24 August/September 2014 • APC

When it’s time to hire employees, most employers don’t havetime to sort through a mess of job applicants to find “the diamondin the rough.” You need only a few high-potential, top-performingapplicants who are highly likely to fit your company and help takeit to the next level. Here are some secrets to finding great people.

Many businesses ask me “How do I write a better job posting?”They post job openings to job search websites and get terrible results.Yes, even professional, established painting contractors are messingup this step in the hiring process. What you learn here probablywon’t be mind-blowing or revolutionary. It should make it simple towrite an effective job posting that attracts the best candidates.

These practices will work whether you need to hire greatpainters, crew leaders, job foremen, administrative assistants,salespeople, estimators or managers. Here are the answers to thequestions I always hear about writing the best help-wanted ads.

What are the goals of a good job advertisement?Quality ads attract quality people. Explain everything about the

job that you can so you don’t have a pile of applicants. The moreyou explain, the more people can either identify with your com-pany and the job or decide this is not the position for them.

Most people should weed themselves out. That’s right, I said it.You don’t want everyone to apply; you want only the right peopleto apply. I know you need someone right now, but that doesn’tmean you need just anyone right now.

The people who read your job ad should say “This is the perfectjob for me.”

Describe some traits the ideal employee should have and thekind of environment the person will be working in. You want peo-ple to read your ad and immediately know they should quit theircurrent job to come work with you.

Job advertisements are a form of marketing. What is an adver-tisement other than a solicitation for someone to buy in? You arenot only competing against other painting contractors for top tal-ent, you are competing against the market as a whole. Employees

have choices, and it’s your job to show them that your opportuni-ty is an excellent choice.

What should I write in a job advertisement?Applicants who know they want to work for you are the first

step in long-term employee retention. Explain as much as you canabout the job opening. You’ll have fewer calls and emails from jobcandidates asking about the specifics of the position. You will begiving people more information so they can make a decisionwhether they would love to work for your company or not.

The words you use are like bait – they will attract some fish andrepel others. This is a good thing. I use the DISC behavioralmodel, as well as other tools based in behavioral science, to insertjust the right words into job advertisements.

Behavioral science is complex. There is more to people than“how they behave.” That doesn’t stop you if you want to use DISCto hire employees. To get you started, here are some words to useto attract the right employees.

For direct, decisive, assertive, goal-oriented, go-getteremployees: winner, challenging, aggressive, no-nonsense,confident, bold, driving, ambitious, strong-willed, competitive, determined, pushy

For influential, people-oriented, happy, promoting employees:inspiring, magnetic, persuasive, warm, convincing, polished,friendly, optimistic, sociable, easily distracted

For steady, reliable, stable, supporting, nurturing employees:relaxed, dependable, reliable, loyal, routine, systems, predictable, consistent, patient, deliberate, resists change

For compliant, detail-oriented, accurate, exacting employees: careful, cautious, diplomatic, tactful, rules, regulations, neat, precise, research, worrisome, anxious

Write a great job advertisement so you can attract and hire the right people.

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Recruiting and Retention

By Art Snarzyk

I wish it were so easy that we could say that estimators havethis trait and crew leaders have that one. I’ve seen successfulsalespeople, painters and entrepreneurs from every variation ofstyles. It really varies from company to company and depends onwhat your company wants out of each position and the customerexperience you’re trying to create. Very few people will relate toall four aspects, so choose words from the most dominant trait

your business demands from this position and add a couple ofwords from one other important sub-trait if necessary. Remem-ber, you want someone to relate to your ad and say “I am the per-fect person for the job.” Take note, I also included words thatmight have negative connotations.

So if you need a real go-getter, you need someone who isassertive, aggressive, tenacious or sometimes arrogant. Whether

you connect with these words or not, theposition for which you are hiring mayrequire someone who really identifieswith them. If the job requires these traits,you should also be trying to repel anyonewho is timid, easygoing, careful or cau-tious.

Use the right words and touch the follow-ing points. You want your next superstar toreally buy in to your company and the jobitself. Don’t let this seem like “too much” asit will usually fit on one page. Also, wordcount doesn’t matter like it did in the pastsince most businesses do not pay per wordby posting job ads in newspapers anymore.When I write an ad for a client, I make sureto talk about:

Your Company – What you do, howlong you’ve done it, who you do it for.

Your Values – What do you believe in,how do you treat others, why are you inbusiness?

Key Responsibilities – The requirementsof the position, what they will do, how theywill be measured, what you would disci-pline/terminate someone for if not accom-plished.

Personal Attributes Needed for Suc-cess – What ideal candidates act like, howthey interact with others, how they see theworld, what they are good at, soft skills andcompetencies.

Your Requirements – What they needin order to apply: experience, schooling,references, ability to pass backgroundchecks, reliable transportation, hard skillsand background.

Schedule – Hours to be worked, possi-bility of after-hours/weekend work, loca-tion they will work (or general area).

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Compensation – How will they get paid, benefits available,bonus opportunities, retirement plan, profit sharing.

Other Compelling Information – Describe anything elsethat might give you a competitive advantage, such as trainingopportunities, special assignments, possible awards or recog-nition.

Where should I advertise my job openings?Start with your own networks. Let your contacts know you are

looking to hire and be clear about whom you are looking for. Ifyou use the approach above, it will be easy for them to determineif they know the right people. Spread the word with Facebook,LinkedIn, your current employees, vendors and even your cus-tomers. When well-written and thorough, your job ad doubles asbusiness advertising. It says “We’re good and growing; we hireonly excellent employees” — it’s a surprisingly great way toremain top-of-mind. You’ll even get better candidates from siteslike Craigslist when you are this clear.

My final note is based on the numerous businesses that ask meto help them hire employees. Most businesses don’t have theclarity required to attract “the right people.” They are not alone;

I’ve been there too. Until they think through each of these pieces,they will likely attract too many or the wrong type of people.Here’s what I find over and over again:

• Business owners and managers instinctively know when theyneed to hire someone.

• Businesses usually know which position should be fillednext.

• Few businesses have a well-defined description of the actual work. • Businesses almost never consider what type of person would

love doing the kind of work the job requires.

The last one is common, but just bad for recruiting. How dothose businesses expect to attract “the right people” if theydon’t know precisely who the right person is? Be really clearabout what your business needs right now, what kind of workthat position requires and the type of person who will be a nat-ural fit in that job. Everything after that becomes much easier.Even fun.

About the AuthorArt Snarzyk is the owner of InnerView Advisors. If you need help orjust want advice, email art@InnerViewAdvisors.com.

See Advertiser Index on Page 54