Selling Company Culture in Job Descriptions - Your Career Intel

Selling Company Culture in Job Descriptions - Your Career IntelGoogle for Jobs is changing how job seekers find and apply to online job board postings. Gone are the days when job seekers had to search multiple boards to find the right posting. Now, Googles meta job search engine centralizes all of the postings from partnered third-party job posting boards, like LinkedIn. Job seekers can quickly search thousands of postings, sorting search results based on criteria like location, salary and job title. Assuming your job description makes this initial cut, your next mission is to sell applicants on why they should apply to your company. This all comes down to company culture, purpose and career pathway.In todays candidate-friendly market, top talent is assured of a competitive salary and benefits wherever they apply. Your job description needs to speak specifically to the job seekers professional aspirations and explain why your company is the ideal place to take the next step in their career.Heres how to succinctly sell your companys culture, purpose and career pathwayFocus on culture. Cultural fit is a big buzzword these days, but what does that actually mean when it comes to a job description? Job seekers who care about culture prioritize the environment in which they work and the people with whom they work. For these job seekers, the office is a home away from home, a place they look to for a sense of belonging and identity.A short description of your companys day-to-day atmosphere can help these job seekers identify whether your company is a place they want to call home. For example, can employees work flexible hours and telecommute or is a 9-to-5 expected? Is your office environment fun and casual or quiet and focused? Do employees work at assigned desks and offices or do they choose a new seat on a workbench each day? You dont need to be overly detailed. One or two sentences will help job seekers quickly know what to expect and whether they want to learn mo re.Highlight your mission. Mission-driven job seekers want to be part of something bigger and they want their contributions to matter. Avoid vague or grandiose language like were changing the world or were disrupting an industry. Instead, connect the dots for job seekers how will their daily work make a direct impact on your companys mission? This is a place where a strong employer brand can make a big difference. Google and Amazon, for example, dont need to spell out what theyre doing. If your companys employer brand is less well known or youre making a market pivot, consider linking to a media feature or third-party spotlight on your business. References build trust.Include professional development opportunities. Job seekers want to join organizations that support their career growth. Millennial job seekers, in particular, are cautious about selecting companies where they can keep their skills fresh they dont want to watch from the sidelines as their peers jump ahead. While the sp ecific details will depend on your company, your industry and the position, be sure to touch on how your company supports career growth, whether thats through investments in management training, continuing education programs, or skills development.