The Great Resignation: myth or true? While some people say it’s just a new HR trendy topic, data speaks for itself.
- Based on BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) projections, there will remain a large number of open positions through 2030, the year when most younger boomers will reach traditional retirement age.
- In February, the number of new jobs (678,000) was significantly higher than consensus estimates, signaling a tightening labor market.
- A survey that polled 9,658 U.S. employees in December 2021 and January 2022 suggests the Great Resignation, a pandemic-era labor trend also known as the Great Reshuffle, is continuing.
That means that the labor market is employee-driven, and employers have to make a special effort to attract and retain employees.
At the same time, according to Willis Towers Watson’s 2022 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey, 44% of employees are “job seekers.” That means that many employed professionals think about switching jobs.
So, we can see current hiring trends in two ways: as a danger of losing staff or as an opportunity to attract new talent.
Hiring Mistakes You Could Be Making
Recruiting mistakes you don’t want to make
LinkedIn is one of the most popular platforms for job search — 40 million people search there for jobs every week. It means that a good strategy can significantly increase a company’s chances of hiring on this platform, but at the same time, mistakes made will mean losing those potential employees.
So, we conducted a survey to determine what candidates love and hate about LinkedIn recruiters. At Passport Photo Online, we polled 1,000+ U.S. working professionals to find out the most successful (and the least efficient) LinkedIn recruiting practices.
We investigated employers’ LinkedIn deadly sins. One of the parts of the study was focused solely on job posting — the essential first impression element.
Now, you can learn from others’ mistakes to attract the best talents. In this post, you’ll find out why it’s worth it to:
- reach out to job seekers on LinkedIn.
- send a personalized message with a job offer.
- include a salary range in your job offer.
- rethink using “Jedi” as a job title.
Interested? Read on.
HR Experts and Business Leaders Share Their #1 Tip for Hiring Top Talent
The guide to excellent LinkedIn job posting
How to craft the perfect job offer?
A job posting is the beginning of every hiring strategy. Why? Job offers create the first impression of the role, workplace and company culture. Candidates judge your business based on it. If the vacancy is not attractive, they will not even look for information about the company or apply.
So, one of the valid points of our study was to learn from U.S. working professionals about job ads that look the best in their eyes. Below you will find some keynotes.
Job summary over company culture
Can you imagine a job offer without a job title? Neither do the candidates. There’re some essential job details you must cover to attract job seekers. According to our results, job offer must-haves are job title (69%), location (62%) and job summary (61%). Also, half of the respondents require the type of employment (remote, on-site or hybrid), benefits, fundamental duties, and essential skills and experiences needed. Surprisingly, organizational values and culture matter only for 28% of candidates.
Money matters
Money is a taboo topic for most Americans. Everything changes when we move into the job market — here, the money really matters. Nearly everyone — 95% of respondents — says employers should include a salary range in job postings. Also, the lack of salary deters U.S. working professionals from applying — 69% of job seekers admit they are likely to skip job ads on LinkedIn without this information. In fact, this strategy is a win-win for job seekers and recruiters. Both sides save time if job seekers don’t apply for positions that don’t meet their financial expectations.
Ninjas aren’t outdated
Online job ads have limitations — the only tool recruiters have is words. No surprise that they are looking for unique solutions. The best example is emojis — over the past year, there has been a 775% increase in the use of emojis in business messages. The same is true for unusual, catchy names for job positions. Hiring professionals try to stand out by naming roles “superstar,” “Jedi,” or “rock star.” The result? It partially works. Sixty-four percent of U.S. employees have a positive attitude toward rebranded job titles. So, you don’t need to avoid this strategy, but be careful because it isn’t attractive to all employees.
Cross “energetic” from your dictionary
Did you know that 69% of people will skip job ads with gender-biased or ageist language? Words and phrases like “energetic,” “digital native,” or “recent college graduate” make older professionals feel excluded. The same is true for gender equality. Words like “strong,” “competitive,” and “expert” are perceived as masculine, while “support,” “interpersonal” and “collaboration” are interpreted as feminine. As the study shows, it is better to avoid these expressions and keep ads neutral. According to our research, 62% of Americans feel negative or very negative about ageist and sexist language.
Bonus: How to reach out to LinkedIn candidates?
But – sending a message itself doesn’t work if you don’t craft it right. U.S. working professionals shared seven key reasons why they ignore LinkedIn recruiters’ messages about prospective employment:
- 58% say the message is too generic (a standard, templated blurb along the lines of “I’ve got the most amazing job I know you’ll love”).
- As much as 57% ignore a job opportunity that doesn’t match the candidate’s experience level, skills or career trajectory.
- The poor LinkedIn presence of a company deters 55% of job seekers.
- 52% of respondents ignore a recruiter who overuses buzzwords or corporate jargon.
- Mistakes aren’t forgiven — both grammatical ones (51%) and calling the candidate by the wrong name (28%).
- Being pushy is not so unwelcome. Only 26% of candidates say it causes them to reject the offer.
Final thoughts
The job market is dynamic. What is true right now may be out of date in a year. This fact adds to the value of current research that shows how things work under current conditions. Indeed, our study was aimed to help you recalibrate your recruitment efforts and adjust them to current conditions.
Are you curious about other results? You can find the complete study here.
