How to Find Great Employees through the Classifieds

How to Find Great Employees through the Classifieds

Good workers are hard to come by. Fortunately, advertising a job opening online makes it easier to connect with the right employees.

Classified ad sites such as Kupatana appear to be driving job growth, particularly in the informal sector. Arecent article from The Citizen states:

“The Tanzanian economy has created 3.4 million jobs in the eight years, a newly released Integrated Labour Survey Report shows. The report indicates that jobs in both the formal and informal sectors increased from 16.6 million in 2006 to 20 million in 2014. The increase in employment was more notable in the informal sector, which saw employment more than doubled from 1.6 million jobs in 2006 to 4.3 million in 2014, the report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) yesterday shows. The increase in the number of jobs in the informal sector went in tandem with the reduction in the number of unpaid workers from 3.6 percent in 2006 to 1.8 percent.”

While the Integrated Labour Survey Report doesn’t list the factors involved, increased access to online job portals are probably a major factor. They make it easier for small employers to find applicants, even if they don’t have as many industry contacts as their larger competitors.

We previously talked about how businesses can reach new customers online. You can follow similar principles to hire new employees.

If you’re trying to find new employees, you should consider hiring someone online. Follow these tips to help you find the right applicants for the job.

Outlining Your Job Requirements

There is an old adage that says: “If you don’t know where you are going, you won’t be able to get there.” The same principle applies when you are hiring employees through an online classified ad.

It’s important to decide what you’re looking for in a candidate. You’ll also need to decide how to present your company to aspiring applicants.

Determine Your Expectations Before Writing an Ad

You can’t attract good candidates unless you know what you’re looking for. Before you create an online classified ad, you need to ask the following questions:

•  What qualifications are you looking for? Do you need someone who has attended university? Do you need an employee with at least five years of experience in your industry? Do they need to have a certain skill set (such as being able to operate a four-cylinder tractor trailer)?
•  What duties will your new employee be expected to fulfill? Will they have to oversee other employees? Will they need to work with customers?
•  Will you need an employee to provide references from previous employers? If they have worked in the informal sector, will you be able to get those references?

You don’t want to be too lenient with your requirements, because you may end up hiring someone who can’t do the job. On the other hand, you don’t want to be too strict, because you may turn away a number of qualified candidates. Take the time to decide what factors are really important.

Remember: You Need to Sell Yourself First

Potential employees will need to make a good first impression. However, you need to make a good impression first. If you don’t sound like a good employer, then nobody will reply to your job ad.

Job seekers come across a number of job postings online. They encounter posts that are from:

•  Companies that are obvious scams
•  Companies that don’t seem like they can pay a decent wage
•  Companies that are poorly managed (and may end up going bankrupt)
•  Companies that seem to be run by unpleasant or unprofessional managers

These advertisers obviously don’t receive too many applications (if they receive any at all). You should receive a lot more applications if you show that you are a good employer.

Creating Your Ad

Potential employees are much more likely to respond to a well-written job ad from a promising employer. Here are some tips to create an effective ad.

Keep it Brief

People don’t like to read a lot of text online. If you provide a couple of pages of information about your company, they will probably be overwhelmed and stop reading.

Don’t include any information that isn’t absolutely necessary. If you think people need more information about your company, you should provide a link to your website.

Be Upfront About Qualifications

You don’t want to spend hours looking through applications from people who don’t have the right qualifications. It’s a good idea to weed out unqualified applicants before they submit their applications. If you have specific requirements that are non-negotiable, then you want to be direct about it in your ad.

Use clear language, such as this:

“No entry-level applicants please. Applicants will only be considered if they have four or more years of experience in a managerial capacity.”

Here’s an example of a more passive ad that tries to communicate the same point:

“Preference will be given to applicants with four or more years of experience.”

The second ad isn’t nearly as direct. Potential applicants will assume that you will consider them if they have less experience.

You should also be clear about work requirements. If the person needs to work on weekends, then you should emphasize that in your post as clearly as possible. You may even want to bold or capitalize the word “must” to make sure your message is clear.

Here’s an example:

“You MUST be willing to be available for weekend work. Please only apply if you are comfortable working at least three Saturdays or Sundays every month.”

Make a Persuasive Offer

Highly-qualified employees can get a job anywhere. They tend to work for employers that offer the best salaries, decent benefits, and friendly work environments.

You need to make sure that your ad convinces them that your company is a great place to work. If you can’t afford to pay your employees as much as your competitors can, then you’ll need to find a way to compensate. You could write the following in your ad:

“We are a fun, fast-growing company located in the heart of Dar es Salaam. Starting pay is competitive, although we have a smaller budget than some of our largest competitors. However, we expect to match their salaries very soon. We also offer some unique revenue-sharing opportunities for our valued employees. You will also be given more freedom over the projects you work on.”

You may not be able to attract the most experienced candidates with this ad, but you should receive applications from a number of qualified people.

Preparing to Interview Applicants

Interviewing applicants is one of the toughest parts of the hiring process. There are a couple of things that you need to do:

• Make a shortlist of applicants. If you receive lots of applications, you won’t be able to interview or respond to everyone. Try to make a list of about five applicants who show the most promise and invite them for an interview.
• Make sure applicants are serious before scheduling an interview. When you reach out to them, ask any necessary follow-up questions to make sure they are the right fit, such as whether they are comfortable with the salary range you are offering.
• Make sure that you are looking at the right criteria. Too many employers hire employees that they would enjoy having as friends. Unfortunately, people that you enjoy talking to don’t always make the best employees. You only want to hire people who are qualified to do the job.  
• Try to interview all applicants within a week. The first applicants may be the most qualified. If you take too long to interview the rest, then the qualified applicants may have already found another job.

Interviewing applicants can be a stressful process, but you want to take the time to do it properly. Choosing the right employee is one of the most important decisions that you’ll make.

Making a Job Offer

After you have interviewed the most qualified candidates, you should know which one is the best fit for the job. Here are some tips to follow when making a job offer:

• Make sure that you are both on the same page. You don’t want there to be any misunderstandings about the salary, job expectations, working conditions, or any other factor.
• Be open to negotiation. If the best candidate requests a higher salary, then you should at least consider it. You don’t want to turn away a great employee because you want to be frugal. Of course, you need to make sure you stay within your budget.
• Always have a clearly written contract written up. Under the Tanzanian Employment and Labour Relations Act of 2004, you must have a written contract with all employees working six or more hours a month.
• Offer all jobs on a conditional basis. You don’t want to be obligated to keep an employee around who doesn’t live up to your expectations. You can always hire another applicant if they aren’t the right fit.

Choosing the right candidate takes time, but you’ll be glad to have a dependable, qualified employee.