ICMI's Customer Management Insight - April 2008 - (Page 41)

EXPERT’S ANGLE who meet these job requirements. Good referrers don’t pursue someone who will dislike the job, or will likely fail in it. 2. INTERACTIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE JOB. Individuals who learn about starting the job application process. Many are not remotely qualified but nonetheless apply and clog your administrative hiring processing, interviewing and so on. the job opening through a personal source have the opportunity to ask questions and probe for detailed information — both positive and negative — in an informal setting. They can learn about the job requirements, work culture and management style. With this preview, personal recruits are likely to have a more realistic picture of the job than people recruited from an impersonal source. Thanks to prescreening and interactive job information, you Are There Any Advantages to Impersonal Recruiting Sources? Call centers can’t rely on personal sources as the only recruiting pipeline. While personal sources bring in higher-quality applicants, they typically bring in small numbers at a slow pace. This can be a problem when a center has to quickly fill several openings for a training program. Given these realities, many call centers use employee referrals as a supplementary recruiting strategy. You can make impersonal sources function better by directing applicants to an “employment opportunities” section of your corporate Web site. The Web site has the advantage of providing loads of information on your corporate culture, call center culture, work environment and nature of the work. In this way, you can deliver a realistic picture of what individuals can expect. Potential applicants can then decide whether to pursue your job opening or not. If you don’t have a career section of your Web site that showcases your center, you are at a disadvantage to competitors who do. Companies such as Bank of America and Verizon Wireless have lively, enthusiastic career sections. WRITE JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT ATTRACT TOP TALENT An effective ad is about the applicant, not about you. have candidates with the skills and attitudes needed for call center success who have realistic expectations about the job and are motivated to apply. All this before they enter your door! Tom Alvarado, lead director of Client Services at TIAA-CREF put it this way: “There’s no more powerful recruiting pitch than that offered by a current agent to a prospective employee. Good agents know other good workers so the quality of the candidates is likely to be high. ” Impersonal recruiting sources such as newspaper ads and Internet job board postings provide limited information about the job and your center. Most of the applicants from these sources can’t begin gathering detailed information until they are interviewed. As a result, fewer of these recruits self-screen before icmi’s insight positions. Given this reality, you need to ensure your announcements attract quality recruits. Your goal is to catch the eye of talented individuals and excite them to act on your ad. If talented candidates skip over your ad, or even if they read it but don’t click on the “apply now” link, the ad has failed. Most job announcements are dry and boring. They make a laundry list of job activities, job responsibilities and application requirements. These ads don’t excite or motivate bright people. An effective ad is about the applicant, not about you. It starts with something close to the hearts of people. Use information that elicits interest and emotion. Two ads for the same job opening are presented on the following page. Version 1 is the real ad with the company name changed to protect the guilty. Version 2 is about the same job. It is factual. Nothing is made up. The difference is about what and how things are communicated. Guidelines for Writing Effective Job Announcements Here are some guidelines to attract and excite talented people: 1. USE AN ENTHUSIASTIC TONE. Don’t use a staid, administrative tone. Information about the job, skills required, and so on can be presented to inspire and excite. The two ads illustrate difference in tone. > Start with the title. The title “Help Our Winning Team with Customer Care Solutions!” is lively. It exudes more passion and enthusiasm about being on a team, winning, and providing solutions to others. It piques interest. > Avoid negatives. The word “no” can be chilling. The phrase, www.icmi.com | APRIL 2008 Job announcements in newspapers and on Internet job boards may not be the best source of top candidates, but they do cast a wide net and can help you quickly fill open 41 http://www.icmi.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ICMI's Customer Management Insight - April 2008

ICMI's Customer Management Insight - April 2008 Operations: Small Call Centers, Big Potential Ad Index Contents Editor's Page Contact Center Spotlight People: Assessment Tools Recommended Reading Technology: Speech Recognition Special Feature: Best of Show Strategy: Service-to-Sales Success Expert's Angle - High Volume, High Stakes: A Better Strategy for Hiring Experts Angle - Secrets of Recruiting Success/Job Brands: Changing Applicant Reactions to Your Openings Experts Angle - Speech Analytics: Uncovering the Voice of the Customer

ICMI's Customer Management Insight - April 2008

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