Short story: Inspiration behind the change
When I was building my team in 2020-2022 often I faced the decision: Hire someone I am unsure about or wait another 1-2 months for the next person. Eventually I started accepting lower standards (turning up 1-2 minutes late for the call, poor interview questions, not knowing anything about me). Until ultimately I hired a guy who after 3 weeks I fired.
Hard lesson learnt. Great leaders know to never hire people unless they truly impress you in the interview process.
Current Problems: Lack of Choices
The problem is that leaders often lack choices. The solution is naturally "increase volume" - here there exists 2 main problems.
Problem 1: Very active talent market
In 2022/2023 over 100,000 people were made redundant (EndPt News). Overall this is good for growing companies, however it also means: Candidates joining companies simply because they need any job. Active candidates having more interviews and more competing offers. High quality passive candidates being risk-averse and not moving.
Problem 2: Lack of financial resources
Previously companies relied on using recruiters, larger advertising budgets and attending multiple events/congresses. For many this is no longer an option.
Solution: Using Social Media Selling
In “sales” you have two methods for reaching people: outbound and inbound marketing.
Outbound recruitment strategies include: Asking for referralsReaching out to previous colleagues/bosses.Reaching out on LinkedIn to new people (or outsourcing to HR/Recruiters). Asking people at events, conferences etc.
Inbound strategies: Job descriptions. Brand awareness. Brand reputation. By mastering both, you will have deeper and wider talent options.
The Focus Today: Inbound
In the modern digital age - buyers (or in this case candidates) are “buyer aware”. That is - they research before making decisions. Culture and LeadershipFamiliarity Security / TrustLocationScienceThe Mission / Impact. Impact: Responsibilities. This guide will highlight examples of how companies and leaders use the above to create authority, brand awareness and trust with their candidates.
Examples on How NOT TO DO
Engagement: Quite low
Value: Outside of the job - not much.
Good for: Highly active candidates. Still better than not posting.
Comment: Don’t misunderstand - the above is fine. It gets the job done. However, a very passive candidate is unlikely to click on this. Unless, it's coming from a big brand (familiarity / trust), a leader they recognise (familiarity / trust) or the title is bigger than their current (impact).
Let's explore more on how to story build and create more valuable posts.
CULTURE
Most people like to see empathy, drive and identity in a culture. Don't make the mistake of simply saying we have a good culture. Many leaders fall into this mistake. Instead identify what makes your culture unique and provide examples.
Ideas:
- Repost a good culture / diversity / inclusivity post from company website.
- Picture of you or the team.
- Gifts or achievements from those of the team (starting gifts, university achievements, sport achievements).
Example 1: Inclusive Culture
Engagement: 34
Views: Likely approx. 5,000
Comments:
- This is a simple inclusivity culture post.
- NOTE - This was originally written by the hiring manager, not HR. This is important as it shows the hiring manager as human.
Making it into a Job Post Advert: “As a leader at Morphosys, I can proudly say we work in a diverse environment - its people like Thomas and many others why I actually joined. If you want to work in an environment that truly celebrates diversity I would love to hear from you. Currently, I am looking to hire for XXXX” build a safe space for all”
Making it into a Story for your Interview Process: “Culture is very important to me. I truly believe in acceptance and respect. For example, we recently had gay pride month and it was so good to see people being unafraid of posting who they are, why Morphosys has been so good to them and how it has helped us
LEADERSHIP
Leadership posts are an easy one. People are motivated by who their boss will be and what their views and opinions are. Examples include: Sharing your leadership philosophy + ideas. Sharing personal stories, journeys etc.Giving feedback / showing your expertise.
Example 1: Leadership Philosophy
Engagement: 8,500+
Views: Likely above 1.5M
Comments:
- What are certain things you believe in? Write a post about it - the post from Alex Hormozi is a good example of this.
- A simple Call To Action if advertising for jobs: “If you are looking for a culture where you have more say in your work - message me - I am currently looking for XXX”
Engagement: 550
Views: Approx. 250,000
Comment:
- Similar to Hormozi, simple management philosophy.
- Ali is also the CEO of a company, this makes insights into leadership/culture more visible.
LOCATION/ UNIQUE BENEFITS:
Is your role home based? Then lean into this. Is your role more office based? Discuss the beautiful location of your office, your team and the environment that is provided.
Examples:
- How beautiful the office / location is.
- How great the team is + support someone will receive.
- Flexibility and importance to mental health + single parents.
Example 1 - The Beautiful Location
Here is 1 creative ad on the benefits of working in Basel (think about how many firms could use this, Novartis, Roche etc).
Engagement: 4,000+ likes
Views: Likely above 500,000
Observations: This is a fun way to talk about how great Basel is. Though it's not relevant to 1 company - it practically writes itself.
4-day Work Week / Part-Time Contracts
Offering a 4 day work week or flexible contracts? This is a simple sell to job adverts.
Engagement: 5,600+
Views: Likely 1M+
Comments:
- Short and simple sentences.
- A picture of a dog will always help.
- Speaks a message many people will buy into - this is also good for attracting people with a similar cultural mindset.
Use as a Job Advert:
“Our (INSERT UNIQUE BENEFIT) has received pretty good feedback. If you believe in “Outcomes > Looking Busy” - then would love to hear from you for this upcoming position on my team”.
Use in Interviews:
For me, I understand that the happier and healthier my team are, the more productive they are. I also know the longer they stay, the more productive they are. Which is why I offer the flexibity on things like 4 day work week - for me its about the outcome, not just looking busy.”
SELLING THE SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY
Most of those working in clinical research are science and patient driven. Important to create the narrative here. You can create stories around:
- Your modality and specific approach.
- Repost recent trial data + add comments and observations.
- The excitement of the industry in general.
- The importance of certain diseases.
Examples: Selling the Science
Engagement: 8 and 59 (posts shared by company pages always perform lower).
Views: Likely approx. 500 and 4,000
Comments:
- Marc does a good job of using short paragraph text.
- He discusses, with passion, why LAG-3 is interesting, how Immutep are different and why its so important.
- He also has attached a company video to show even further the science.
- Company post: Has shared positive news about their Phase IIb and why that is so special.
SELLING THE MISSION/ IMPACT
This is similar to selling the science - naturally in Clinical Development, the mission is usually the science. But for other companies its will be different (example provided).
- What problem are you trying to solve.
- What work still needs to be done.
- Where do you / the company want to go?
Example 1 - ADC Mission
Engagement: 88+
Views: Likely approx. 10,000
Observations:
- There is a clear call to mission of “Pushing the boundaries of ADCs”. Very relevant and exciting right now.
- Simple re-use of company published article with a short comment by the CEO.
To see more examples of culture, science, etc. – you can download them all in our FREE guide here.
SUMMARY AND NEXT STEPS
Content Ideas
Culture:
- Picture with Team
- Inclusion + Diversity
- Celebrating achievements
Leaders:
- Story about you.
- Share some leadership philosophies.
- Provide Thought Leadership and Insights.
Location / Unique Benefits:
- Highlight the location / Office.
- Commentary on work benefits.
- Personal post about the benefits you receive + why important.
Science: Proof: Talk data
- Discuss your modality and specific approach.
- Repost recent trial data + add comments and observations.
- The Important of the industry in general. The importance of certain diseases.
The Mission / Impact:
- Why this is important.
- What problem are you trying to solve.
- What work still needs to be done.
- Where do you / the company want to go?
Audit
Use this as a chance to reflect on how confident you feel in each topic. Don't make the mistake of “this is easy”. Truly ask yourself - “Can I provide a truly incredible story, example or post on this topic?” if the answer is “it could be better” - ask how. How can you go deeper and be even better?
A score table to help you in assessment is available in our FREE guide. Click here to download.
NEXT STEPS
Now you have many examples, topics to think about and a way to structure your “advertising” process.
Do you now need to write Linkedin posts? No. However writing is a useful tool to help you reflect. Use this guide to stimulate ideas and visualise what makes you a unique leader, team, science etc. Just like a VC meeting, differentiation and long-term strategy is key to success.
If this writing inspires you to write Linkedin content, then great - it will help you. More important however is finding that 30 minutes a week to truly reflect. To think about real examples and stories.
And remember, the very best talent will be passive, high risk of receiving counter offers or have 2,3 or 4 job offers.
Catch people's interest before they apply. Create stories to inspire action (i.e. applying) and maintain a consistent and high quality to message so they follow through and join you.
#CreatingInspiringCultures
HELPFUL?
If you found this helpful. Want coaching on this or simply want me to do this for you and help build high qualities team - you can email me at charles@discera-search.com or message me on LinkedIn.
To see the full content, click here to download our FREE guide.
