She was a ‘practically perfect’ fit for the position with the Banks family. She was unique among other British nannies of the time and her talents were exactly what the Banks family needed. But let’s face it, not many professional organisations really require skills in singing on ceilings or conversing with one’s own reflection.
What you want is your very own Mary Poppins – an employee who has a special mix of talent, character and experience, and brings out the best in everyone around them. Someone who can bring order to the mess with a snap of their fingers, and shake-up outdated processes with a sweetly sung lullaby. These rare, yet marvellous, employees don’t usually come with distinctive talking umbrellas and daisy-blossomed hats, and so finding one can prove quite difficult.
So, what did it take to lure a gem like Mary Poppins to Cherry Tree Lane, and how can you replicate the magic for your own difficult to fill roles?
Why, with an excellent job advertisement of course!
If you remember, there were actually two advertisements written: one by Mr. Banks, and one by the children, Jane and Michael. I’m going to dissect both advertisements to show you why imitating Mr. Banks’ method (like sadly so many modern job ads do) won’t help you attract a Mary Poppins, while Jane and Michaels’ method will.
Let’s start with the headline
Required: Firm, respectable, no nonsense.
Have you noticed the first mistake of Mr. Banks’ advertisement yet?
His headline gives no indication as to what the role he’s advertising for actually is. ‘Firm, respectable and no nonsense’ are great traits to be hiring for, but at first glance, he could as easily be looking for a lawyer as he is a Nanny.
Jane and Michael on the other hand, open with:
Wanted: A Nanny for two adorable children
Not only have they put the role title right there in the headline, but they’ve also included some extra information (two children), and even put a little extra oomph by adding a strong descriptor in there as well (adorable).
The hook
A British Nanny must be a general,
The future empire lies within her hands.
And so, the person that we need, to mould the breed,
Is a nanny who can give commands.
Well, at least Mr. Banks has mentioned the role title now. He’s even given the role a sense of impact and purpose, although ‘the breed’ is a pretty cringe-worthy word choice, revealing a lot about his values around children. And ignoring the blatant use of gender-biased pronouns, there is still one more error he’s made here. He’s addressing the ether. He refers to ‘the person that we need’, which might not be as bad as ‘the incumbent’ or ‘successful applicant’, but it still could be better. Something more like Jane and Michael perhaps:
If you want this choice position…
Their entire ad speaks directly to the person they’re looking for and offers a much stronger emotional connection to motivate the reader’s confidence to read on.
The candidate requirements
A British bank, is run with precision,
A British home requires nothing less.
Tradition, discipline and rules must be the tools…
He really loves to mix the metaphors, doesn’t he? Is he looking for a General, a Bank Manager or a Nanny? This aside, I will applaud his succinct list of candidate requirements (Jane and Michael do let themselves down with no less than 15 requirements in their ad). However, I question how he came up with his list? It’s barely 17 minutes into the movie when he writes his advertisement, and already Mr. Banks has shown himself to be quite the distant father-figure. While he cites ‘insight and balanced judgement’ as necessary qualities in a recruiter, he seems to lack any genuine insight into what his children really need from a Nanny.
Someone with true, balanced judgement would have more gladly sought the feedback from those working closest to the role he was writing the ad for (rather than ripping up their letter). Jane and Michael on the other hand are probably going a bit far, insisting on sweets and treats and an absence of warts. But they also provide clarity by listing specific activities the role will involve:
Play games, all sort… Take us on outings… sing songs.
The employee benefits
Without them, disorder, catastrophe, anarchy,
In short, you have a ghastly mess!
Rather than sweetening the offer with some perks of the job, Mr. Banks finishes with what could be interpreted as either exaggerated fear-mongering or a thinly veiled threat. I think we can all agree this is a less than ideal closing argument.
Jane and Michael do however list some employee benefits, albeit in an interesting and humorous way. I can’t say I’ve read many job ads listing the things they don’t offer, but they are memorable and appealing through their personality and authenticity.
We will never give you cause to hate us.
We won’t hide your spectacles so you can’t see,
Put toads in your bed or pepper in your tea.
The call to action
…
The problem here is Mr. Banks offers no call to action at all. Jane and Michael however close with:
Hurry Nanny! Many thanks. Sincerely, Jane and Michael Banks.
Ok, it’s still not very explicit on what the applicant needs to do next. But they do provide their names. No applicant likes writing ‘to whom it may concern’ and despite claims otherwise, even with the internet and social media, it’s not always easy to find the correct name to address a cover letter and resume to. Offering a name is offering an extra step of human connection to attract top-quality talent, making their path to you as clear and simple as possible.
The truth of the matter is we will nearly always need these Mary Poppins employees so much more than they need us. So, if we want to attract these talented people, we need to offer something worthy of their attention… something supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
