10 Steps to Make Your IT Job Stand Out From The Rest
By
Jun 13, 2005, 16:24

Picture the scene if you will….You’re an experienced IT professional and a person in big demand, you decide to take a quick look into what is on the job market on ComputerJobs.ie – a site perfect for you. You select your required discipline, (eg .Net developer) and up come 80 IT Jobs! What would make you pick a particular job over another?

Your competition is trying to source the same top quality IT staff. Outlined below are what we feel are “best practice” procedures, stick to these and your IT job advertisement will stand out from the rest!

Step 1

Make sure you include salary range / daily rates: 70% of IT job seekers polled said they won's apply to a job with no salary.  With so many jobs out there, why bother applying to one where "cattle dealing" will eventually happen as opposed to a job where salary range is shown.

Step 2

Outline the company history/ function/ size / locations / clients / industry, paint the picture for your ideal candidate.

Sell your company. Why would someone want to work there? What makes you different – What are your unique selling points – USP’s.

Step 3 

If you’re a recruitment agency, how long established, size of company, location, specialist areas, type of clients. Basically anything that will give an IT professional peace of mind that they are dealing with a reputable agency with a good track record in IT recruitment.
 

Step 4

The Job spec: Make sure, in collaboration with other relevant managers, that you have written the strongest possible job description.  Duties, Responsibilities, Skills Required, Potential opportunities.

Unique selling points about the job (new product development, etc)

Outline the team they will be working with,

Who they will report to, make it personal if possible

Step 5 

Describe all extras in the salary package, all benefits. Company car (brand, year, colour) or mileage package – Pension Plans, Medical Coverage, Bonus Plans etc.

Step 6

Make sure the “please apply” aspect is very encouraging, friendly and informal. Stress confidentiality. Include all contact details in the job body – email, direct phone number, inc mobile for after hours “give me a call for a confidential chat” or “leave a message on my mobile” “completely confidential” etc.  This might just catch your ideal candidate who is in the mood to apply then and there.

Step 7

Type at least 10 keywords / Buzz words  specific to your job in the Keyword section of the job posting form so they come up in searches specific to the industry / job / company / products. (These keywords are hidden in your job description) eg. A Java Developer role for a software company developing for the logistics industry might include the words, Java / J2EE, Oracle, Microsoft, Sage, SQL, supply chain, mobile, wireless, logistics, track and trace.

Step 8 

Move very quickly if you see someone who looks good; remember if you don’t, chances are your competition is.
 

Step 9

Make sure you have all necessary paperwork, NDA’s (non disclosure agreements), letter of offer, hire approval, package details, relevant managers available for interview, start dates, acceptable reference checking procedures. This all shows professionalism and also makes sure you don’t loose a strong candidate due to delay.  Remember if someone has decided to move jobs, the chances are he / she is also probably talking with 3-4 other companies / agencies.
 

Step 10

Finally update the job listing on ComputerJobs.ie every day – or as much as possible - to stay on top of the listings. By updating your job posting it refreshes the date and allows it to go into a fresh round of job alerts.
 

Sell the job with everything you can offer.