While employers have always endeavoured to differentiate themselves within the market in a bid to lure top talent, this skill has never been more vital than in the current job market, where vacancies are in abundance and job seekers are few and far between. Now more than ever, an outstanding job ad is crucial to cut through the competition and attract quality candidates.
A job ad is often the first encounter between a candidate and your organisation, and their initial impression can be long lasting. It’s also important to remember when preparing a job ad that it should be optimised both for job sites like Indeed, as well as for potential candidates.
To help set you up for success, here are seven top tips to keep in mind when developing your next ad.
Make it clear who you’re looking for — keep the title concise and to the point
Search engines like Indeed work by scanning job titles and descriptions to show the most relevant match to a jobseeker’s query, which is why including a clear title is so important. Titles with no less than five and a maximum of 80 characters that avoid all caps will optimise search results to make your listing easily discoverable.
Good job ad titles specifically list the main aspects of the job in as few words as possible, enabling a potential candidate to instantly identify whether the advertisement matches what they are seeking. Avoid special characters and casual phrases unless they are specifically required.
Highlight what you’re offering and what you’re looking for in the job description
The key to writing an effective job description is to strike a balance between being concise while providing enough detail that job seekers can self-qualify.
When reading a book or news article, if the first paragraph fails to hook us we’ll likely move on, and it’s no different with job ads. In a market this crowded, candidates are reading plenty of listings for similar positions, so adding something unique and interesting early on will improve your chances of holding their attention.
Focus on quality over quantity – job ads that stick to between 700 and 2000 characters get up to 30 per cent more applicants than longer listings. Always keep your desired candidate in mind, be honest and never underplay the responsibilities of the job or you could risk attracting the wrong person. Finally, many candidates want to understand who they’ll report to and to understand how they will impact the organisation as a whole, so be sure to make mention of this.
Show what makes your organisation unique
Remember, a job ad is selling the position and your organisation, so you want these to sound appealing. Highlight the core features of the business and paint a picture of what it’s like to work there, while being mindful not to clog up the listing with unnecessary words. Touch on the key aspects — your core values, company culture and how it is cultivated, and benefits associated with the role.
Only highlight the skills and education level you need
Some skills are required while others are desirable. Be clear about what you’re looking for in the ideal candidate and describe these skills clearly. The same goes for the level of education the role requires. Candidates are measuring themselves against each posting to see if they meet your requirements, so be as specific as you need to be, but don’t include skills and qualifications as non-negotiables if they aren’t.
Spotlight the potential for development
Millennials and Gen Z will soon make up much of the workforce, with both groups seeking and prioritising development opportunities. Organisations should therefore highlight any learning opportunities in their job postings, as well as the potential to develop and progress within the role.
Avoid gender biases
Gender stereotypes can subconsciously and unintentionally filter into your listing and segregate your pool of potential candidates. Adjectives such as ‘aggressive’ or ‘polite’ have gendered connotations and applicants may not personally identify with these phrases. Fortunately, websites such as gender-decoder are free to use and run through the copy of job ads, highlighting gendered language.
Finish with a call to action
Be clear in setting applicants’ expectations. Does your hiring process contain multiple steps or interviews? Is there any specific testing involved? Spell this out in your call for qualified candidates to apply. Unsurprisingly, applicants can be deterred by a multi-step hiring process without pre-warning. Explicitly stating what the hiring process will entail informs the applicant and saves you a multitude of emails and phone calls.
Attracting quality candidates has rarely been more competitive, so ensure you’re giving yourself the best chance of hiring success by being thoughtful, creative and concise when drafting your next job ad.
Kate Furey is Indeed’s Career Insights Specialist and APAC Corporate Affairs Director. Kate has a dynamic global background in communications, marketing and journalism. Kate’s passion lies in helping people find jobs they love.