As an employer, you’ve reviewed countless resumes, and more and more they look the same. Finding the standout is no small task, but you know the right creative hires will bring a rare set of skill to help your business better solve problems, engage coworkers and amplify your company culture. So how can you attract great talent to your company? Consider these easy tips to get better results.
the job description/ advertisement
Job descriptions are often the first touchpoints jobseekers have with your company so you’ll need to invest some energy crafting these. Here’s how to make your job ads stand out from the competition.
- Be descriptive in a way that conveys energy and a positive work culture. Specify what differentiates your company and don’t sell short the employee value proposition you have to offer.
- Career potential is one of the most important considerations for millennial and other younger workers so make sure you emphasize the growth possibilities for new hires.
Keys to look for: How do you identify a creative thinker? Look for signs that show their problem-solving abilities. Do your candidates have innovative ideas on how to transform the roles you hope to fill? Are they equally comfortable focusing in on the small details of the job as they are on the big picture? Are they capable of viewing challenges from a perspective most people aren’t aware of? These are telltale signs that you should pay attention to.
push them outside the comfort zone
Want to truly test the creativity of your candidates? Creative types are quick to adapt so asking them to approach the application process in an unconventional way will provide a view into their improvisational skills.
For example:
- Ask applicants to write a short article or piece of content in a conversational tone or draft a hypothetical letter to a friend explaining the work involved in the role they’ve applied for. This will give you a glimpse of their grasp of the position.
- Solicit a solution for getting their work done if a resource or tool required of the new position became unavailable. This will reveal their ability to bounce back from adversity.
Keys to look for: Challenging situations shouldn’t hold back creative workers; instead, they often thrive on it. By assessing applicants’ ability to invent solutions, you’ll know whether they will be an asset for your organization.
how your team can help
Want more ideas on attracting and assessing creative minds? Look no further than the creative people on your team. Conduct mini-interviews and collect their ideas on what attracts them and keeps them at your organization. They will certainly be able to help you ask relevant questions and develop challenges that are both practical and revealing. After all, they probably have had the same experience.