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480 words.
Reading time: 1 - 2 minutes.
How to Write Help-Wanted Ads that
Attract Talent and Drive Everyone Else Away. (Nicely.)
by Dov Gordon
Bite-Size:
Most help-wanted ads leave the best candidates yawning – and attract the people
you don’t want. Today’s very short article shows how you can do better.
Requirements like “five years experience” are usually a sign that the hiring
executive hasn’t thought through what he wants. The discerning reader will
recognize that the example we use, ads, are just one manifestation of a
universal underlying management principle.
-----
A client was looking for a new personal
assistant and asked if he should include “strong
telephone skills” in the help-wanted advertisement.
“No.” I said.
“Why not? The phone is a very important part of the job,” he said.
“Because you don’t want someone with strong telephone skills,” I said. “What you
want is someone who will make your clients and prospects feel valued and cared
for whether they call on the phone or walk into the office.
“Ask for what you want. If you ask for strong telephone skills, anyone and
everyone will feel qualified and will respond. If you ask for someone ‘who will
make our clients and prospects feel valued and cared for, both over the phone
and in person,’ you will cut your responses by about two-thirds. Only those
excited by the idea of doing such work will apply. And they’re the only ones you
want to interview, aren’t they?”
He got it. He did it. And he found a fantastic personal assistant.
Too often, instead of asking for what we really want, we ask for what
everyone else asks for. That’s why we see all those ads stipulating “at
least 5 years project management experience,” or “at least 3 years experience
programming in Java.”
Who amongst us does not already know that the number of years doing
something does not at all equate with proficiency in getting things done? So why
do we persist in asking for what we don’t want?
When looking for a project manager, we should be looking for someone “with a
proven ability to align people who have different interests to achieve bigger
picture results.” We should be looking for someone “skilled in formulating clear
objectives and measures of progress so that all project team members understand
and can execute their roles.”
When looking for programmers we should be looking for people who “can write code
that the end user perceives as the software equivalent of elegant poetry”; not
some arbitrary number of years of programming experience.
Talented people who can get things done want to work with other talented
people who can get things done. They have no patience for hackneyed protocol and
mindless ways of doing things. When you advertise that you are looking for
someone with five years experience, you are not letting them see how working for
you is a great opportunity to exercise and grow their skills. Instead, focus on
outcomes to be produced and they get excited because they KNOW they can do that
for you.
Conversely, average people just want to feel comfortable. They are comfortable
showing you their resume with five year’s experience so they will apply for your
job. However, if you are looking for someone who can create specific outcomes,
they are likely to feel intimidated. They’ll skip you and send their CVs to your
competitors who write average help-wanted ads.
---
MORE VALUABLE FREE STUFF FOR YOU:
1. Free download of teleconference with Professor Roger Martin.
On June 17th, 2008 I interviewed Professor Roger Martin, a board member at RIM
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If you couldn’t make the call, you can now download the .mp3 recording here:
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Tell your friends about it. It was a great call.
3. The CEO Thought-Provoker™ Teleconference Series: Lois Kelly author of
gold-medal winning “Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth
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Date: August 19th, 2008
Time: 9am Eastern / 4pm local Israel time.
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Watch for more details.
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Following that we’ll be talking with James O’Loughlin, author of “The Real
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---
DOV GORDON helps senior executives make better, wiser decisions and quickly
get things done. He is sought after for his perspective and advice on
formulating and implementing strategy, developing an innovation culture and
cultivating superior team work. Dov can be reached via his websites
www.GordonGroupEC.com and www.IsraeliCEO.com or via email at dovgordon@gmail.com.
+972-2-992-0396
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Dov Gordon
helps senior
executives at small and mid-sized companies around the world to earn the respect
and admiration of their marketplace. Clients benefit from clarifying their
strategies, sharpening their focus, better decision making, improved teamwork
and growing into great leaders.
Management and Strategy
Consulting.
Executive Coaching.
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www.GordonGroupEC.com in the
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See our
recommended reading list at:
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Copyright 2008 © by Dov Gordon. All rights reserved. |