In a tight job market, attorneys and other legal professionals’ attention is at a premium. Job-seekers may skim job postings, passing over solid descriptions of work for which they are qualified simply because the job posting fails to grab their attention.
If your job postings aren’t getting the responses you want, here are five ways to help them stand out to the professionals you need on your team.
- Offer a “day in the life” view.
A short, engaging overview of the job at the top of the posting can help qualified job-seekers envision themselves in the role – which in turn can inspire them to apply for it.
Start each job posting with a sentence or two that summarizes:
-
- The main role, goal or purpose of the position,
- How the position fits into the organization’s larger mission,
- How the role helps to solve an existing business or social problem.
This summary can grab attention by sparking job-seekers’ imaginations, encouraging them to read further and to see themselves performing the job’s core functions.
- Avoid superlatives.
While law firms are less likely than some organizations to use terms like “Rockstar” or “off the charts,” they can still fall prey to superlatives like “superior,” “outstanding,” or “world-class.” These terms, however, can cause some otherwise-qualified candidates to turn away, feeling that the pressure to boast about their accomplishments will be too great in such a setting.
- Don’t describe the work too narrowly.
The flip side of using too many superlatives is describing the work in terms that are too flat or narrow. Although legal work is detail-oriented and deadline-driven, terms like “perfectionist” can push away qualified candidates who dislike the pressure such terms generate.
Instead, focus on describing the work in ways that are accurate, yet that also contextualize it. For instance, supplement a reference to “document review” with a description of the types of cases review requires or the importance of that review to the case as a whole.
- Discuss growth and development opportunities.
A long bullet-point list of daily responsibilities or qualifications bores candidates just as a long list of duties bores a hiring manager on a resume.
Instead, focus on the job’s responsibilities and the opportunities it offers for growth and development. Like the initial summary, this section should encourage candidates to see themselves in the role – a task that is easier to do when the candidate sees that the role offers a journey, not a dead-end destination.
- Inject an expert’s help.
Recruiters deal with thousands of job postings over the course of their careers. As a result, they know what language and formatting work – and which are more likely to make candidates yawn.
Before you release a job posting into the world, ask your staffing partner to take a look at it. Your staffing firm can offer tailored advice as to the content of the job description, as well as the best outlets for placing it in front of the type of legal professionals that will thrive on your team. At Assigned Counsel, we help our clients find the legal professionals they need. To learn more, contact us today.
