Last week I wrote about what we know candidates want.
This week, in Part 4 of our Job Descriptions series, we’ll look at how two similar companies sell their opportunities and what we can learn from them.
For those of you who’d like to catch up, here are the previous Job Description posts:
Part 1 - A Job Worth Describing🥰 - Making sure you need to hire someone.
Part 2 - What’s In It For Them? 💼 - Using basic marketing principles to improve our job descriptions.
Part 3 - What Candidates Want🎁 - What do candidates say they want?
Dominos🍕 Vs. Applebees🍎
With more than 8,000 locations between them, Dominos and Applebees are fixtures across the US. Both restaurants are giants of the quick-serve/casual dining category, employ tens of thousands of people, and often serve as many people’s first jobs.1
This post will look at how two of America’s most ubiquitous employers sell two of thier entry level positions to candidates. Here are the links:
Specifically we’ll look at the following:
Do they provide a salary range?
Do they provide a purpose?
Do they focus on what’s in it for the candidate?
Are they clear and objective in their evaluation criteria and job requirements?
Do they keep it short?
If the work is flexible, do they mention that?
The Opening
Let’s start with the opening. Applebees leads with a long preamble about the ownership group, who they are that they’re family, and something about "Legacy Apple" They also use the word “family” in the opening sentence, which as an industry that experienced record layoffs during the pandemic, is a questionable choice.
Meanwhile, Dominos focuses on the applicant. They mention the job's flexibility (which we know is essential for many job seekers), use easy-to-understand language, and don’t oversell a job that most people understand. Here’s their opening paragraph.
You got game? You got spring in your step? You want the best job in the world? And schedules that work with you, not against you? That's right! We live to beat the rush and make it possible to make, bake or take pizzas during the hungry hours of the day and night, part or full time. You'll have plenty of time left over for school, hanging with your friends, or whatever. Sound good? Even if you just need a second job for some extra cash, Domino's Pizza is the perfect place for you.
Winner
Dominio's. Because:
Direct appeal to the candidate
Flexibility front and center
Doesn’t oversell
Room for improvement
Neither JD includes a salary range. Even though these jobs and their pay ranges are relatively well known, it wouldn’t hurt to have a range.
Applebee’s tries to sell their purpose. In doing so, they mention some good things that the company has done for their communities. That said, they ignore the “what’s in it for you” appeal to the candidate. Their opener reads less like an employee value prop and more like company cheerleading.
Job Responsibilities
Both roles have job responsibilities that paint a realistic job picture. And bonus points to Applebees for trying to break down the percentage of time dedicated to each responsibility.
Quick aside here, it’s not surprising that the Job Responsibilities section of the description is accurate; after all, these are Line Cook and Pizza Delivery Driver descriptions.
But one thing I’ve found pervasive in corporate, white-collar jobs is that the responsibilities are vague, or worse, woefully inaccurate. I’ve been hiring recently, and I’ve noticed that many candidates appreciate a transparent and honest list of responsibilities - even if some aren’t appealing.
When you are candid about the role’s goal(s), challenges, and duties, you build trust with the applicant. That trust goes a long way.
Winner
Applebees.
Evaluation Requirements and Criteria
Dominos has metric-driven requirements that allow potential applicants to qualify or disqualify themselves (i.e., “2-year driving history”) from consideration.
In contrast, Applebees has “Qualification Standards,” which include a mix of objective and subjective criteria (i.e., “a positive attitude”). These requirements are hard to measure and easy for candidates to fake during the evaluation process.
Winner
Dominos.
Room for improvement
In my experience, candidates appreciate clear, objective, evaluation criteria. Being upfront about what’s required, how you will evaluate it, and why it’s important for the candidate’s future success is not only a good way to boost your hiring brand but saves your, your team’s, and the candidate’s time.
Closing
Dominos ends strong with this stat, hinting at a pretty bright future for entry-level workers:
90% of our Franchise owners began their careers as CSR’s or Delivery Experts
Applebees closes with a list of the physical requirements for the job. There is no mention anywhere in the job description about growth opportunities - a big miss considering that internal growth and mobility is a huge motivator for both Gen Z and Millenials.
Winner
Domino’s (by a mile).
Winners Sell
The difference between the Applebees and Dominos job descriptions is pretty straightforward. One is rote and makes little effort to sell the position, while the other makes explicit appeals to the candidate’s interests. How does Dominos do it? By focusing on the things candidates want, keeping it short, and focusing on the opportunity rather than overselling the company.
I haven’t worked at Dominos or Applebees, but one of my early high school jobs was in a casual dining restaurant similar to Applebees. I also worked in various restaurants until I was 24. Two of my roommates delivered pizzas for Dominos during those restaurant years - they loved it.