written by: Jon Cumberworth
The goal of the job posting is to sell the opportunity to the RIGHT kind of person and not to everyone. Many job posts jump straight into the role and what skills and experience is expected from the hiring company. It’s dry and boring and doesn’t generate interest in the overall mission and purpose of the business. When you hire people, you want them to be excited and motivated to work for you rather than just being glad to have a pay check and muddle through each day.
The opening of the job posting should make it clear what your company’s purpose is and what you and your team are working towards. Here is an example of a great opening:
“Crisp is the #1 law firm growth company in America. We’re on a mission to help over 1,000 law firms grow by $1 million each by 2024. Our approach is to take everything we’ve learned generating massive growth in our own organization and help the country’s most ambitious law firm owners do the same for theirs. In short: Crisp helps law firm owners generate unprecedented growth in their businesses by equipping them with world-class video marketing and the industry’s top leadership & management coaching program.”
The reason I think this is a solid opening is that if you’re a potential candidate and this is everything you DON’T want to do, you’ll keep looking and not apply. Those who decide to apply will be interested in the purpose and mission of the company in addition to the role, which is a massive step towards long-term success with that future employee.
Next, you’ll want to use your Core Values to explain to candidates how your business operates. This is another way to filter out candidates who may not be a good fit. Here is an example from my old company, Client Chat Live, of how you can use your core values in a job post:
We want you to bring integrity, ambition, and a desire to add value every day in all that you do here. You will be expected to take high ownership of your objectives and improve yourself constantly as we always want to continue to learn and better assist our customers. You will be held accountable to our Core Values and will be expected to hold your teammates accountable as well. Our team is crucial to how we work as we pursue our mission of becoming an integral part of the businesses and lives of the professionals we serve.
Our Core Values were “Integrity, Ambition and Humility, Add Value Everyday, Be Your Own Customer, and Continue to Learn.”
Following the introductory paragraphs, you’ll get rolling on the specific role for which you are posting. The first section will be considered “The Work” or “The Responsibilities” to give the candidates an understanding of what objectives they will be expected to achieve. The more specific you can be the better, including things like actual targets that you will use to hold them accountable in their performance. Here are a few general examples of responsibilities for a Business Development Representative:
Responsibilities and The Work
- Identify new business opportunities, contacts and targets through prospecting and outreach
- Responsible for increasing potential customers and developing a consistent pipeline of new business opportunities
- Promote the business, new products, and new features to communicate our value to potential customers through various channels
- Schedule and perform virtual product and service demonstrations
- Send, track, and close new client contracts
- Sign 6 new clients per month
The next section is the Daily Execution and will be the specific actions a person in this role would be performing. This is to give them an idea of the effort and types of activities they can anticipate so it’s clear to them from the start. The last thing you want to do is surprise someone when they come on board and blindside them with work they didn’t sign up for. It will also help you understand if their capabilities match well with the day to day requirements. Here are a few examples for a Business Development Representative:
Daily and Regular Execution
- Perform proactive outreach through multiple communication channels to develop new business opportunities (Phone, Email, Social Media, etc)
- Update, maintain, and manage data and activities in Hubspot
- Manage and update sales pipeline in Hubspot
- Host and participate in webinars and podcasts
- Utilize Hubspot’s email and communication capabilities to develop new business opportunities
- Actively participate in product rollouts including assisting with the creation and distribution of some marketing material
- Attend in-person conferences, trade shows, and networking events to represent the company and develop new business opportunities (2 to 3 per quarter)
- Track and report campaigns and BD activities to assist with strategic decision making and identify opportunities
- Assist with marketing campaigns and efforts as needed
Following the Daily Execution, you will list the Expertise and Skills needed in the position. This is the classic section where the candidate can see if they have the qualifications to do the work before they apply. Be sure to use this section as liberally or as specifically as you need based on the role you’re hiring for. Meaning, don’t list “MBA Required” if you don’t actually need someone with a MBA, because you’ll limit the pool of potential candidates. Be honest and thoughtful with what you need a person to bring to the table. Here are a few examples for our Business Development Representative:
Expertise and Skills
- Minimum of 2-3 Years of B2B Business Development and Sales Experience
- Self motivated and competitive
- Strong understanding of and experience in working with technology: CRM management, Digital Marketing, Hubspot experience a plus
- Proven to be an organized and detail oriented individual
- Excellent communication skills: both written and verbal
- Adaptable and flexible with new processes and systems
- Willingness to review and analyze successes and failures to improve processes and effectiveness
- Experience with analytics, data or business intelligence is preferred
- Experience with business development or sales with the legal industry a plus
- Proven ability to be successful in both team and individual environments
The 6th section will be used to convey future opportunities that could come out of being in this role. This is called, “Growth and Career Advancement” and will give the candidate an idea of what they can achieve once they are successful in this role. It will also and most importantly, communicate that you as a company and leadership team have already thought about developing their career even before they’ve started. Here is an example of what I’ve used in the past:
Growth and Career Advancement
- We are an agile and entrepreneurial company so opportunities will present themselves as we continue to grow through existing and new products or services.
- Increased responsibility and managerial opportunities are possible based on performance and growth of the company.
- Continued growth will require us to create department or business directors and intimate product knowledge and customer relationships can be key in career development.
- We believe in getting what we need to get done completed and done well, so if you can prove this consistently, you can do it from anywhere.
And finally what some would consider the most important part…. the Compensation and Benefits. Depending on what State you are in this section might differ because of the requirements to disclose salary ranges. This is a critical part of the posting for the candidate, but also for the hiring company because it’s another opportunity to sell the vision of working for them. Use this as a way to differentiate your company from others and don’t just put the boring stuff that everyone offers. Yes, you’ll still include the classics like 401k, Medical/Dental/Vision coverage, etc. but what about working remotely or professional development stipends. If you don’t currently offer benefits like an extra 2 days of PTO and $1,000 towards personal development per year, I would highly recommend considering them. Here is a simple example of what this section can look like in a State where you don’t have to disclose the salary:
Compensation and Benefits
- Competitive salary with 100% company paid health insurance for the employee
- Ability to Work Remotely
- 3 Weeks of PTO annually
- Potential for Annual bonus based on individual and company performance
- 2 additional PTO days and $1,000 per year to be used towards professional development
Hiring is one of the most difficult things to do in business and it starts with attracting the candidates who have the highest probability of success in your company. When you hire people who fit your Core Values rather than solely on their experience and skill sets, you and your team will be amazed by the kind of culture that develops. You can teach someone how to use a certain software tool or technology, but you won’t be able to change who they are and how they naturally approach situations. Yes, you can enhance their performance and develop their career through training and mentorship, but their personalities have already been shaped by their childhood and experiences in their formative years. Be open and transparent with candidates about the type of company you are and want to become so they can make an informed decision to be considered to be a part of your mission and team.
After you’ve posted a new job to start the hiring process, then the fun begins. Stay tuned for our processes and system for filtering candidates, interviewing, testing, and ultimately making an offer to hire. Having the right people on your team is the one of the most important aspects of your business that will put you on the path to success. If we can answer questions or clarify anything regarding creating a great job posting, please reach out to us at info@actingexecutives.com and we’ll be happy to assist.
