Attract the Right People with Your Job Post (and Example of a Job Posting)
Whenever I feel myself on the verge of feeling glass-half-empty (the frequent fate of a realistic optimist), I remind myself to control what I can. Afterall, what you focus on, expands. It’s true in pursuing goals, winning new business, and definitely: hiring. When it comes to finding your ideal employee, this starts with getting clear on what you need and who you want, then packaging it in a job post. So today, I’m going to walk you through how to attract your dream employee, including a live example of a job post.
I really believe: whoever you’re looking for, is looking for you too. But are you speaking their language? Showing up where they hang out? Because counter to what hiring platforms say: hiring isn’t about casting a wide net. It’s about being so clear on what you need, crafting that into a magnetic, and placing it precisely where your ideal person sees it. When they read it, they should think, “That’s me.”
Note: this is the precursor to our Masterclass on Wednesday. I hope that you’ll join us.
Why Attracting the Right People Matters
You’ve likely poured years of vision, sweat equity, and emotion into your business that’s more than a company. You probably feel like it’s a core part of you. So, once you’ve taken it as far as you can or want to alone, the question is: How do you find people who will care for it with the same standards, excellence, and sense of responsibility?
The answer is precision and intentionality.
You attract the right people when you’re crystal clear on
- What your business needs,
- Who you want,
- A job post that speaks directly to them, and
- Where you’re ideal person spends time (not necessarily looking for a job).
Your Attraction Plan Needs 3 Things:
- Dream Employee Worksheet*
Who you’re trying to attract—their goals, fears, values, and what excites them. - Job Posting, with Marketing in Mind
This is the first invitation you’re extending. Your first impression. When you beckon someone over to say, “I want to get to know you. Yes, you. Do you want to get to know me too?” - Relationship Mind Mapping*
Map out the people, organizations, and centers of influence that will put you in front of your dream candidate.
*In this post, we won’t focus on the Dream Employee Worksheet, nor Relationship Mind Mapping. If you know our Business Development process, this will feel familiar. It’s the same process! Your Ideal Employee is the target market for this job. And here’s a past piece on Relationship Mind Mapping too.
What Makes a Job Post Magnetic?
Here’s how to transform a traditional, black and white job posting into an authentic, technicolor marketing masterpiece. For each section, I’ll include an excerpt from our Strategist Job Post, so that you have a learning-in-action example of a job posting.
1. Put Your Candidate at the Center of the Story
In Storybrand’s language: make your candidate the hero.
Tactically, this means writing in 2nd person, using “you.” Speak directly to your ideal employee’s goals, motivations, and fears.
Example
We may be for you, if you’ve operated a business or worked in 2+ business functions. Perhaps you’ve been responsible for operating a business (unit), or you’ve worked across multiple functions/specialties throughout your career. You’re seeking a more strategic role, where you can pull diverse technical skills together and remain engaged and on your toes, as you achieve deep and tangible impact across a portfolio of clients.
2. Speak Like a Human
Show your brand’s personality in the tone. Demonstrate your values. Show that you know what your job post means. When you’re tempted to talk in generalities or business lingo, ask a brain buddy (who doesn’t know the role) to pick it apart and challenge you. Here are a few of my favorite questions in this exercise:
- What does that really mean?
- When they’re sitting at their desk, what tasks are this person doing? Paint me a picture.
- Define ____________________.
Example
A Strategist at Ellevated Outcomes acts as an outsourced chief strategy officer, generating and serving a portfolio of 15 small business clients (solopreneurs to 25 employees). As a Strategist, your goal is to take our clients’ businesses to the next level. This means that over the course of a year+ engagement, you’ll use the Ellevated Outcomes FrameworkTM to:
- Help a client articulate their business’s optimal growth point;
- Design a custom strategy to get them there, most efficiently and effectively;
- Execute the strategy with them, side-by-side.
3. Mirror Their Mindset
Does your dream candidate crave stability or flexibility? Travel or regular hours? Coaching or autonomy? What career phase are they in? Your post should show that you get them.
- For new grads or trainees: Highlight training, support, and growth opportunities.
- For experienced professionals: Emphasize strategic impact and creative challenge.
- For contract workers: Call out flexibility and benefits.
Example
You’d value:
- Marrying hard work with measurable, direct, human-to-human impact.
- Support for having a life outside work.
- Brilliant, boundary-pushing, and caring teammates who can help you go further than you will on your own.
- Benefit of a “coaching”-like career with stability, autonomy, and flexibility.
- Seeing, feeling, and experiencing the real, tangible impact of your work, internally and externally, every day.
4. Show the Growth Path
Even if your company is small, signal that the role isn’t static. Use phrases like:
- “In this role, you’ll grow by…”
- “We’ll support you through…”
- “You’ll evolve as…”
Pro tip (learned the hard way): if your role requires traversing learning pits, make that clear. This isn’t for everyone, and it’s not for every career and life phase. The growth section should be inspiring but truthful. That means for some, it’ll feel electric. For others, it’ll be a turnoff.
Example
This role is also responsible for business development, alongside the rest of our Client Strategists. You’ll be expected to grow our portfolio by engaging with your community, leveraging relationships, and developing new connections—even if that’s a little new at first. We don’t expect you to figure this out alone.
We provide training, tools, and team collaboration to help you build confidence in relational business development. The goal isn’t cold selling—it’s about helping the fantastic people in your orbit connect to the value we offer.
5. Tell Them What It’s Like to Work With You
What kind of day will they have? What tools will they use? Who will they work with? Give them a taste of daily life. Who will they report to, and what qualities do they need to thrive in your business culture and with their boss?
Example
We choose colleagues who have deep emotional intelligence, a technical strategy superpower, and a genuine desire to help others. Because our team is small, it’s also imperative that those we invite in, will enhance our culture with their emotional maturity.
This means: you’ve weathered highs and lows in career and life; and can enhance others’ experiences with: perspective, understanding that opportunity lies on the other side of tough moments, and weathering learning pits with grace.
An Example of a Job Posting Template
This wouldn’t be an Ellevated Outcomes post without a bit more grounding in the technical side of business. I don’t want to give the impression that a job posting is all about the feels. Let me be clear: this is your business, and you’re hiring someone to do a job for you.
Sidenote: it seems like the new thing in the zeitgeist is calling jobs “collaborations.” A job post is not a collaboration. You’re paying someone to do a great job, assuming responsibility, and completing a body of work for you. Ensure that your job posting (and interview process) is sturdy enough to make that clear.
Here’s a template to ensure you can hit all the technical points with clarity, using the guidance given above. Think of it this way: the what is this template. The how is incorporating these 5 ways to make it magnetic.
Template + Tone = Attract your Dream Employee.
Finding Your Dream Employee Isn’t Luck
Hiring doesn’t need to be a guessing game. When you get laser-focused on who you want, build your message around that clarity, and put it in the right places, you will find your person. Or better yet: they will find you. That’s the magic of precise and intentional hiring.
And speaking of intentional, it’s no coincidence that I’m giving you an example of a job posting 3 days before our Bespoke Hiring Process Masterclass. It’s the perfect tee-up, to ensure you get the most bang for your buck with Julia and Dana on Wednesday. Please join us.
