How to Create a Job Seeker Persona for Hiring

Hiring is a core function of HR – and that’s true now more than ever as companies try to prepare for the future and build a resilient organization. Hiring the right people ensures that organizations have top talent that will contribute to a successful workforce now and into the future. 

But how do you ensure that you’re attracting and retaining the talent that’s right for your organization? That’s where job seeker personas come in: they help organizations understand the type of candidate they want to attract to ensure candidates align with organizational needs, increasing the chances of a best-fit hire.

What is a job seeker persona? 

A job seeker persona is a made-up persona that describes your ideal candidate with specific information about who the job seeker is and their behavior. It’s similar to a customer profile, which is used for marketing purposes to target ideal customers better by understanding their likes, dislikes, and behaviors – but instead of describing an ideal customer, it describes an ideal candidate.

The information that is included in a job seeker persona is dependent on organizational needs and specific industries, but common features include:

• Demographics
• Career aspirations
• Certifications and qualifications related to the role
• Experience level
• Personal behaviors
• Motivations and challenges

Other hiring resources – such as job descriptions and requisitions – can be used to base the persona on, but it’s important to understand the distinctions between these items. The job description details specific requirements and responsibilities for a given role, while the acquisition describes the need for the new role. 

On the other hand, the job seeker persona is more about the candidate’s perspective and understanding of who they are – almost like thinking about your ideal partner or date before creating a dating profile so that you have a better idea of who you’re looking for. 

For example, let’s say a superhero company is looking for new job candidates. They might make a job seeker persona that matches an ideal superhero, like Spider-Man. So their job seeker persona might look like this:

Benefits of a job seeker persona 

There are several benefits that can come from creating a job seeker persona and using it throughout the hiring process. Some of the top benefits organizations can get are:

• Less ghosting: Improved candidate response and retention 
• Stronger job descriptions: More targeted descriptions that encompass what organizations really want from an ideal candidate
• Better hires: Increased chances of choosing the right candidate and finding a best-fit hire
• Stronger goal alignment: Improved alignment of hiring decisions with business goals and organizational goals 

How to create a job seeker persona for a new role

Now you know the benefits of a job seeker persona – but how do you create one that will work for you? While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to personas because they’re based on unique organizational needs, there are a few steps that can help ensure that your organization can create personas that are effective for specific needs. Here are the basic steps to creating an ideal job seeker persona:

• Define the role and responsibilities for the position 
• Research the “ideal” candidates and gather data, such as previous roles, skills and qualifications, and level of experience; consider looking on LinkedIn or other networking sites and seeking out employees in similar positions to help inform your persona
• Look at candidate behavior and emotions to develop a better understanding of personal and professional motivations and identify challenges
• Create a persona profile that has all information presented clearly and share the persona with the hiring team 
• Use throughout the process and compare against candidates to validate the persona
• Iterate based on feedback and findings as the process goes on

Although a persona template is a powerful tool, creating one from scratch isn’t the easiest – or most fun – thing to do. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with a pre-made template here. 

How to use a job seeker persona

Job seeker personas can be used in several ways throughout the hiring process, including:

• Pre-interview: In the pre-interview stage, personas can be used to create job descriptions and decide when to engage with candidates – for example, if you’re trying to attract more Gen Z employees, you may want to consider engaging with job seekers on TikTok.
• Screening: During the candidate screening stage, personas can be used to compare candidates and select candidates to move forward in the process. However, it’s important to remember to look at the candidate holistically and not exclude candidates purely because they don’t perfectly align with your persona. It can be helpful to mark any essential qualifications – such as experience – that can help guide this process. 
• Interview: In the interview stage, hiring teams can use personas to develop questions for candidates that align with the job seeker persona, as well as compare answers post-interview.

Frequently asked questions

How is a job seeker persona different from a job description?

A Job Seeker Persona differs from a Job Description in several key ways. Here's a breakdown of the main distinctions:

1. Focus

• Job Seeker Persona: Focuses on the ideal candidate’s characteristics, skills, goals, and motivations. It’s a tool for recruiters to better understand whom they are targeting, helping guide the recruitment strategy.
• Job Description: Focuses on the job itself—what the role entails, the responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations from the employer’s perspective. It’s used to attract potential candidates by outlining what the job involves.

2. Purpose

• Job Seeker Persona: Helps to identify and profile the ideal candidate for a role. It’s used internally by recruiters to inform sourcing strategies, interview approaches, and personalized communication.
• Job Description: Helps to advertise the job to potential applicants. It’s a public-facing document that candidates refer to when deciding whether to apply for the position.

3. Content

• Job Seeker Persona: Includes details about the candidate’s characteristics—such as demographic information, motivations, pain points, goals, skills (both soft and hard), preferred work environment, and interview tips for recruiters.
• Job Description: Includes details about the job role—such as job title, duties, required qualifications, necessary experience, benefits, salary range, and the company’s expectations for the role.

4. Audience

• Job Seeker Persona: Used by recruiters and hiring teams to align on who the target candidates are and to create tailored outreach strategies.
• Job Description: Used by potential job candidates to understand the role they’re applying for and to evaluate if they meet the qualifications.

5. Level of Detail

• Job Seeker Persona: Goes into deeper detail about the type of person suitable for the role, such as their career motivations, challenges, and ideal work environment. It might also suggest how to approach them during recruitment.
• Job Description: Provides a detailed outline of the role itself, its requirements, and responsibilities. It doesn’t focus on the individual characteristics of the candidate beyond qualifications and experience.

6. Personalization

• Job Seeker Persona: Highly personalized—it’s a fictional representation of an ideal candidate for a specific role, created to help recruitment teams understand who they are looking for.
• Job Description: More formal and standardized, listing the responsibilities and qualifications for the job to a broad audience of potential candidates.

7. Usage

• Job Seeker Persona: A strategic tool used during candidate sourcing, interviews, and communication, helping recruiters better understand and connect with candidates.
• Job Description: A document shared during the application process, to inform candidates about the role and expectations, and attract the right applicants.

In short, a Job Seeker Persona helps you understand the ideal candidate, while a Job Description helps candidates understand the job.