Datapeople is helping PaperCut create job descriptions that effectively promote the PaperCut brand while welcoming diverse candidates to apply.
Australian print management software company PaperCut wants job applicants to know exactly who they are and what their brand means. They convey that through job descriptions that offer a clear, accurate picture of the company and their (coffee) culture. By staying true to themselves, they can effectively introduce and promote their brand. It’s why Global Talent Acquisition Manager Laura Paton and her team work so hard on their job descriptions. Datapeople is helping.
Using job posts as branding documents
“I think sometimes people underestimate the power of your tone of voice in job ads,” Laura tells the TaPod podcast. “Something I’ve worked incredibly hard at is making sure that we have a consistent tone of voice across every medium. So, our LinkedIn posts, Facebook posts, Twitter, website, emails we send out to candidates…and job ads.”
As the Global Talent Acquisition Manager, Laura oversees local and global recruiting efforts as well as brand awareness. And the emphasis in the quote above is hers, not ours, but we agree with her, completely.
Job descriptions are as much a part of your company branding as anything else. In fact, a job description might be the only piece of your company’s messaging that a job seeker ever sees.
If a job description is your company’s first and only chance to introduce yourselves, it’s important to get it right. Think of how much time your marketing team spends fine-tuning your messaging on the website, in emails, et cetera. Job descriptions should be no different.
“Datapeople actually goes so far as to say whether you’re using too much corporate jargon,” Laura says. “Whether you’re asking for too many soft skills that we can, in this day and age, assume and don’t have to ask for. (People don’t often self-select on those skills, anyway, so it’s a waste of copy.) Also, the type of language you use.”
Providing an accurate picture of PaperCut’s jobs and culture
We agree with another point Laura makes, that providing a clear picture of your job and company to job seekers is a good thing.
“Our job descriptions all represent our culture and how we like to interact with one another inside the business,” she says. “In fact, the way we treat you as a candidate is exactly how we treat each other when we’re in the business.”
It makes sense considering how many new employees leave companies because the position isn’t what they thought. Setting accurate expectations can help job seekers better gauge whether they can succeed in a position. It also helps companies attract more qualified candidates.
“A really great piece of feedback that I often get after people start is: ‘This is exactly how it came across in the interview process,’” says Laura. “And we believe that’s incredibly powerful.”
For instance, PaperCut doesn’t hide the fact that they have a decidedly coffee culture. (They train all new employees as baristas during their first week, just to give you an idea.) In fact, their quirky diversity statement on job descriptions welcomes people from all walks of life, “even tea drinkers.”
Getting to know the brand, in-depth
So, how can recruiters represent their company accurately in job descriptions? They need to understand their company first. Laura believes that talent acquisition professionals need to be subject-matter experts on their company brands.
“Whole businesses exist on the idea that recruitment doesn’t need to be led by people who belong to the business, that it can be outsourced,” she says. “And I think that’s changing and you really need to be a subject-matter expert on the brand you’re selling to attract the right candidates and for the business to say to recruiting leads: ‘You get it. You know what we’re looking for, and we trust you to be able to deliver on that.’”
For her part, Laura immerses herself in the PaperCut organization and tries to understand her hiring managers’ day-to-day work lives. She says she tries to connect with all departments, from product to customer experience to operations.
“Your hiring managers need to be the people you have the greatest relationships with because you’re filling their needs,” she says. “You’re feeding them the talent they need to grow.”
Laura says there’s a perception that talent acquisition is too externally focused. That recruiters don’t develop a deep understanding of what’s going on inside the business because they’re focused outward. That shouldn’t be the case, she says, and recruiters can rectify it by getting more involved.
“Go to the sales meetings,” she says. “Go to the tech support triage meetings that they have. Get to know all of your different hiring managers. Get really deep into the business.”
Working with Datapeople and the PaperCut marketing team on diversity
Laura said all of PaperCut’s internal recruiters use Datapeople, and she works closely with PaperCut’s marketing team to ensure everyone is introducing the company correctly.
“We want to represent the people we have,” Laura says. “But we also want to represent the people we want.”
That means writing job descriptions that describe the job and work environment accurately. It also means reaching a wide audience and making people feel comfortable to apply. With over 200 employees in Australia, England, Germany, Singapore, and the U.S., the company is spread across four continents.
“We actually have different diversity concerns depending on the regions we’re in,” she says. “Here in Australia, it’s definitely gender diversity. Over in the States, it’s actually cultural diversity. We have a few different diversity initiatives going on. I’m focusing on the attraction piece.”
Laura says that recruiters in Melbourne, where PaperCut has their headquarters, struggle to find female applicants for tech jobs. She says women represent only 16% of software engineering candidates, so scarcity is a known problem. It’s why she and her team work hard to attract female applicants.
“So using something like Datapeople was an easy win for us,” she says. “To make sure we’re not putting any female candidates off. Also, we get really great feedback on our ads.”
Try Datapeople
Want to see for yourself how easy it is to consistently write job posts that authentically convey your brand and attract more diverse and qualified candidate pools – and make your entire hiring process more fair and efficient? Schedule a demo of the Datapeople platform and we’ll show you around.
About Laura
Laura came to PaperCut in early 2018. Her background was as a human resources generalist, but she wanted to transition full time into talent acquisition. She also wanted to find a company she could feel passionate about. “I really believe in representing a brand you believe in,” she says.
As Global Talent Acquisition Manager, Laura oversees PaperCut’s recruiting efforts and brand awareness in the job market. She says PaperCut has the type of environment where people can have true ownership and deliver their vision, with very little hierarchy at play. “We’re incredibly empowered here,” she said.
