Talented people are bombarded with opportunities. So many that yours could easily be lost in the crowd. There’s a simple way to make your opportunities stand out — package your jobs as if you’re marketing a product.
I was reminded of this method when I was in the tea aisle of Whole Foods Market. If you’ve never been in their tea aisle, it’s a plethora of color, size, and shape. It’s quite a sight … and a potential sales nightmare for individual suppliers.
Manufacturers have learned to compete in this cornucopia by packaging their tea in boxes, tins, and containers of all colors, sizes, and shapes to attract your attention.
There was a woman standing in the aisle gazing at the wall of tea. As I watched her consider her options, I noticed that she was scanning the shelves, occasionally picking up a box or tin, checking out the back and then either placing the item in her cart or putting it back on the shelf.
I watched a bit longer, curious about the system she had going. Eventually my curiosity won out and I approached her.
“Excuse me, I hope I’m not intruding. I was noticing how you were looking at tea. I’m a consultant. My clients are always interested in how people make choices. I noticed you’re very particular with what you’re looking for. May I ask why?”
“Well,” she started, “I’m bored with my current brand of tea. I’ve decided to try some new flavors and brands. Maybe there’s something better than what I was buying before.”
“Okay, and how are you going to pick?”
“Well, I like a robust tea so I’m looking for cues — pictures or words — on the front of the box that tell me it might be full-flavored.”
“Okay. I noticed that when one grabbed your attention, that’s when you picked it up and checked the back.”
“Right. The front of the box is what captures my attention. Then I look at the back to finalize my decision. Simple as that.”
Tea Lady reminded me that packaging matters. How something is packaged either grabs or repels our attention.
This is why good jobs are often overlooked. They’re poorly packaged.
To get the attention of top talent, you must think like a product marketer. Your packaging (ads, posts, and verbal communication) must quickly grab people’s attention. This is the “front of the box.” Only after you’ve gotten a candidate’s attention will the details matter (the “back of the box”).
Take these steps to improve how you package opportunities.
- Next time you’re in a retail establishment, notice how product marketers package their offerings. Note the colors they use, the pictures they choose, and how carefully and sparingly they use words on the front of the box.
- Imagine your jobs were in a store competing with other opportunities. Each job is in a box, waiting for top talent to come down the aisle.
- Design the “box” with the jobseeker in mind. What pictures, words, and colors can you use to grab people’s attention?
- Test out a few designs with internal staff or an external focus group.
What this looks like in action: A tech company with great opportunities was drawing in a trickle of talent. Using these steps, it created colorful images and short videos (under 10 seconds) of current employees sharing brief soundbites about how working at the company has improved their lives. It used these same soundbites as the opening content for written postings and conversations with candidates. Today, the company draws in a strong steady flow of highly qualified people.
Your jobs are important. They’re a product as important as what your company provides to its customers. Package them so that they stand out and get the attention they deserve.