Running a small business isn’t glamourous, and neither are many of the job roles you might be looking to fill.
It can be tough to hire for a job that is less than exciting, especially when you’re trying to find great talent. Jobs that are perceived as boring or undesirable are less likely to attract the kind of qualified candidates that you have been able to find for other roles.
But when your business is on the line, you need to get creative. Here are five ways to make a boring job attractive to the right people.
1. Focus on the intangible benefits
Many things can make a job more attractive, including the perks and benefits that go along with it. Try focusing on the intangibles that might make a person prefer this job over another.
For example, will the employee have the opportunity to network and gain better exposure for a future career in the company? Sometimes, employees are willing to take a lower paying, monotonous job if there’s opportunity to make important career connections.
2. Highlight the working environment
Is the office casual and lenient as far as dress code and cubicle space? Are pets allowed to come to the office? Do you organise regular company outings or events?
These small, cultural factors might be considered very appealing to certain applicants, particularly to the millennial workforce, who expect to work in a place that they don’t consider to be “uptight.”
3. The right hours for the right candidate
Are the hours perfect for working parents who want to be home for their kids after school? Perhaps, a student would be able to fit the work in on a weekend day when they have class.
Highlight how the desired working hours might fit into an employee’s schedule and what type of people might be well-suited to the role. It might not be their dream job, but if it’s a good fit, they might not be able to pass it up.
4. Show your flexibility
Can the employee come in early if they choose, and go home early? Is there an opportunity to work from home one day a week? Consider whether the role needs to be completed at a specific time and place and whether you might be open to more flexible arrangements.
Certain roles, such as data entry, lend themselves to flexibility. This might be a huge perk to parents or those who have to commute a long way to get to work.
5. Focus on the future
If there’s no way to disguise the boring job as anything more than mundane and there are few intangible benefits to entice applicants, focus on the future. Many low-profile jobs can lead to exciting and high-paying roles within the same or similar industry.
For example, a job washing hotel linen might enable that employee to work themselves up to the position of hotel manager at a big resort. Every job can lead to a more promising position.
It’s up to you to evaluate what career paths might be open to applicants and show them the way. That will help convince an ambitious person that the role is worth more than meets the eye.
In the end, your ideal candidate shouldn’t take too much convincing. If they can’t see how a role might lead to bigger and better or fit in with their current lifestyle, you probably don’t want to hire him. By pointing out the positive, you can encourage more applicants to take a chance on you.
Andrew Joyce is the the CEO of Found Careers.
