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You have one job opening-one, yet you have hundreds of resumes to weed through for this one position. While this may not seem like a bad problem to have, it can be if it means spending unproductive hours of your time siphoning through mediocre resumes to find the select few that meet the criteria of the job. Today’s complex organizations are more innovative, adaptive, and wiser when it comes to productivity. Time is money and the pool of candidates out there looking for work grows daily. So how do you narrow the search to get only your ideal candidates? Through a well crafted job description.

Decide on Your Tone.

Is your organization laid back, team oriented or follow the philosophy of relaxed communication? Or, does your organization hold firm to tight deadlines, policy driven protocols and firm codes of conduct? The mannerisms of your office, mission statement and daily conduct contribute heavily to the tone of the job description you write. For example, when a candidate looks at your website, will they see a statement like: “We like to have fun! While we work hard every day, we still find time to enjoy ourselves during the process”, or “We meet the needs of our clients with effective communication and top notch service.” The difference between these two statements is clear and it communicates a certain set of ideals to a perspective candidate. The tone you set in the job description you write will draw in resumes that match this tone. It also gives the job description personality and transparency, clearly indicating what your organization is like.

Don’t Write a Bucket List.

Crafting a well written job description means being intentional. While many like the idea of listing the gambit of possible job duties the candidate could inherit, your time will be better spent listing the skills that are actually needed for that specific job. Review the job, what has historically been done in the position and the skills that have been most relied upon. Whittling down the skill set required for the job helps eliminate resumes that would be far reaching to meet even the basic necessities of the job; thus reducing the amount of resumes you will need to weed through.

Ask for More Than a Resume.

Think outside the box when it comes to writing the job description. Everyone has a resume, but if you truly want the best of the best applicants, ask for more than just a resume. Attaching a short questionnaire to the job description, asking for writing samples or asking for a portfolio of work can give you an immediate snap shot of the pool of candidates you will get. Under-qualified or bad candidates will typically skip over this request, good candidates will do what is asked, but the best candidates will go above and beyond your request- giving you exactly the type of resumes you are looking for. Now that is a job description worth writing!

WorkSource understands how valuable your time is.

Finding the best fit for your organization is important. The right recruitment firm can help you find the candidates you need. Contact the experienced team of recruiters at WorkSource today and learn how we can help you!

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