Storytelling in a Job Description. BTW, We’re Looking for a HR Manager.

Persuasive language has a huge say in the success or failure of the recruitment talent.

Yet, most job descriptions and recruitment ads sound like they came from the same HR textbook penned in the ’70s. Forget differentiation. They’re often stringing together verbs and nouns that would be lucky to earn Cs from Mr. Harper, my English teacher at Catalina High.

The simple act of crafting a job description with conversational language can lift a job description, which typically uses stiff-as-plywood language.

You can see conversational language in action in this job description for a HR manager role below:

HR Manager

If you’re often thinking, “I could do so much more in a company that does not cling to the status quo,” we want to hear from you.

We’re going to do our best in describing this HR position, but keep in mind it’s a new role. The person we hire will have the latitude to find new ways to contribute to the agency. We envision the person having four to six years of HR experience.

A Little About Us

We’re a communications consultancy that marches to our own drummer.

One quick example —

Communications consultancies typically measure their account professionals based on “billability,” the amount of their time that is charged to clients. We’ve never gone down this path, believing if you hire people with the right intangibles — self-driven, collaborative, caring and curious — and focus on delivering the best product to the client, financial performance should come along for the ride (as opposed to being the lead pin).

We entered 2022 on a roll. PRovoke Media named us “Global Tech Agency of the Year.”

For the first time in our history, all three geographies, our U.S. operation as well as Europe and Asia grew over 20%. Of course, none of this happens without hiring and retaining people who push beyond the status quo (there’s that noun again).

That’s where the new HR manager comes in.

We proud of our workplace and what we term the “employee experience.” You can gain a “feel” for our culture by checking out our Glassdoor page, a random selection of LinkedIn profiles and this post which is part of a 7-part series on our values. An internal employee survey conducted in 2020 and again last year has provided unfiltered feedback, the guidance for reshaping our “employee experience.” Changes range from knocking off early on Fridays to reshaping our mentoring program to putting our younger account professionals on fewer clients.

We also recognize that listening to our employees and evolving our workplace is a never-ending process. This is particularly important when it comes to our commitment to hybrid working, hiring new staff who don’t live near one of our offices and cultivating a sense of connection. Figuring this out calls for nimbleness of action and the courage to try new things.

Back to the big picture, the role focuses on two core areas.

• Recruitment and onboarding new employees (including managing our intern program). Must have experience in identifying and recruiting talent
• Advancing our “employee experience”

This might sound like a big job, but you won’t be alone. Beyond the Agency’s leadership team, you’ll be able to tap the experience of our senior HR consultant, Mindy Gikas.

Qualities to Succeed in the Role

• Embrace being an ambassador for the Agency. Your demeanor and “energy” will often be the difference between a candidate saying, “Sure, I’d like to hear more” versus “I’ll take a pass.”
• Perseverance
• Ability to merchandise our assets so they land with job candidates
• Empathetic; active listener
• Savvy to help us navigate today’s DEI landscape
• Knows what they don’t know and will raise their hand for help
• Can infuse some new thinking into strengthening our culture (as more people work remotely)
• Curious
• Needs to be well-organized, juggling many activities at once
• Enjoys connecting with people; has a natural gift for building rapport and trust with others
• Ideally has experience in a communications agency or a professional services firm, but not a requirement
• Will immerse yourself in our world, to deeply understand both the business of communications and what makes us tick as a company

Flexible Workplace and Benefits

We’ve established a hybrid workplace with maximum flexibility. We also have staff members who are pure remotes. Whatever your working environment, we’ll ensure you have the right setup for a home office that includes an extra monitor to pair with a laptop. We also provide a WFH stipend to shape your home environment as you see fit.

And our benefits are pretty darn good as you can see from the sample list of benefits below:

• 20 PTO days
• 11 holidays, including MLK Day
• 401(k) match
• Going the extra kilometer (gain extra time off from going above and beyond)
• Knock-off early on Fridays
• Sabbatical program

We are a company that values diversity and inclusion.

Come join us in pushing — and periodically shoving — the boundaries of communications.

If you are interested in this position, please send your resume to ResumeUS@hoffman.com.

We will contact all shortlisted candidates.