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With Australia in the grip of a skills shortage, the competition for talent is tight. Most candidates are receiving competing offers as employers fight to hire them.

Employers now need to shift their focus towards selling the role to candidates to attract attention, drive job applications, and secure their preference during the job interview.

So, what are the key selling points for a job amongst candidates in Australia today? And how do they form a compelling employee value proposition to attract high-quality candidates?

Here are the strategies and selling points you need to address.

Identify the Employee Value Proposition of your company

What’s an employee value proposition (EVP)?

As a fundamental part of your employer branding, an EVP defines what is special or unique about working for your organisation and the set of benefits you offer employees.

In other words, it’s the promise you make as an employer to your employees in return for their commitment and excellent performance.

Think career development pathways, work-life balance actions, reward and internal recognition programs, and community initiatives.

Offerings might include:

  • Remote work flexibility - Relocation benefits
  • Strong diversity and inclusion culture
  • Generous parental and caregiver leave allowances
  • In-house childcare
  • Advanced learning opportunities and subsidised courses
  • Discounts with partner companies (e.g. fitness memberships)
  • Employee resource groups and team events

In short, your company’s incentives, bonuses, benefits, and support systems that make working for you appealing – especially in comparison to your competitors – are all included in your employee value proposition.

Related: Employer branding is important, but how do you build one? Find out in our comprehensive guide to corporate branding.

How can your EVP be used as a framework for selling a role?

A common reason companies miss out on great candidates is because they lack the ability to sell the benefits of the role, employee perks, and career advancement opportunities.

Instead, be proactive when recruiting and use your EVP to answer a potential employee’s question, “Why should I apply for this role – what’s in it for me?”

In such a tight labour market, you want to make it easy for a candidate with competing offers to choose your company.

When the elements of your EVP are guided by what’s important to jobseekers, it provides a clear framework for highlighting the selling points of a role to ideal candidates.

Aside from location and job specifics, your key selling points should fall into four main categories:

  1. Compensation – what salary and bonuses are on offer?
  2. Work-life balance – what benefits and level of flexibility are available?
  3. Career – are there training and career development opportunities?
  4. Culture – is there a high level of morale and workplace respect?

“Workers are spoilt for choice in today’s market so a company’s reputation as an employer can make or break the ability to secure preferred candidates. There has been a shift in the market where candidates with in-demand and hard-to-find skills no longer have to actively sell themselves to an employer. It is actually now up to the employer to sell their brand to win over the candidate, highlighting the shift in today’s power balance,” says Nicole Gorton, Director of Robert Half and a renowned recruitment specialist with over 25 years’ experience.

Where to promote your key selling points for a job

Before discussing how to weave the selling points into a fantastic EVP, where should you promote the key selling points for an open role?

Your careers page

Since your website careers page covers your employer brand and all open roles, the details you share here will need to be quite general.

Address common questions, such as:

  • What benefits and perks are offered to all employees?
  • Are there company events that involve everyone?
  • Does your company support equal-opportunity career pathways?
  • How does the company’s culture shape day-to-day employee experiences?

In the job ad

Don’t deter jobseekers by droning on about your company in the job ad. Make it appealing to high-quality candidates by focusing on the most enticing selling points.

Talk about perks such as:

  • Salary details or an estimated salary range
  • Office location and if working from home is an option
  • Flexibility on working hours and location
  • Company culture within the workplace
  • Employee benefits and team perks
  • Requirements for the job (but keep these brief)
  • Realistic responsibilities that also bring the role to life

In the interview

Once a candidate has researched your company, read your job ad, and applied, the interview is your final opportunity to highlight the key selling points for the job and seal the deal.

Use this valuable face-to-face time to:

  • Expand on the details of the role and its potential for growth
  • Discuss how the role might match the candidate’s career goals
  • Answer the candidate’s questions honestly and thoroughly

“Businesses increasingly need to actively market themselves when recruiting. More companies are attuned to where candidates are researching job opportunities and what they want to know. The days when organisations just relied on one channel to promote their brand and their jobs are over. Companies are using a variety of channels, ranging from their company’s social channels, website, and employees to LinkedIn and job boards to communicate why they are a better employer than their competitors. On these channels, they speak to what the employee can expect when working for the organisation – from flexibility, work-life balance, a sense of community, and camaraderie to remuneration, benefits and professional development systems. Being transparent about the offer and a company’s unique selling proposition whilst using the channels where jobseekers are present are key to attract top talent in a highly competitive market," added Nicole.

How to promote the key selling points for a job

As you seek out, screen, and interview candidates for a role, be sure you get to know these people, as people.

Because in addition to finding out about their education, skills, experience, and career goals, you need to understand what motivates them.

Only when you factor in their highest priorities and goals can you put together an offer that’s irresistible to your preferred candidate.

Here are the four main elements to focus on.

1. Compensation

Why does compensation matter, and what do candidates want?

Setting salary expectations is crucial, so you neither exceed your budget trying to out-bid a bigger competitor nor undervalue a potential employee.

It also saves both you and jobseekers a lot of time.

Think of those over-qualified candidates who want $100k pitching for an $80k role, or the less qualified candidates who expect $30p/h applying for a position where you’re offering $50p/h.

Rather than reducing your negotiation ability, candidates will appreciate your transparency in publishing compensation upfront.

In fact, when you’re paying well, it’s a strong selling point.

How to promote your compensation

Be upfront with the salary on offer for the job. Or, at the very least, publish a salary range. Also include details about any additional financial offerings.

Try wording such as:

  • You can expect on-target earnings of $100k+
  • We’re offering a salary range of $40-45 per hour (neg. based on experience)
  • Contract opportunity, daily rate: $550 - $650 plus super
  • Employees love our transparent evaluation system for bonuses

2. Benefits

Why do benefits matter, and what do candidates want?

For many candidates, the benefits that a role offers are just as important as the salary.

It’s the benefits you offer that translate into the work-life balance that jobseekers are looking for. In fact, perks such as flexibility and autonomy are often more attractive than free coffee or a monthly team lunch.

Attractive benefits include:

  • Options to work from home
  • Flexible working hours
  • Generous leave entitlements
  • Company vehicle and phone
  • Free city office parking
  • Staff discounts with partner companies
  • Relocation support
  • Company travel

How to promote your benefits

Use language that helps jobseekers connect emotionally with your offer, so you attract the best candidates.

Since there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to your benefits package, it should be customised to your industry, your company culture, and your employees.

Try wording such as:

  • We welcome new ways of working – choose where and when you work best.
  • It isn’t just our coffee machines. Or the fitness options. Or the staff lounge. It’s a place you’ll love working and people you love working with.
  • Enjoy gym discounts, a budget for your home office set-up, and lots more.
  • If you’re moving from overseas or interstate, we do everything we can to make the transition smooth.

3. Career

Why do career details matter, and what do candidates want?

Beyond the day-to-day responsibilities of the role, candidates also care about what a future with your company looks like. They’re mentally mapping their career path, even if they don’t voice it.

So make it easy for them. Clearly define where each position sits within your corporate structure and show where within your organisation a candidate can expect the position to lead.

Jobseekers will appreciate your transparency about the future growth potential of both the role and the company. Tell them about career development opportunities, the type of experience they’ll gain, and the rewards and recognition your company awards and celebrates.

How to promote the career details

Always keep the focus firmly on what a candidate will gain from the role by painting a vision of the future.

Try wording such as:

  • Providing you with experiences that’ll help advance your career to higher levels sooner.
  • Join our award-winning team and learn from the best – so you can be your best.
  • Love to travel? Then you’ll love our international project opportunities.
  • Enjoy flexible learning time and technical training, plus our industry-leading mentoring programs.

4. Culture

Why does culture matter, and what do candidates want?

Great candidates look for a company they can be excited about – one that shares their values and where their work will make a meaningful difference.

And, considering we spend around 2000 hours a year at work, jobseekers are keen to know who they’ll be working with and what the workplace is like.

So, let them know if your work environment is fun and creative, or quiet and busy. Talk about the team dynamics and how successfully they work together. If respectful and open communication across all levels of the company is valued, then highlight it.

How to promote your company culture

Again, focus on the positives and use language that helps jobseekers make an emotional connection to attract the best candidates for your company.

Try wording such as:

  • Tune into our YouTube channel to take a virtual tour of our workplace, hear from some of our employees, and find out how you’ll fit into our company story.
  • Ours is a workplace you’ll love to talk about. - Try our job preview walk-through: a realistic insight into our team culture and day-to-day operations.
  • Don’t just take our word for it. Why not check out our top rating on Glassdoor, where 93% of employees would recommend our workplace to a friend.

Nicole Gorton has forged an outstanding reputation in the highly competitive recruitment industry as a specialist who can advise on effective hiring strategies for organisations ranging from small businesses to listed companies to large-scale projects encompassing global talent mobility. She has been instrumental in helping her clients build fair and equitable workplaces that attract and retain exceptional talent. With this in mind, she reflects on the power of the EVP:

“While the nature of the job interview has traditionally predominantly revolved around the employer assessing the candidate's skills and qualifications, the employer now spends an increasing amount of time and effort on actively promoting their brand and organisation - in a bid to win the war for talent. A strong employee value proposition has the capability to encourage ‘emotional buy-in’ among candidates as a key differentiator for employers.” 

“Even though remuneration is still a top priority for candidates, they want more than a competitive salary. To place themselves in a stronger position among top candidates considering multiple offers, companies must identify the immediate and long-term benefits of the roles they are offering compared to competitors. Many companies today are increasing starting salaries to attract top talent, so to better differentiate themselves from competitors, businesses benefit from promoting all of their unique selling points, such as the emphasis they put on work-life balance, flexibility and the career progression opportunities they offer."

By putting a spotlight on the employee experience, the type of work the potential hire will be doing and the access to skilled talented individuals as mentors, the candidate will have a better idea of what life would be like working for that business which puts the employer in a better position to secure the employees they want," concluded Gorton.

Next steps

Once you’re clear on the key selling points for your job, it’s time to find great candidates.

If you’re looking to recruit in Australia, our experienced team of talent specialists can help.