Too often, a new job posting goes up on a company’s careers website without anyone other than HR and the hiring manager having known about the new position.
Why is this bad? Because it all too often creates unnecessary workplace drama.
Employees with similar positions worry they are getting a new boss, or, worse yet, being replaced. Current employees who have an interest in moving into a role like the new one you just posted feel that their career path intentions have been ignored.
And thus starts the watercooler gossip machine, fueled by team members who feel neglected, blindsided, or even betrayed.
This drama is entirely avoidable if your team takes the right care and intention to not just protect the interests and emotions of your existing team, but to empower them to thrive in your company in a role that best suits their needs.
Five Steps for Responsible Job Posting
Pressure is often placed on HR and recruiters to fill an open position fast, primarily to save the business from any potential setbacks while the role is vacant. Best intentions aside, the average time to fill a position in the US is 43 days.
This means that regardless of the perceived urgency, it will take time to fill your position. But, by following these five steps, you could find your talent even faster and without becoming a productivity killer and drama creator.
Standardize Your Job Postings
First and foremost, your HR and leadership teams must agree on a standard description of your company and the offered benefits. Include the same structure for all job listings to avoid speculations about new requirements or specifications that haven’t previously been used.
Job postings can include a variety of elements, but a few essentials include:
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- Job title
- Location
- Overview of your company
- Job responsibilities
- Requirements for position
- Included benefits
These elements can, and should, be reviewed regularly. As you make changes to the descriptions and requirements, there should be a broader review to ensure existing team members are aware of any new duties and are still receiving fair pay and benefits for their work.
Share Your New Hire Roadmap in Advance
Whether your company has scaled and created new positions, or one of your existing positions has a vacancy, transparency is key to pre-emptively crush drama.
In company communications like emails or a team meeting, be clear on how and where your team is growing, and share draft listings with your existing team members to ask for feedback and comments.
Use this as an opportunity to invite dialogue and explain why a certain position is open or being created, and address any initial questions or concerns. Change is always difficult for teams, but your timely and transparent communication will make the process go more smoothly.
Involve Employees in the Hiring Process
Your existing team members could be your best recruiters. Some studies have shown that referred candidates typically take just 29 days to hire (versus the 43 days noted above), and those hires typically have a greater retention rate.
Support this employee referral ecosystem by sharing any job postings internally a week before publicly posting, and ask your team if they know someone who may be a good fit. Incentivize their participation through employee referral programs, where team members are rewarded for sourcing great candidates. This can involve monetary compensation or other perks that your team deems fit.
Have Ongoing Career Path Conversations
At the employee level, encourage your team members to think about their ideal career progression and what internal roles and opportunities can get them there, regardless of current vacancies. These conversations should be encouraged between manager and employee, and also maintain open direct conversation lines between employees and HR team members.
When team members are interested in a particular position for the future, help them gain the new skills needed to be qualified. Partner with talent and training teams to provide the necessary training or opportunities that enable your existing team members to stay competitive with potential external candidates.
Remove Postings from All Sites Once a Position is Filled
The final step for all open positions is to remove the job posting from any sites that it appears on once the slot has been filled. Create a list of all areas that a job is posted, and ensure it is taken down and does not have any auto-refresh settings.
An outdated job posting creates not only confusion for candidates, but also anyone recently hired in that role. Nothing looks worse than someone applying for a position that is currently filled, and word getting to the incumbent employee that their position is online.
A Drama-Free Job Posting Strategy
By following the five steps above, you’re exercising the diligence needed to stop your job postings from fueling workplace drama.
An effective, drama free recruitment process takes time, and each of the five steps has intricacies that can become difficult for even the savviest pros to tackle. That’s where we can help.
If you want to partner on how to take control of your workplace culture, get in touch with us. We’re here to help you create a healthier workplace and jumpstart your new job posting strategy.
