Advertising a role online is often the best way to attract applicants to a vacancy, but job ads are often rushed, and the effectiveness of an ad is underestimated. A strong job ad will lead to more relevant applications, therefore more choice and ultimately, the best placement.
1) Grab their attention
When browsing vacancies online, candidates make swift decisions on whether to read on, so the first interaction between company and candidate needs to be strong:
• Lead with a single, standard industry job title to ensure you’re included in the right searches. Don’t use irrelevant key words, it can damage your company’s reputation
• Make your advert easy to read; avoid large blocks of text and use short sentences
2) Keep them interested
The body of your text should say just enough to make candidates want to find out more, not tell them everything:
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• Highlight what your company does, and any unique benefits and opportunities that candidates may not be able to get anywhere else
• Beware of generic phrases, and instead clearly outline the scope, responsibilities, and opportunities to grow – this is what people are most interested in
3) Broaden your search
The perfect candidate can come in many different forms, so your advert needs to appeal to all candidates who could be capable of doing the job:
• Use industry standard job titles and skills, as they are more likely to be searched for
• Don’t focus on specific skills that aren’t mandatories, they could put off applicants who might otherwise be brilliant for your role
4) Give some specific details
Some pieces of information are often the deciding factor for candidates:
• Location is everything, so where possible provide a full postcode or a single location to improve relevancy and allow candidates to work out if vacancy is within commuting distance
• Provide a clear salary range – it’s been proven that postings that state salary receive over a third more applications
5) Final thoughts
Devote time to writing job ads. An advert should never be an afterthought; it’s an opportunity to engage an audience who are actively pursuing a new position. Put some care into it, and it will be reflected in the quality of applications.
Chris Burles, Product Manager at Jobsite commented:
“We¹ll always do our best to bring the strongest candidates to the site and your job advert, but convincing them to apply is down to you, and ultimately depends on the strength of your ad. It¹s a common mistake to undervalue the importance of how a job is positioned, but a few simple adjustments can make a really big difference.”
Chris Burles is product manager at Jobsite.
