Most of us are familiar with the story of Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf because of an early childhood illness. The most significant person in Helen Keller’s life was Anne Sullivan, her teacher and miracle worker who was also visually impaired. More importantly, Anne understood the power of language and assigning words with meaning to objects to open communication with the world for Helen. Anne helped Helen to live and communicate with others as conventionally as possible and Helen Keller went on to live a rich and rewarding life.
Keller’s story teaches us the importance of language and communication. Communication has many aspects and limiting ourselves to one form of communication is a mistake when it comes to recruiting and hiring in your business. In honor of Helen Keller’s birthday on June 27, here are several ways to leverage communication in your recruiting process.
Make Communication a Priority
Helen Keller’s family focused on reacting to her behavior rather than on ways to communicate with her. When you are in the thick of running your business, finding the time to get clarity about your ideal employee often falls to the bottom of your to-do list. Successful recruiting needs clarity and clear communication. It is the foundation upon which you will build your company. Successful businesses work hard to be very clear about what they want and what they don’t want and use that knowledge to communicate with potential candidates.
Create a Compelling Job Ad
Helen Keller’s family knew they lacked the knowledge and skills to deal with Helen’s situation. They continually looked for new ways to help her. When they heard about the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, they wanted to learn more. Much like the Kellers were drawn to the Perkins Institute because of its success in educating blind people, you want to draw great candidates to your company. Your job ad should advertise or communicate the value of your job to attract the best candidates. You communicate by creating a clear picture of the roles and responsibilities and how these contribute to your company’s success. When you think of advertising, you think of being persuaded to buy something. You want to sell talented candidates on working for your company. Your job ad must speak to your ideal candidate and create an urgency for them to work for your company.
Present Your Company Culture
The Keller family had a unique culture or personality. Helen’s father was a captain in the Confederate Army and an editor for the local newspaper. When Anne Sullivan became part of the Keller family, she had to learn how to fit into the family culture. This was a difficult task and yet Anne was successful because she had the right personality traits to stand up to the family’s resistance to her methods. Communicating your company culture in your job ads is critical. Great candidates want to know why their work matters, how they can contribute to making a difference, and what it will be like to work for your company. They need to know that your business shares their core values. Communicate why what they do matters (the purpose or mission of their work). Show a clear line of sight from their work to achieving your mission. Give them visuals: charts, graphs, infographics, video, feedback from clients, the community, and your competitors. Share results, both successes and failures. Honestly communicate with them so they know what it will be like to work for your company.
You can become a miracle worker like Anne Sullivan by spending quality time thinking about your communication and how it can be utilized more effectively to improve your recruiting process. Making communication a priority and spending time creating a compelling job ad freshens up your ideas and clarifies your needs. It can even open a wider range of candidates you might have previously overlooked. It may be the best investment of your time ever.
If your recruiting needs a miracle worker to communicate your value and attract top talent, schedule your insight session today, call me, send an email, or text RECRUITER to 44222 to get a free sample of The YOLO Principle. And, the best part is that it’s FREE!