Job ads are ads.
Sure, it’s important that they describe your open position, but it’s even more important that they sell potential candidates on your jobs and your company.
Just like any effective form of advertising your job ads must be targeted, informative, and enticing.
Think about it like this: a great salesman wouldn’t try to sell someone a car by simply listing off its features, how to operate it, and steps their customer must take to purchase it.
Yes, all of that information must make its way into their sales pitch, but first they need to sell the dream. The dream of long drives in the country, road trips, or picking up a date in style!
Well crafted job posts do the same thing. They give potential hires the information needed to decide if they are suited for the job on offer, and how to apply for the position, but they also sell the dream of a better life.
Writing better job ads is hard work, but it will pay off in more applications, shortened hiring process, and higher quality candidates.
Here are 5 ways to write successful job ads:
1 – Know What You Want and What You’ve Got
Before you start on your ad, make a quick list of any skills or training candidates must have in order to qualify for the position.
Then try to shorten your list as much as possible.
Next write a short description of the job on offer, the responsibilities, a salary range (or, even better, an exact number), any specific work arrangements unique to your organization, etc…
Then try to make your description as short as possible!
By keeping this information short and sweet, you will ensure that you are including only relevant information which avoids turning off perfectly suitable candidates by over stating how many skills the job actually requires.
It will also leave more room for you to sell them on how great your company is!
2 – Be Smart About Job Titles
Just because you call your HR team “Happiness Coordinators” (this is an honest to goodness job title) doesn’t mean anyone outside of your organization knows what that means.
The job title you use in your ads should convey very explicitly what position the candidate is applying for, even if it is not the same title that you would use internally.
You also need to consider the searchability of your job titles. You want to use terms that candidates will search for as that’s how they are going to find your job ad!
3 – Consider Design
Effective ads look good. Most job posts do not.
Use proper formatting, grammar, and punctuation. Break up paragraphs with subheading and bullet points to make them easier to read.
This will not increase the likelihood of candidates processing all of the info you want them to have and improve candidate experience drastically. Trust me!
If you are using social media to post your jobs, attach images and video, use your company colors, and choose a professional, legible font.
Candidates respond really well to visual content and are much more likely to apply for a job if they have watched a recruiting video.
4 – Secretly Screen
You can use your ad as an undercover screening tool to weed out undesirable applicants.
Include a very precise instruction somewhere within the copy of your ad. For example, ask that candidates format the title of their application in a particular way, or include a specific word in the title of their email.
This will ensure that the candidates who apply for your jobs are detail oriented and observant. Always good qualities to have in an employee!
5 – Use the Right Marketing Channels
Almost all job seekers use job boards as the main focus for their search so, when marketing to them, obviously you should post on job boards.
But, not all job boards are created equal!
You must think about the type of candidates you want to attract and where they are likely to look. Niche job boards may get less overall views than giant career sites, but they often get more of the right views.
There you go, five ways you can make your job ads more effective.
Happy Hiring!
Read also:
- Interview Invitation Templates
- Severance packages: What’s Fair?
- What to Include in a Letter of Offer
