Why Job Postings Don’t Attract Top Talent

The traditional way to attract potential candidates is to post a job ad, wait for people to respond, and sift through the responses hoping to find a candidate that measures up to the right qualifications. This method does work. It attracts loads of eager prospects hoping to get placed into a position. However, what it doesn’t do is attract top talent. Here’s why job postings don’t attract top talent.

They don’t sell the position

Job postings typically display a brief description and abruptly move on to a rigorous list of requirements and qualifications. They receive a lot of candidates that are professionally qualified, but they also receive responses from people that solely value their qualifications.

They don’t value whether the position is right for them. They don’t value whether they’d actually enjoy working for your company. They don’t see any depth to what they offer beyond what they’re qualified to do.

Y Scouts emphasizes personality, culture, and purpose over all else when matching companies to candidates. This is what creates the most successful bonds in business, and why we’ve thrown away the job posting model.

They neglect the importance of culture

The recruiting process needs to begin with a strong understanding of the company’s cultural needs. This lays the foundation for a clear picture of what type of executive will mesh with the company. Job ads simply cannot do this metric justice, and they become an inefficient way to conduct a search.

A search fails if the candidate matches the professional requirements, can handle the intellectual demands of the position, but cannot function in the culture of the business. That’s why culture and purpose are the top priority at Y Scouts.

There is no way to align purpose

A job ad may be able to state the ultimate purpose of the company, then ask for responses from prospects that share the same drive. However, it cannot glean this information honestly and without receiving responses from those who are simply trying to respond to as many ads as possible. These candidates are far from the top talent you’re searching for.

Top talent are being sought out, not responding to ads

Valuable leaders are typically already in positions at other companies, even at your competitors. They’re not on the job market and won’t be responding to job postings. This is where the true power of an executive search firm lies – being able to utilize its resources to attract top talent that aren’t on the job market but may better suit the culture and purpose of your company.

They don’t clearly express career opportunity

Top talent have options when it comes to different positions. Job postings, especially ones that only list qualifications, don’t adequately express the future career a candidate could have at the company. If a candidate is presented with a posting that lists qualifications versus an executive recruiter saying that they would be the perfect fit for their client and will have a prosperous future at their company, the choice becomes an easy one for the talented individual.

They don’t match company and candidate personality

Job postings remove the humanistic and personal qualities from the recruitment process and replace them with superficial guidelines. A mutually beneficial relationship between company and client are formed on the basis of purpose, culture, and personality. Without making these metrics the priority in the recruitment process, one’s chance at hiring top talent immediately plummets to 0%.

[fusion_alert type=”general” class=”custom-fusion-alert-grey”]Y Scouts is an executive search firm that helps nonprofits and social enterprises find exceptional leaders. Contact us if you are looking to find an exceptional leader. To be considered for exceptional leadership opportunities with our clients, please take the first step by joining the Y Scouts Leadership Community.[/fusion_alert]