but the role is not obvious, try saving the fun for the description. If you’re stumped, you can check out these titles for ideas!
A Description That Hooks Strong Candidates
Next up is a description that outlines the position. The first few sentences should draw in potential candidates like bees to honey. There is no perfect formula here, and it depends on the type of remote workers you want to attract. If you want to hit it out of the park, spend some time defining who you want to work with. Then research the words they use to talk about their job. Finally, write a description that will connect with them. You can ask current or past teammates or industry colleagues for input too!
You should also use this section to describe your company, culture, and who you serve. It’s worth adding a link to make it easy to research and learn more.
Clearly Outline Responsibilities
It’s always important to manage expectations, but especially so when you’re hiring people who will not be onsite. More importantly, the most experienced and best remote workers will be looking for a solid outline of what this position will be taking on.
Like any job these days, remote positions can grow and change with your business. However, when you bring a new person on board, they want to know that you have put plenty of thought into the responsibilities you will be shifting onto their plate. Moreover, it indicates that you are ready to bring on a great team member and bodes well for communication and a good working relationship.
Rate of Pay
There are two schools of thought when it comes to whether or not to include compensation in the job description. There’s no wrong choice here, but there are pros and cons to each.
On the one hand, many businesses find that listing the compensation range helps manage expectations about the position. It also weeds out people who will only work above the top end you’re willing to offer. It means that you don’t finish the hiring process only to make an offer that your chosen candidate cannot accept.
On the other, if you don’t list anything you are free to pay them whatever you deem fit. You may end up finding that the best remote workers that apply are the perfect fit for your pay range.
A Well-Defined Hiring Process for Remote Workers
You don’t have to spell out every step along the way here. It’s a good idea to mention what your hiring process entails and what you want them to do to apply. After you select the top 5-10 candidates, maybe you want to request paid test projects from each. The final step may be a short video interview to determine fit. (And yes, you should ALWAYS pay people for test projects. Doing so lets them know you’re serious about them and that you value their contribution.)
There’s another fun factor here. You can use this section to weed out people who are blindly applying to one opportunity after another. You can request that candidates include specific information that indicates that they’re paying attention. The best remote workers will be sure to comb through an engaging job description and follow your directions so they land in your top tier of candidates. If you make the application fun, they are more likely to want to work with you.
Looking for ideas for creative application requests? Here are a few ideas:
Ask writers to sell you on their favorite child’s toy
Request that your candidates describe themselves in 5 bullet points of less than 15 words each
Ask them to answer a question about your company they can find on your website, or
Ask them to include something as simple as their favorite color.
Regardless of what you choose, you're sure to get some interesting responses that offer insight into who your candidates are.
The Next Step in Attracting the Best Remote Workers
Now that you have the perfect job post, the next step is going to be posting it somewhere that your ideal candidates hang out. If you post it in a random Facebook group for online gigs or the standard job boards, you may be inundated with unqualified people hungry for remote work. Although you’ve made your hiring task a little easier by requesting they follow specific guidelines, you may still end up with hundreds of applications, a lot of them completely unsuitable.
Looking far a way to help keep your remote workers motivated and focused? The Zone Community offers team packages and can also arrange for private breakout groups when your team wants to collaborate during one of our virtual coworking sessions.
Pamela Meister