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Almost any company that invests in setting and tracking goals on the individual level that connect each worker with the company’s overall strategy, is going to see dramatic increases in performance on all levels. So when does this talent and goal alignment mission begin? Sooner than you would probably think --it begins with targeted talent attraction.
Total transparency is how a company achieves that productivity-driving level of alignment. That means being transparent with the organizational goals from the first connection with the candidate, which is usually going to be the job description.
The “Why” is Engaging
We love how ArtPretty.com put it in their Management Excellence Blog when they called context behind work and in communications, “leadership caffeine”, and it’s true! A candidate wants to know why they are going to go to work everyday, what they will be doing and how it will affect the organization. By incorporating goals into your job listings, you are getting candidates engaged in that work before they even apply. The same ArtPretty post said:
“Much of our workplace communication is transactional in nature, and lacks connectivity to the bigger picture. It lacks the critical context that our colleagues and team members need to understand how their work connects to the bigger picture of customers, markets and strategies, and this lack of context adversely impacts performance.”
Don’t let job descriptions or listings fall victim to that transactional communication. Goals will create a deeper, more meaningful connection with the candidate. Kate Matsudaira, former CTO; founder of Popforms believes that for every one job description a candidates reads, they read 10 awful ones.
Transparent Job Descriptions Lead to Solid Hires
Robert Half reports that on average, supervisors spend 17% of their time –nearly one day per week –managing poorly performing employees. Bad hires are more than a waste of money, they’re a drain on management, they slow down the team and can even lower workplace morale.
Organizational and individual goals are an obvious part of the transparency that often gets left out of job descriptions. You should be shooting for something like what CEO of Zapier, Wade Foster described in a LinkedIn post:
“Use your job description to narrow your pool of applicants and attract just the right people to your company. You don’t want everyone in the world to be able to look at it and think, ‘I guess I could do that job.’ You want them to apply, feeling excited about it — or immediately look elsewhere. Chances are, the more excited applicants are about the position and its role in your company, the more excited you’ll be about them.”
You’re Setting the Communications and Expectations Bar
An organization can foster transparency in several ways, and setting expectations and communication standards early on is an extremely effective way to do it. According to Erica Swallow, the actual essential function of the job should only include between 5-10 responsibilities. In this manner, you aren’t clogging up the description with common sense qualifications, and leaving room for things like communicating goals, conveying the culture, setting the standards and qualifying a true fit. By incorporating goals into your job listings, you’re sending a clear message to all prospective candidates that this is how we communicate - this is how we set expectations.
Providing this type of transparency and context allows candidates to see part of your culture and what they can expect if they work with you. Clear goals send the message that stagnation or the status quo aren’t going to cut it here, candidates will have solid objectives from the get-go.
Organizational transparency isn’t a members only thing, created for employees. It should be part of every point of contact with the candidate and even the customer, because after all, they are quite often one in the same. Transparency about organizational goals should be a solid part of your recruitment message, and what better place to start than job listings that will appear on the career page and social media outlets.
Want to find out more about how to artfully craft job descriptions that reflect your company vision? Contact us today and let’s get started!
