How do I get my vacancies filled?
Businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to find the right employees. This isn’t just related to the surplus of vacancies, but also to the quality of these vacancies. More and more often, we see online vacancies come by that stand out for the wrong reason.
According to figures from the UWV, there are around 3,200 online vacancies in Drenthe, and around 18,000 registered jobseekers. At first glance you’d think there are enough people to fill all the vacancies. But when you then consider that more than 12,000 of these jobseekers already have another job at the moment, and only a few of the remaining 6,000 match your profile, finding a suitable candidate becomes a lot trickier.
10 tips
To make sure you’re able to find the best candidates with your vacancies, we’ve listed a number of tips.
1. Make sure you have a complete and correct job profile
Make sure you’re first clear yourself on which tasks your new colleague will actually be carrying out. Draw up a job profile and summarise it in the vacancy. Be clear about what you expect from your new colleague. Don’t set too many requirements in the process. We often ask for a jack-of-all-trades, which puts people off.
2. Make the job title understandable
Make sure everyone immediately understands what the job title means. Ask yourself which search terms are used to find your vacancy. Try not to overdo it with creativity, a title needs to be clear and give immediate insight into the vacancy. A good job title makes jobseekers click through.
3. Step away from bullet points for once
Vacancies are becoming increasingly long lists with bullet points. Try something new and see if you can present the tasks in an enjoyable story. Describe a typical workday of your future colleague. Try to make the texts a bit more personal by using sentences like: “You feel completely in your element when…” or “With your talent for sales, you’ll…”.
4. “What’s in it for me?”
Focus first on what you have to offer. What are the benefits for the jobseeker in applying? Only after that should you work out everything you’re asking of the jobseeker. An applicant does like to be challenged, but it shouldn’t be the case that the company offers nothing in return. When people first see the benefits of a vacancy, they’re triggered to keep reading and apply.
5. Check your vacancies on sites like Indeed
Things sometimes go wrong on Indeed because the texts are often copied directly. Check your vacancies online and make sure everything appears exactly as you want it. If this isn’t the case, jobseekers won’t click on your vacancy. And then you might just miss out on the perfect candidate.
6. Align your landing pages
When your vacancy links to a webpage, make sure this page actually matches the vacancy. Give extra information here, for example, use appealing images and don’t forget the call-to-action buttons. Help the applicant in the right direction with a clear landing page.
7. Promote your vacancies
Great, now you’ve written a good vacancy text. The next challenge is already waiting: getting found. Promote your vacancies via social media. This way you can reach your target audience directly. Not very familiar with promotion on social media? Then get in touch with us. We’re happy to help you further.
8. Ask colleagues for help
Colleagues are the ideal ambassadors for your business. Ask your colleagues to share the vacancy online. And ask if they’re open to giving a small impression of how they experience the atmosphere within the company. This creates a trustworthy impression.
9. Respond!
When the responses to your vacancy come flowing in, it’s important to respond to everyone. Also let them know when and why someone didn’t get the job. Always stay professional and friendly towards applicants, you never know if you’ll run into them again in the future.
10. Make an impression
Flip the conversation around for once. Try to make an impression on your applicant instead of the other way around. This way you’ll bring in the perfect candidate. Leave a lasting impression.
Writing a winning vacancy isn’t always easy and it takes quite a bit of time. We understand not everyone has the talent or the time to write catchy texts. That’s why we’re happy to help. Our Webbazen specialise in writing catchy texts that score well online. Are you curious about the possibilities? Then get in touch with us, no strings attached, and who knows, we might be able to do something for you.