Want to hire the best tech talent?

As I’m sure you’re aware, the recruiting environment for technology talent is extremely competitive.

According to a recent Robert Half Technology survey, 66 percent Denver CIOs said it’s challenging to find skilled IT professionals in today’s market. Also, there are more jobs sites that candidates search and the number of online postings is steadily increasing. Therefore, it is becoming more complex for qualified candidates to find your postings as there are so many others competing for their attention.

Here are some tips to help you increase the effectiveness and results of your online IT job postings:

Tip 1. Attract attention:

• Get the job title right. Use a title that is catchy without being gimmicky. For example: “SQL Database Administrator in a Rapidly Expanding Health-care Organization.”
• Be clear about job duties and responsibilities: Who will the employee report to? What are the daily tasks? Remember to use keywords that the candidates will search for, such as “software development” or “A+ certification." Provide a detailed, honest and accurate description of the role.
• Highlight benefits and environment. This is your opportunity to present why someone would want to work for your firm. Include the benefits to your physical location, your industry and why it’s a good career choice. Provide details on your company size as that may be appealing to certain candidates. Detail your health benefits, training programs, 401k plans, etc.

·       Show off your work culture. Finding a candidate who’s a good cultural fit is important. The idea is to find people who have the personality and attitude that will mesh with the company and your existing staff. Include information about the atmosphere, team structure, work/life balance, etc.

• Use compelling language. Use eye-catching words that will draw attention to your posting, such as "challenging," "rewarding," "progressive," "prestigious" or "industry leader." A word of caution: Use words that accurately represent the job and your company because integrity in your posting is important.

Tip 2. Give the specifics of the job:

• List both the technical and professional experience necessary for your position. Requirements include such things as years of experience, certifications, software skills and professional skills.
• Eliminate a disqualifier mentality. Describe what people will do with their skills rather than the skills themselves. For example, saying, “Use your .NET programming knowledge to create a state-of-the-art inventory management system” will get more responses than saying, “Must have 5+ years of .NET experience.”

Tip 3. Check out the competition

·       Job postings can look very similar, especially when hiring technology staff. So, what’s different about your company? Why should they spend time applying for this role? Which tired clichés appear in every listing? (Avoid those.) Which phrases sound appealing? (Adapt those for your own job postings.) What seems to be missing from the others?

Tip 4. Add the final touches:

• Create a sense of urgency. Try including, “Call today for immediate consideration,” or say you are only accepting applications until a certain date in the posting. Provide a phone number or individual email address to create a more personalized posting vs. having candidates submit to a generic corporate email or website.
• Clearly state the minimum requirements for the job (qualifications and competencies). You'll not only weed out inappropriate candidates when you narrow the requirements, you make the listing more appealing to your target audience by demonstrating you know the skill set you need.
• Use clear and direct language and make it easy to scan. Generally, using a mix of paragraphs and bullets is easiest to read.
• Avoid spelling/grammatical errors and clichés. Just as a grammatical error in a resume might cause you to question whether a candidate is right for a job, candidates will question whether they want to work for someone who misspells a programming language, for example. And try to avoid using clichés like "team player" or "out of the box" that have been so overused that they can seem meaningless.

Spending extra time and attention in creating a more thorough job posting can help you stand out online and can be critical to your success in attracting qualified candidates. I hope you can benefit from some of these tips.