After years of using Descript, I’ve gathered a wealth of experience with this innovative video editing tool. In this blog, we’ll explore the pros and cons of Descript, shedding light on its unique features, transcription capabilities, and overall performance.

Introduction to Descript

Descript is revolutionizing the way video editing is approached by integrating transcription and media editing into a single platform. This powerful tool allows users to edit audio and video files by manipulating text, making it accessible even for those who may not have extensive editing experience. With features that cater to both novice creators and seasoned professionals, Descript stands out in the crowded field of video editing software.

The Cloud-Based Editing Experience

One of the most significant advantages of Descript is its cloud-based editing capabilities. When users import media files, these files are stored in the cloud, ensuring that they can access their projects from any device without worrying about local storage issues. This feature eliminates the common frustration of losing files due to accidental deletions or folder reorganizations.

However, while the cloud functionality enhances accessibility, it also introduces a challenge: the need for a robust media organization system. Currently, Descript lacks a dedicated media library, making it difficult to manage and catalog frequently used assets across multiple projects. Users often find themselves searching for files instead of having a streamlined way to access their favorite overlays, audio bites, or sound effects.

Media Organization Challenges

As creators produce more content, the need for effective media organization becomes paramount. Descript’s current system requires users to import files repeatedly for different projects, leading to inefficiencies. Without an integrated media library, the process of managing files can become cumbersome, hindering workflow.

To mitigate this issue, users are encouraged to develop a personal system for organizing assets outside of Descript. This could involve creating folders on their local drives or using cloud storage solutions to keep track of frequently used media. While this approach adds an extra step, it offers a workaround until Descript implements a dedicated media management feature.

Transcription Features of Descript

Descript’s transcription capabilities are a core part of its appeal. The platform automates the transcription process, allowing users to convert spoken content into text effortlessly. Once a media file is imported, Descript prompts users to specify the number of speakers and their names, streamlining the transcription process. This feature not only saves time but also enhances the accuracy of the resulting text.

Despite its advantages, users often encounter transcription errors. While Descript makes an effort to format the text into coherent sentences and paragraphs, inaccuracies can occur, particularly with complex vocabulary or when speakers have accents. Creators must remain vigilant, reviewing the transcriptions to ensure they accurately reflect the spoken content.

Common Transcription Errors

Transcription errors can be a significant hurdle when using Descript. Users often find that the software misinterprets words or phrases, leading to inaccuracies in the final product. These errors can stem from various factors, including background noise, overlapping speech, or the quality of the audio recording.

To address these issues, it’s essential for users to engage actively with the transcription process. Reviewing and correcting the text not only improves the accuracy of the final product but also allows for better editing decisions. Investing time in this step can significantly enhance the quality of the video content.

Identifying Silences and Pauses

Descript provides visual cues in the transcription to help users identify silences and pauses within the audio. These cues are represented by a series of dots in the text, indicating where breaks in speech occur. This feature simplifies the editing process, allowing creators to quickly locate and remove unnecessary silences without having to scrub through the entire audio track.

While this functionality is helpful, users should be cautious. The software may misinterpret certain pauses, potentially leading to the accidental removal of meaningful content. Therefore, it’s advisable to cross-check these pauses with the audio waveform to ensure that no critical information is lost during the editing process.

Automatic Speaker Labels

Another standout feature of Descript is its automatic speaker labeling. When multiple speakers are involved, the software attempts to differentiate between them based on the audio input. This feature can dramatically streamline the editing process for podcasts and interviews, as it allows users to see who is speaking at any given time.

However, while the automatic labeling system is a useful tool, it is not infallible. Users often find that the software struggles to accurately attribute speech, particularly in cases of overlapping dialogue. As a result, manual adjustments are frequently necessary to ensure that the correct speaker is identified in the transcript.

Editing Videos by Editing Text

One of the most transformative aspects of Descript is its ability to allow users to edit videos as if they were editing text documents. This unique feature enables creators to remove sections of audio or video simply by deleting words or phrases from the transcription. This text-based editing method is particularly advantageous for those who may not feel comfortable navigating traditional video editing interfaces.

When you delete a word in the transcription, Descript automatically adjusts the video and audio to reflect that change. This seamless integration of text and media makes the editing process intuitive and efficient. Users can see how their edits impact the overall flow of the video in real time, which can significantly enhance the storytelling aspect of their projects.

However, while this feature is powerful, it requires a careful approach. If the alignment between the text and the audio is off, users may inadvertently cut out important content. Therefore, having an awareness of the audio timeline is crucial to ensure that the edits made in the text accurately correspond with the intended media.

Precision with Audio and Timeline

Descript’s timeline feature plays an essential role in achieving precision during the editing process. By enabling users to visualize the audio waveform alongside the transcription, creators can make informed decisions about their edits. This dual view allows for better accuracy, ensuring that cuts and adjustments truly reflect what is being said.

Utilizing this timeline is particularly important when working with pauses or silences. The visual representation of audio signals helps users discern between meaningful pauses and empty gaps, allowing for more nuanced editing. For instance, if a user sees a long silence in the waveform, they can decide whether it should be trimmed or retained based on the context provided by the transcription.

Moreover, the waveform indicates the volume levels of different segments, which can be beneficial when balancing audio across multiple speakers or segments. This feature empowers users to create a polished final product that maintains audio clarity and coherence.

Managing Gaps and Filler Words

Managing gaps and filler words is crucial for producing professional-quality content. Descript provides tools to identify and eliminate unnecessary pauses, “ums,” and “ahs” that can detract from the overall flow of a video. However, caution is advised when using these automatic features.

When users opt to remove filler words or shorten gaps, Descript analyzes the audio and identifies segments it deems unnecessary. While this can be efficient, there is a risk of removing words that are contextually important. Thus, manually reviewing each identified segment is often recommended to ensure that the final product remains coherent and engaging.

To facilitate this process, Descript visually marks filler words in the transcription, making them easy to spot. Users can choose to delete these words selectively, allowing for a more tailored editing approach that maintains the integrity of the audio.

The Regenerate Feature Explained

The Regenerate feature in Descript offers a unique solution for correcting mispronounced or poorly captured words in the transcription. By selecting a word or phrase and clicking regenerate, users can have Descript analyze the original audio and recreate the word in the speaker’s voice, even if it was not perfectly captured initially.

This feature is particularly useful for audio that contains background noise or overlapping speech, where accuracy may suffer. Regenerate can help smooth out the final product by ensuring that the audio matches the edited text. However, it’s important to note that this feature only works for words that have already been spoken; users cannot introduce new words into the audio through regeneration.

While Regenerate is a powerful tool, it requires an awareness of where improvements are needed. Users should listen to the audio carefully to determine which segments would benefit from this feature, ensuring that the overall quality of the content is enhanced without introducing new errors.

Using Overdub for Word Replacement

Overdub is another innovative feature that allows users to replace words in their audio with new recordings of their own voice. This tool is particularly beneficial for correcting mistakes or making slight adjustments without the need for a full re-recording. Users simply select the word they want to change, trigger the Overdub function, and Descript generates the new audio in the same voice as the original recording.

To use Overdub effectively, users must first train the AI on their voice, ensuring that the replacement sounds natural and cohesive. This feature is a game-changer for content creators who wish to maintain a consistent audio quality throughout their projects.

However, users should be mindful of context when employing Overdub. Changes made to words can impact the surrounding audio, so it’s crucial to listen to the final output to ensure that the edits blend seamlessly with the overall content.

Frequent Updates and User Experience

Descript is continuously evolving, with frequent updates aimed at improving user experience and functionality. While regular updates can enhance software performance and introduce new features, they can also disrupt established workflows. Users may find themselves needing to adapt to changes in interface or functionality, which can be frustrating.

For instance, features that were once easily accessible may be relocated or modified, requiring users to relearn how to navigate the software. This can be particularly challenging for those who rely on Descript for consistent content creation.

Despite these challenges, the updates often bring beneficial enhancements that can streamline processes and improve overall performance. Staying informed about new features and changes can help users maximize their experience with Descript.

Captions and Templates

Captions in Descript are straightforward to implement, allowing users to enhance accessibility and comprehension for their audience. The software generates captions based on the transcription, making it easy to add text overlays that correspond with the audio. Users can customize the appearance of captions to align with their brand or aesthetic preferences.

Additionally, templates in Descript provide a convenient way to maintain consistency across projects. Users can create and save caption styles, enabling them to apply the same look and feel to multiple videos without starting from scratch. This feature can significantly save time, particularly for creators who produce content regularly.

However, the effectiveness of captions relies heavily on the accuracy of the transcription. Users must ensure that any mistakes in the text are corrected before applying captions to avoid misrepresenting the spoken content.

Audio Effects and Studio Sound

Descript offers a range of audio effects that significantly enhance the quality of your recordings. One of the standout features is the Studio Sound effect, which can transform mediocre audio into professional-grade sound with just a single click. This feature effectively reduces background noise and enhances clarity, making it invaluable for creators who want to improve their audio quality without extensive editing.

However, while the Studio Sound feature is powerful, it’s not without its quirks. Users have reported instances where applying the effect at maximum intensity can inadvertently chop off softer spoken words, particularly at the end of sentences. This can lead to an unnatural audio experience. To navigate this, experimentation with the intensity settings is recommended, allowing users to find a balance that maintains audio integrity while still benefiting from the enhancement.

In addition to Studio Sound, Descript includes various other audio effects that can be applied to tailor the sound to your liking. These effects can help in achieving a specific audio profile that resonates with your target audience. For instance, you might want a more vibrant or subdued sound depending on the content type, and Descript’s flexibility allows for these adjustments.

Layer Timing and Text Overlays

Layer timing in Descript can be a bit tricky, particularly when it comes to managing text overlays. When you add a text layer to your video, it’s initially applied across the entire project. This can be frustrating if you want the text to appear only during specific segments.

To address this, users must manually adjust the timing of the text layer using the timeline. By dragging the start and end points of the text layer, you can control when it appears and disappears. This process, while effective, can be cumbersome, especially when you are working with multiple text layers. It’s important to be mindful of scene segmentation as well, as creating distinct scenes can simplify the timing adjustments and ensure that text only appears when relevant.

Another useful method to manage overlays is to select the portion of the script where you want the text to appear before adding the overlay. This ensures that the text is aligned with the corresponding audio, enhancing the viewer’s understanding of the content.

AI Features: Green Screen and Eye Contact

Descript has integrated some impressive AI features, notably its background removal tool, often referred to as the green screen effect. This feature allows users to remove backgrounds without the need for an actual green screen, making it accessible for anyone. Although the process can take some time, the results are generally effective, isolating the speaker from the background seamlessly.

However, there are limitations. The AI can struggle with complex backgrounds, particularly with items like chairs that may confuse the software. In such cases, users might see parts of the background reappear or flicker, which can detract from the overall quality of the video.

Another AI feature worth mentioning is the Eye Contact tool. This feature aims to make it appear as though the speaker is looking directly at the camera throughout the recording. While it works well in many instances, users have noted reliability issues. At times, the feature may fail to apply correctly, leading to frustration. It’s advisable to use this feature with caution, especially during critical recordings.

Final Thoughts on Descript

Descript is a powerful tool that has revolutionized the video editing landscape, particularly for those who value the integration of audio and text editing. Its unique capabilities, such as editing by manipulating text and advanced transcription features, provide a user-friendly experience that appeals to both novice and experienced creators.

Despite its many strengths, Descript is not without flaws. Users may encounter challenges with transcription accuracy, layer timing, and the reliability of certain AI features. However, the ongoing updates and improvements signal a commitment to enhancing user experience. For anyone looking to streamline their video editing process, Descript remains a compelling option worth exploring.

FAQ

• What is Descript? Descript is an innovative video and audio editing tool that allows users to edit their media by manipulating text. It combines transcription and editing into a single platform.
• Can I use Descript for podcasts? Yes, Descript is particularly well-suited for podcast editing, offering features like automatic speaker labeling and easy transcription that streamline the editing process.
• How does the Studio Sound feature work? The Studio Sound feature enhances audio quality by reducing background noise and improving clarity with a single click, although users should be mindful of its intensity settings to avoid cutting off softer speech.
• Is there a media library in Descript? Currently, Descript does not offer a dedicated media library, making it challenging to organize and manage frequently used assets across multiple projects.
• What AI features does Descript offer? Descript includes AI features such as background removal (green screen) and eye contact adjustment, which enhance the overall quality of video presentations.

Do you often receive LinkedIn messages requesting a chat without much context or a proper introduction? Messages like, “Hey there, Jan! Can we chat for a bit about potentially collaborating with our agency? When would be a good time for us to chat?”

It’s common to receive such messages on LinkedIn, so don’t worry – you’re not alone! However, the constant outreach from strangers can sometimes feel intrusive, similar to being aggressively approached by someone on the street asking for money.

This approach is highly ineffective, as most people often ignore it. To receive any response, you need to reach out to dozens of individuals, and perhaps hundreds to initiate cooperation.

Based on my conversations with recruiters, approximately 80% of individuals do not respond to these messages. Furthermore, a very small portion of people will even consider working with those who reach out to them like this, primarily due to a lack of prior interaction.

So, what can be done differently? The answer lies in social selling!

What is Social Selling

Social selling is about building authentic relationships with clients and prospects using social media. By creating meaningful relationships with potential clients or collaborators through social media platforms, you can establish trust and rapport that may lead to long-term business relationships.

To achieve better results, it’s important to understand your audience’s needs and provide valuable content that motivates them to act. Engaging with them on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can help you identify their interests and preferences.

Rather than using generic outreach messages, explore social selling strategies to build stronger and more meaningful connections with your target audience.

Unlike traditional selling methods, social selling isn’t about pushing products or services. Instead, it’s about establishing trust and building strong relationships that lead to long-term sales success.

By adopting social selling strategies, you can position yourself as an industry thought leader and trusted advisor, making it easier to close deals and retain loyal customers.

Social Selling In Recruitment

Social selling is also increasingly valuable in the recruitment space. By using social media platforms, like LinkedIn and Twitter, to engage with potential candidates, recruiters can build relationships, establish trust, and encourage them to apply for job openings.

In this context, social selling can entail offering useful career advice, highlighting interesting industry news, or even congratulating a candidate on a work anniversary or recent achievement.

By doing so, recruiters can establish a presence and a reputation as a reliable resource, making it easier to attract top talent and break through the noise of so-called influencers and other “experts”.

Social selling is about establishing trust and authenticity with your audience. By providing your followers with relevant and engaging content, answering their questions and being responsive to their needs, you build a rapport that drives engagement and ultimately, sales.

The Benefits of Social Selling

Social selling is effective for a number of reasons, including:

• The rise of social media: As more and more people turn to social media to research potential purchases or stay connected with brands they love, businesses that are active on social media have a distinct advantage in terms of visibility and engagement.
• The value of social proof: Social selling leverages the concept of social proof, which suggests that people are more likely to buy a product or service if they see others doing the same. By building a robust presence on social media, a business can showcase its products or services to a wider audience and establish credibility in the eyes of potential customers.
• The power of relationship building: Social selling is all about building relationships with your audience. By being responsive to their questions, concerns and needs, you establish yourself as a trusted authority in your industry. As you continue to engage with your followers and provide value, you increase the likelihood that they will eventually become customers.
• The agility of social media: Social media platforms allow businesses to be nimble, responding to trends or customer needs in real-time. By leveraging the speed and flexibility of social media, businesses can stay ahead of the competition and deliver content that resonates with their audience.

Social Selling Is Effective

If someone contacts you a few days after engaging with your posts, such as liking or commenting, there is a higher possibility that you will have a positive perception of them because you recognize their name.

Even if you’re not currently open to collaborating, they might be the first person you think of when you are in the future. It’s certainly more effective than reaching out to hundreds of people with a generic “let’s jump on a call” message. Social selling really does seem to be the way to go.

For a long time, I have been searching for a reliable CRM that caters to both LinkedIn and social selling needs. While trying out various tools available in the market, I discovered Breakcold and have been using it for a while now. In my opinion, it has proven to be an excellent CRM tool.

As someone who enjoys sharing the latest tech trends with others, I thought I would share my thoughts on Breakcold. Let me know your views, and if you have any suggestions for other cool tools, please feel free to share them with me!

The Best Social Selling CRM and Sales Pipeline Management Tool

Breakcold is the ultimate social selling and sales CRM platform designed to streamline your sales pipeline, maximize your prospecting efforts, and optimize your LinkedIn outreach.

Although this tool is primarily designed for sales, it can also be very useful for recruiters and anyone else looking for a customer relationship management (CRM) solution that’s effective on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The features and capabilities of this tool can be tailored to specific needs, making it a versatile solution for anyone looking to build and manage relationships on social media.

Breakcold is more than just a CRM; it’s an all-in-one social selling platform designed to revolutionize your sales process. With an intuitive interface, Breakcold’s easy-to-use sales pipeline management tool adapts to your prospects’ positions in the sales funnel, ensuring that you’re engaging with the right people at the right time.

One of the things I like about Breakcold is that it allows you to easily see the timeline of your prospects and get the information you need without having to navigate through all of the irrelevant noise on LinkedIn, like people holding up whiteboards with random quotes, TikTok videos, or contextless posts generated by ChatGPT.

This makes it much easier to focus on what’s important and build a relationship based on relevant information.

Breakcold Features

Prospecting Feed: Engage Prospects and Existing Clients with Ease

One of Breakcold’s standout features is its innovative Prospecting Feed. This powerful tool consolidates LinkedIn and Twitter posts from your prospects and their companies, allowing you to like and comment on their content in one convenient location.

You can build relationships and improve customer retention by engaging with your prospects in a personalized and authentic way.

Unified Messaging: Connect with Prospects Across Platforms

Breakcold’s platform allows you to send emails, LinkedIn messages, and Twitter DMs all from one place, ensuring that you stay top of mind with your warm prospects. By drawing inspiration from your prospects’ social media posts, you can hyper-personalize your messages without having to spend countless hours on prospect research.

LinkedIn Integration: Manage Breakcold CRM Directly from LinkedIn

With Breakcold’s Google Chrome extension, you can effortlessly manage your CRM right from LinkedIn. Create opportunities, manage deals, and move leads between different lists with ease, ensuring that you stay organized and efficient as you navigate the world of social selling.

Team Collaboration: Engage Prospects on Behalf of Your Teammates or Clients

Breakcold’s platform allows you to choose which team member you want to engage with prospects, making it an excellent collaboration and client management tool.

Whether you’re managing multiple client accounts for lead generation or working closely with your sales team, Breakcold has you covered.

Automated Email Sequences: Contact Warm and Cold Prospects Effortlessly

Breakcold’s automated email sequences allow you to send cold emails that actually get replies, helping you generate more leads while you focus on larger accounts manually through social selling. By automating the process of contacting both warm and cold prospects, Breakcold ensures that no opportunity slips through the cracks.

CRM for Social Selling

By engaging with others, particularly influencers in your industry, and sharing relevant content, you can attract new LinkedIn followers and connections. Making your presence known helps increase your visibility.

Creating a targeted feed with key prospects allows you to interact with their posts by liking and commenting. Sending a connection request after a period of time can increase the likelihood of its acceptance.

As the recipient would recognize you, the connection request would not be viewed as coming from a stranger. This social “warming up” of leads can also improve the response rate for any messages you send.

Even if a new prospect isn’t interested in your product or service, add them to your CRM and periodically engage with their posts to remain at the forefront of their mind. This gentle follow-up strategy can occasionally lead to them initiating contact with you.

Final Thoughts

Whether you use this CRM to prospect clients or candidates, Breakcold is the top choice for social selling on LinkedIn and other platforms. Its all-in-one approach streamlines your sales process, maximizes your prospecting efforts, and optimizes your social selling strategy.

Whether you’re a sales professional seeking better results or a business in need of a more efficient sales pipeline management solution, Breakcold is the ultimate fix. Don’t miss out on the chance to supercharge your social selling game with Breakcold today, as the social selling approach outperforms the old-school outreach approach every single time.

Trying to figure out how to write a resume is enough to make anyone pull their hair out. With so many conflicting opinions and pieces of advice, it can be tough to even know where to start. Every week, there seem to be dozens of new articles published, each one telling you that your resume should be one page, that it needs to have the right keywords, or that you need to skip recruiters altogether if you want to get an interview.

In the meantime, career coaches are trying to convince you that you need their resume template to beat the ATS algorithms or you won’t even be interviewed. With so many resources and conflicting advice, it can be tough to even know where to start. It’s enough to make your head spin!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone!

The Job Search Guide: Be Your Own Career Coach

How do you make sure your resume is at the top of the pile and that you’re nailing every interview? The answer is simple: educate yourself. And that’s where the Job Search Guide comes in. This book is the ultimate resource for job seekers, offering a deep dive into the secrets professionals use when seeking new talent and the behind-the-scenes of the hiring process. With this information, you’ll have a leg up on the competition and be one step closer to landing your dream job.

★★★★★ “Hands down the best guide to finding your new job!” — Reader Review

Job Search Guide provides detailed information on all aspects of the talent acquisition process, from the initial screening to the final interview. You’ll learn why you were not selected for a role, how to convince the recruiter that you are the right candidate for a role, how to ask for feedback, and how to find out who is the hiring manager so you can contact them directly. With this information at your fingertips, you will be able to improve your chances of landing your dream job.

This book also discloses industry secrets hiring managers don’t want you to know, which is bound to change your approach and give you the confidence you need to land your dream job. In addition, the book includes tips on networking, interviewing, and negotiating salary.

Whether you’re just starting your job search or you’ve been at it for a while, this book is sure to help you take your career to the next level.

Job Search Guide: Be Your Own Career Coach will teach you:

●   The Truth about the Job Market. Employers want the best person for the job. Use professional tips to show them that person is you.

●   Secrets No Employer Wants You to Know. You will find insider knowledge bound to change your job search approach and land you your dream job.

●   Why Your Resume Isn’t Working. With this guide, you’ll learn to level up your resume to improve your chances and get the attention of recruiters.

●   Recruiters’ Techniques. All the information that will be given in this guide has been prepared with your needs and wants at heart!

●   Career Coaches. How to find the right career coach and how to avoid being tricked by false promises and misleading career tips.

In today’s job market, it is more important than ever to understand the inner workings of talent acquisition. Knowing how the process works and what factors influence the final decision can give you a significant advantage over other candidates.

The advice in this book can’t be found anywhere else. It will show you what hiring professionals truly want and how to tackle any interview with confidence.

Job Search Guide is available on Amazon (US, CA, UK, FR, DE, PL, and other countries), and other sites in Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, and ebook.

★★★★★ “The perfect guide for anyone looking for new employment” — Reader Review

No matter what stage you’re at in your job search, the Job Search Guide has something to offer. If you’re just starting out, you’ll find valuable information on crafting a stand-out resume and networking effectively.

If you’re in the thick of things, these interview prep tips will help you ace every interview. And if you’re not sure where to start, this comprehensive overview of the modern job market will give you the insights you need to get started on your search.

Education is power, so don’t wait another day to get started on your journey to landing your dream job — pick up a copy of the Job Search Guide today. You won’t regret it!

In today’s social media-driven world, it’s easy to get caught up in the numbers game. We see Person A with 10,000 followers and Person B with 100,000 followers and immediately think that Person B must be more influential, more popular, and just generally better than Person A.

But that’s not always the case. In fact, when it comes to the impact of your posts, you might actually have more power than LinkedIn influencers. Here’s why.

Reach vs. Engagement

In the age of social media, reach has become an important metric. Brands want to partner with influencers who have a large number of followers in the hopes that those followers will also be interested in what the brand has to offer.

Social media engagement is the total number of likes, comments, shares, and general interactions a piece of content or social media account receives relative to the size of the audience. Having a large following isn’t useful if the audience isn’t regularly interacting with the content they follow. (source: Hubspot)

“No matter the scale of your business or social audience, quality engagement is what I always focus on. Where best-in-class social media marketing is a delicate balance behind providing your audience value while meeting business needs, your engagement rate is an indicator if you’re tipping the scales in the wrong direction. Audience first.” (source: Hubspot) According to Kelly Hendrickson, Senior Manager of Social Media at HubSpot, engagement is a crucial metric for understanding social media performance.

How to Understand Your Impact

Just because somebody has a large number of followers it doesn’t mean that those followers are actually engaged with that person’s content. In fact, many people simply follow a large number of accounts and only pay attention to the content of a small handful. For brands, this means that it is more important to focus on engagement than on reach. Partnering with an influencer who has a smaller but more engaged following can be more effective than working with somebody who has a large but inactive following.

Let me demonstrate this with five examples of LinkedIn users whose posts appear in my LinkedIn feed. I also included myself so you can compare my network with the networks of these other people.

Now let’s compare the total number of likes these profiles got for their five LinkedIn posts.

It is not surprising that these accounts with millions of followers received so many likes for their posts. But the number of likes for each post was lower than what I would expected if you compared it to how popular those accounts are!

That’s 30,993 likes for B.H. with 4,347,534 followers; that is 0.71% people within their network and people who saw it because of her network interaction with her content. M.G. got 1.48% engagement.

It looks like M.G.’s and B’.H’s posts got enough attention from their network, but let’s see how they did in comparison with likes vs followers for these accounts.

To get an idea of how the following accounts impacted their network, I checked numbers for followers and engagement on five recent posts. After looking at information about which account has more followers versus likes received recently along with analyzing that data using simple calculations based off these metrics; it is clear to see what the real engagement is.

As you can see, this is the real impact of their posts on their network and people who see their content because of their network interaction with their posts. Yes, it’s nice to have a large number of followers, but it’s much more important to have a smaller group of people who are actually interested in what you’re posting.

So don’t get too caught up in the numbers game. It’s much more important to focus on quality over quantity. After all, what’s the point of having a thousand followers if none of them ever interact with your content?

The bottom line is this: don’t get too caught up in chasing numbers. Instead, focus on creating quality content that your existing followers will actually want to see. That’s what will ultimately help you build a successful and sustainable online presence.

Don’t forget that, as with any social media platform, LinkedIn has algorithms that control what users see in their LinkedIn feed. Even if you’re connected with someone or they’ve explicitly chosen to follow you, if they’ve told the algorithm that they don’t want to see your content, it won’t be shown to them. This can be frustrating, especially if you feel like you’re putting out good content that’s being ignored.

So why chase after bigger numbers when they might just end up leaving us stranded in an empty abyss where there aren’t enough likes and comments for our needs? You tell yourself one lie after another until eventually coming clean with reality: This isn’t worth … anything!

Last Thoughts

When it comes to social media, size isn’t everything. Sure, having a large number of followers can give you a big reach, but if your followers are not engaged with your content, then your posts are not going to have much of an impact.

In fact, data have shown that micro-influencers — those with smaller, more engaged networks — are actually more effective at driving conversions than their bigger counterparts. So, even though you may not have as many LinkedIn connections as some of the social media influencers out there, you can still make a bigger impact with your posts by creating quality content that resonates with your audience.

You never know whom you might impact in the process, and at the end of the day, it’s important to remember that every voice matters! No matter how small you feel your voice might be, never underestimate its power or ability to make an impact in the world.

Remember that social media is a tool that can be used for good or bad — it all just depends on how you use it. While celebrities and social media influencers might have large platforms it doesn’t mean their voices are any more valuable than yours; in fact, in many cases, yours might be even more powerful!

We all know that job descriptions are important. They help to set the tone for what we’re looking for in a candidate and they give us a way to screen out people who don’t fit the bill. But too often, job descriptions are dry, boring, and full of jargon that only serves to turn off potential applicants.

If we want to attract the best talent, we need to do a better job of selling the role and the company. We need to make sure that our job descriptions are clear, concise, and interesting; otherwise, we’re just going to continue to have a hard time attracting any talent.

Why Job Descriptions Matter

Is talent in short supply? You got that right! Before you start commenting on how wrong I am about the job descriptions, hear me out.

You’re absolutely right; a good job description is not the be-all and end-all of attracting top talent. It is, however, a key part of the puzzle. Let me explain why.

A well-written job description will not only help to ensure that you are attracting the right candidates, but it will also help to weed out those who are not a good fit for the role.

In other words, a good job description is a valuable tool for both attracting and vetting talent. Of course, it is just one piece of the puzzle, but it is an important one. So, if you’re looking to attract top talent, make sure your job descriptions are up to the task.

A job description is often the first thing that candidates see when they are applying for a job or when a recruiter reaches out to them with a new opportunity. No matter how good the message from the recruiter is, if they include a link to the role they are presenting and the role is poorly written, a candidate will never reply. Why would they if you are not excited about your job description either?

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How to Fix It

Shopping lists are long and tedious. They are a necessary evil that we all have to deal with from time to time. But when it comes to job descriptions, simplicity is the key. Hiring managers should keep their list of requirements short and sweet. There is no need to include every little detail.

The goal should be to attract qualified candidates, not to scare them away. Additionally, hiring managers should avoid using jargon or overly technical language. Instead, they should focus on clearly communicating what the job entails and what the ideal candidate looks like.

If You Do Not Know How Use Technology

Look, if you don’t know how to describe your role, you’re not in a good position. You can’t just go around spitting out a bunch of random words and think that’s going to do the trick. You need to be able to sit down and really think about what it is you do and why it matters.

But if you’re having trouble, there’s no shame in reaching out for help. There are people who specialize in this sort of thing and they can definitely give you a hand. People like Mitch Sullivan and others could help you to turn your job descriptions into something that people really want to read.

Of course, you can also use A.I. to get inspiration for how to make your job descriptions more appealing.

For this example I took the random role “Manager, Engineering Shared Finance” I found on Indeed and rewrote it via an A.I. tool called Jasper.

Responsibilities (original)

As a member of the leadership team, you’re there to empower your team and aid them in implementing and influencing a platform based on the latest tools, principles, patterns and practices. The team is responsible for multiple critical applications.

Responsibilities (rewritten by Jasper A.I.)

As a member of the leadership team, you’re there to empower your team and aid them in implementing and influencing a platform based on the latest tools, principles, patterns and practices. The team is responsible for multiple critical applications, and you play a vital role in ensuring that they are able to meet the ever-changing demands of the business. With your help, the team is able to stay ahead of the curve, reach its full potential and make a lasting impact on the organization.

Not happy with the result? Just change a tone, click “generate new version” and that’s it.

Of course, not everyone will like the rewritten version, but when you do not know how to describe your role, A.I. could help you.

It could also be used as inspiration that will help you to look at your description from a different angle. If you are serious about writing good Job Descriptions, you can also reach out to people like Mitch Sullivan who could teach you how to write JDs better.

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The Impact of A.I. Tools

These A.I. tools are already impacting how we work and we should embrace them instead of fighting them. Of course, they are not the silver bullet that will magically make our boring jobs more appealing, but they can help with other areas where we are struggling. For example, A.I. technology can help with SEO, scriptwriting, and product descriptions.

You may remember those “never happened” posts: “I hired a candidate with a five-year employment gap … and he was the best employee….” If you are a fan of these posts, A.I. could help you with that too.

You can type your query in 25+ languages and get results in 25+ languages. These tools like Jasper A.I. will turn your idea into a story, even if you add your text with typos or incorrect grammar.

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The Importance of Job Descriptions

Job descriptions are important communication tools that allow both employees and candidates to clearly understand the essential duties, required competencies, educational credentials, and experience necessary for the role. A well-written job description will help to ensure that the right candidate is hired for the role and that they know what is expected of them once they start.

Furthermore, a clear job description can help to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts down the line. For all these reasons, it is important to take the time to craft a well-written and accurate job description.

Conclusion

The disillusionment that we all need to accept is that a job posting describes a fictional and often unrealistic ideal. It’s not an accurate portrayal of the person who will eventually be hired. The discrepancy between the ideal and the reality can be frustrating for everyone involved in the hiring process. We should always try to simplify our job descriptions and try to make them more compelling as they are the first thing candidates see when they are interacting with your company.

If you’re stuck, don’t just sit there spinning your wheels. Seek out the assistance of those who know how to get the job done right or try tools like Jasper A.I. These tools will not fix your job description with one click, but they are here to inspire you and show you that your boring job description could be more interesting.

Trust me; it’ll make a world of difference.

Recruiters and sourcers are crucial for finding and attracting talented employees. A skilled recruiter/sourcer could fill an open role twice as fast as the average source, and his/her work has an impact on an organization’s overall workforce. 

A skilled sourcer also brings the right knowledge into the company, and the team acts as an example for the team and pushes other team members to be better at their work. They are responsible for staying abreast of industry trends, reaching out to potential employees, and maintaining good working relationships with hiring managers. 

However, hiring a sourcer can be quite tricky. When you are hiring a sourcer, you expect them to be good at their job. During the interview, you can ask questions about their sourcing knowledge, like how they create the Boolean string for a particular site, or you can ask things like “How many requisitions do you fill?”, “What was your time to fill?”, “Are you using some other source than LinkedIn?” and so on.

However, we all know that, sometimes, the answers provided in an interview do not reflect reality. If someone tells us one thing, and the truth is something completely different, we’re not going to know whether that sourcer is the person we need and can to deliver what we are expecting. For example, the question “Are you using a different source than LinkedIn?” is always answered with “Of course,” but the reality is usually different.

A few months ago, my friend was trying to hire a few sourcing freelancers. All of those who applied claimed that they had the right experience, their profile stated that they were a sourcer or recruiter, and during the interview, they had all the correct answers. However, when they finally started searching for candidates for his open roles (after a lot of preparation and initial training), they didn’t deliver. 

While they were able to provide a long list of people, none of the candidates matched the requirements. After a few weeks, they were still not able to add any people that they provided to the pipeline for his roles. He invested time and money into the process, and they didn’t deliver. He hired people who were not good at sourcing, people who couldn’t provide candidates for the finance roles he was trying to fill. This “trial” cost him time, money, and lots of effort from his side, and he didn’t get any results from it.

How can you find out if a sourcer is as good at his/her job as they claim? 

Reputation

You can tell that a sourcer is doing an outstanding job if you’ve heard positive things about him/her on the market. Maybe you were approached by them in person, or perhaps they are successfully stealing your people from your company. Either way, a good reputation or results let you know that he/she is doing a good job. Also, we all know the people who are doing an exceptional job in our fields. While reputation alone is not a guarantee that the person is a world-class sourcer, it is a great place to start. However, I wouldn’t solely rely only on reputation because your expectation based on their great PR could be much higher than their real skills.

Pre-screening tests

Pre-screening of these applicants via assessments can filter out unqualified candidates early on, reducing the time required of interview teams and lower the costs of your whole interview process. During my career, I have met with two types of pre-screening tests for sourcers.

The first pre-screening tests were based on an actual requisition; potential candidates were asked to present three profiles of the candidates that are matching that position. I always consider that type of analysis to be a scam. If you have ten candidates and they all provide three profiles, you get thirty potential candidates and hire only one sourcer.

So, not only does the company trick other potential candidates, but they also get resumes for free from them. I hope that thanks to GDPR this pre-screening test is history because it was a horrible way to test sourcers.

The second type of pre-screening test is based on gamification. Gamification is an innovative approach to engaging the right talent. I am a big fan of gamification because if it is correctly implemented, gamification has enormous potential because it works by encouraging talent to engage in game-like behaviors and situations in non-game applications and scenarios. These game elements will keep candidates more engaged and make the whole recruitment process more fun, exciting and creative.

As a big fan and advocate for gamification, I believe that using gamification in recruitment could help improve results when hiring for a role. This type of pre-screening test ensures that you’re hiring successfully by preselecting candidates based on their actual skills and knowledge, not just on the answers they give you in the interview or on the three profiles they deliver (the first type of pre-screening test).

With the help of Gamification

The Gamification tools help companies decide whether their candidates have the right knowledge/skill and if they can meet the requirements for their roles. They can also track their progress and see what levels they can pass, which is an indication that they know what they are doing.

We created SourcingTest.Online as a platform not only for sourcing hackathons but also for testing candidates and as a learning platform for internal teams. This application adds fun to your recruitment process; your candidates will try to overcome the challenges that you prepare for them and, for you, it is an easy way to test their sourcing techniques.

The overall selection process will be less stressful for them, and it also encourages a competitive attitude between applicants. You will save time on interviews with your candidates and see how quickly they can solve each task, how many attempts they had, and much more. SourcingTest.Online is also designed in that way that will show you when people are trying to cheat to solve your tasks. This type of assessment is also very useful if you are planning to hire people remotely. These type of tests will test their sourcing skill, and you can also compare their results with other candidates and select those that are matching the sourcing level of your team.

Not only can you create your challenge, but you can also choose to keep it private, share only with those you know, or to publish it to the whole community. This solution is also perfect for your internal and external hackathons. You can quickly test your current team through hackathons and see how fast they can solve your tasks. Alternatively, you can prepare external hackathons and attract new candidates.

Adding gamification to training is another aspect that should not be overlooked. Not only does it help people to learn better, but it also helps them to acquire and retain more because they are encouraged to expand their knowledge. Whether you are training your team in-house or sending them to external training, it is important to test what experience they have learned—and the results that recruitment agencies and companies have been getting by using SourcingTest.Online speak for themselves!.

Conclusion

Gamification elements are also quite handy when you are working as a sourcing trainer, especially if you are looking to add gamification elements to your training or to test the knowledge of those who attend your courses. Tests with gamification elements are the best way to test attendees a week after the training or even after some time. It’s also a great way how to find out what people really learned and what they have already forgotten. Not only you can test the knowledge of your course attendees, but you can see when they fail and how long it takes them to overcome the tasks you have set.

Gamification has significant potential, and it could be easily used for testing the knowledge of the sourcers and recruiters but, in my opinion, its real power lies in implementing it into training. Gamification elements should not be overlooked!