After my last post on A/B testing your JDs, Tim Gummer at Recruiting Associates challenged my suggestion. And rightfully so. Because when it comes down to it, ain’t nobody got time for that.

From Tim:

I came across the following blog post Recruit like a Marketer [AB Test Your Job Descriptions] and thought it was an interesting idea. Then I wondered, what recruiter/HR generalist/hiring manager has the time to test 2 variations of the same job opening to see which one works better.

 

Wouldn’t the process be much easier if there was a good template to use? Most corporate and/or applicant tracking system requisition templates are pretty boring stuff.

***

Tim, I feel ya.

In the realm of employment branding, getting a handle on your job descriptions sounds like it would be a simple slam dunk win for anyone. However, if you’ve ever been gifted the task, then you know it is a real bitch.

• Navigating opinionated hiring managers.
• Cumbersome and clunky editing wizards in your ATS.
• Recruiters aren’t writers… they’re recruiters.
• Time.

But Tim needs something now; he needs something that delivers and he needs something that is repeatable.

The best marketers have learned that repeatable content is key to both speed of delivery and continued success. But much like recruiters, marketers aren’t all writers… they’re marketers. And a lot of them don’t have time to create their own content. So, what do they do? They outsource the need to a freelancer who can.

Advantages of outsourcing your content to a freelance writer:

• Freelancers hit deadlines.
• Freelancers provide flexibility to ramp up or down.
• Freelancers allow you to focus on what you do best.
• Freelancers make you look good by doing what they do best.

My advice to Tim, and any other recruiter, is to stop looking for one-size-fits-all templates for job descriptions, and start recruiting like a marketer by outsourcing your job descriptions instead…

Q+D How To: Start by collecting your top 5-10 most frequently recruited titles. Next, visit Godot, Freelancer, iWriter or a site of your choice and find a freelancer to perform the work needed. Once the project is complete, make the JD templates available to your team for use. While 5-10 template options won’t deliver on 100% of your need, they will get you 80% there and provide a customized format that you can apply to all of your JDs moving forward.