Job titles aren’t that important to me.
But in the Philippines, it’s a big deal.
An impressive job title is a source of pride. A nice-sounding job title announces to their family and friends how good they are at their job or how much money they’re making without openly bragging about it.
This cultural thing is what Lukas used to find himself a great OFS. When he used Executive Assistant in his job post, he wasn’t getting good applicants. But with one small tweak, he started receiving applications from the candidates he wanted. Here’s what he said in his email.
I was looking for somewhat of a general VA but with more experience and strong communication skills. I got plenty of applications but very few qualified candidates. A couple of awesome candidates, but none that felt like a home run.
I tried changing the job title to CoS (Chief of Staff), reached out to a handful of profiles, and had completed applications, test projects, AND interviews within 12hrs with 2 STELLAR candidates. Interviewing 1 more later today and hiring someone tomorrow.
Amazing talent! Just had to look for and advertise the right job title/role!
The job title matters.
Another thing you can do is browse through the OnlineJobs.ph database and invite promising candidates to apply for your job post. This way, you’ll also reach workers who may not have seen your job post.
Last, if you’re not getting the quantity or quality of applicants you want, try posting your job again. It’s weird and I can’t figure it out. One day I’ll post a job and get 4 applicants. 2 days later I’ll post the same job and get 15 job applicants, with a bunch of really qualified people. It’s not something we’re doing with our software. It has something to do with timing…but I don’t know yet.
John