A job brief can make or break your recruitment campaign. Tough conditions in the current employment market mean that there is a shortage of top talent, making recruitment highly competitive.
Successful recruiters match a candidate’s motivators, interests, behaviours, and ideals with that of an employer. It’s more than just filling a role; it’s about finding the right fit.
Why do you need a job brief?
Critically, the job brief is not the position description. A position description might outline the roles and responsibilities, the day to day in the job, and highlight the KPIs of the position.
A job brief, on the other hand, defines the wider purpose of the role, what goals will need to be achieved in the next 12-18 months, and how a candidate may be successful ongoing in that position.
A good recruitment consultant will ask you the right questions to find out why someone would want to work for your organisation. It’s not just about the salary but finding the right motivators to ensure long-term success for both you and the candidate.
What are the benefits of a good job brief?
A job brief is typically supplied verbally as it’s an excellent way for the recruiter to dive deeper into some aspects of the role. Your recruitment consultant needs to get to know you and your organisation to find you the right person.
You are likely time-poor, particularly when you have vacancies in your team, and this may seem like it will take up too much time to have this conversation, but it can mean the difference between recruiting the right candidate into your team or not. A good job brief will:
- Reduce the time to hire by filtering out applications that don’t fit your job or organisation’s specific criteria.
- Mitigate the risk and cost of poor hires by asking the right questions while matching the candidate’s and your own expectations.
- Attract top talent by minimising wasted time talking about poorly understood roles.
- Allow your recruiter to completely understand the role so they can place the best candidate, not only in technical skills but organisational fit.
Providing your recruiter with a full and comprehensive job brief will lead to a more successful outcome for your organisation.
What do you need to include in your job brief?
Think of the job brief as filling in all the gaps in the position description – the things that are not written as part of the technical duties. Investing your time into providing a good job brief is the most important information you can give your recruiter.
Your recruiter may ask questions that seem uncomfortable. This is important and will help the recruiter set realistic expectations for the candidate. Setting realistic expectations can help avoid disappointment and improve retention.
Your recruitment consultant may also question you on the must-haves versus the nice-to-haves. Where some technical skill can be taught, it’s attitude over aptitude that can mean longevity in a hire. Again, this will help you source the best fit for the role, rather than searching for a ‘unicorn’ with a set of very specific skills.
Employee value proposition – or, what’s in it for the candidate?
Your employee value proposition is your unique selling point, the thing or things that set you apart from all the other employers competing for the same talented candidate. These selling points are essential in helping your recruiter position you as an employer of choice in the market.
Think about things you would want that person to know about the organisation, team, structure or projects. Employee value propositions generally include some description around the following:
- Culture
- Team
- Manager
- Career opportunities
- Career development
- Recognition
- Lifestyle balance
- Flexibility
- Social responsibility
- Leading technology
- Market position
- Company stability
Don’t miss out on your ideal candidate
Investing the time to give a good job brief is imperative to securing quality candidates. The nature of the competitive job market in Canberra means that the more comprehensive your job brief is, the more you can attract and retain the perfect candidate.
To find your ideal candidate, contact us at 02 6154 9309 so we can start understanding your job brief.
