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The success of every company comes down to the quality of the workforce. The world is filled with talented, high-performing workers who are ready to bring their A-game to the office but bringing them on board can be a bit of a challenge. In recent times, employers have had a difficult time finding the right candidates to take up job roles in their companies and this can be attributed to poor high-performing written job ads.
The recruitment process starts out by putting out a job ad. A job ad is the first contact a prospect has with your company, it is the first impression you make, and it only makes utmost sense to put your best foot forward. It’s really laughable when companies put the least amount of effort into crafting job ads and expect the best candidates to apply. Truth is, you attract what you are, and quality attracts quality. If you want to attract the best, appear like the best. It might surprise you to know that job candidates can decide if it’s a good offer or not just by taking a glance at the job ad.
In this article, you would learn about the essentials that make up great job listings. Without further ado, let’s dive in;
How Do You Write A Great Job Ad?
- Craft an attention grabbing headline
This is the first thing your prospective candidates see, it functions as bait. If you don’t get this right, the rest of the ad wouldn’t be read. Everyday, people are bombarded with truckloads of information, all competing for the attention of the reader. Hence, your headline must stand out and have some uniqueness to it, it should be catchy enough for a prospect to read the full ad, take out the time to send in an application if qualified or forward to a friend. An example is Bud Light Seltzer’s job ad to fill the role of a “Chief Meme Officer”.
- State the salary
“Attractive” or “competitive” is not a salary figure. If it isn’t already obvious, the main purpose of getting a job is to make a living so leaving out the salary in the job ad just isn’t right. Some candidates may even think you’re being sneaky and are trying to hire good candidates with a meagre salary. One thing you should know is most times, the best candidates are already working for someone else, and a promise of higher pay, which should be written in the ad, is that one thing you can use to bring them on your team.
- Tell them why they should work for you
Beyond the pay, list out the reasons working with you would be a pleasant experience. Highlight company goals and objectives, benefits and pros of working in your organization. The average candidates is thinking “What’s in it for me?” Your job ad should answer this question clearly.
- Include a filter
An astounding number of job seekers just aren’t patient enough to read the full job listing. They only go as far as reading the job title and then apply to anything and everything. This lengthens the whole process and is a source of stress for the recruiting team who have to sort through several, often non-viable, applications. A recent trick recruiters have come up with in other to simplify the hiring process is to use a magic word. Usually, the magic word is written at the end of the job ad and candidates are asked to include the magic word in their application as proof of reading the full ad. This enables hiring managers filter out applicants that lack a main quality employers are on the lookout for- attention to detail. In the sample below, “S.C.C” is the magic word.
- Don’t hoard details
Quality job ads are highly detailed. After reading your job listing, prospective candidate shouldn’t be left with lots of unanswered questions. Include details such as work hours, job description, job mode (Onsite, remote or Hybrid). Here is an example of a detailed job description;
- Don’t be too strict with requirements
The best candidates don’t always tick all the boxes. While you think having high requirements will get you top candidates, you might actually turn them off because some prospects will not apply if they feel they don’t meet up, when they could actually be the right fit for the job role. Be reasonable with your expectations, some requirements should be a plus. Differentiate your company needs from wants, instead of listing everything under “Requirements”, note your wants as “Desirable but not required”. For example;
Job requirements
- A Bachelors degree in Economics
- Minimum of 2 years work experience in a financial institution
- Less than 30 years of age (desirable but not required)
- Excellent writing and oratory skills
- Run a spell check
Nothing spells low quality than a job ad filled with many spelling errors. It would be almost impossible to convince your prospective candidates of your company’s standard and excellence if your job ad is filled with misspelt words. In addition, pay attention to your vocabulary and text structure. Avoid clustered text, use the right words and aim for an overall well constructed text. An editor would really come in handy here.
- Outsource to a third party
You can’t always do it all on your own, certain tasks should be outsourced. You need to leverage on the expertise and skills of others to get things done. In this case, a good way to save yourself the hassle of crafting top notch job ads is to bring the experts on board. At Careerbuddy, we write high quality job listings that’s sure to make the best candidates come running through the door. We take a unique approach by writing job openings as blog posts with well written, thought out, detailed text that’s engaging enough to keep candidates reading and compelling enough to make prospects apply.
Are you hiring? Let’s help you handle the process. Click here to apply.
