Why does a well-written job advert matter for your business?
There are many reasons why there should be due diligence applied when advertising a job vacancy. In this section, our focus is on two important points to consider. When writing a job advert, recruitment teams should bear in mind that the advert will be the first touchpoint for future employees. Additionally, recruiting managers should use the recruitment process as an opportunity to address any skills gap in their teams.
The first touchpoint for future employees
First impressions matter. Leaders, together with recruitment teams, are often responsible for writing job adverts for open positions in their teams. Absorbed by the tasks needing to be delivered, what they often forget to realise is that the job advert is the primary touchpoint between a potential future employee and the organisation. As such, the advert should translate the company culture and make a good impression, while being informative. A well-rounded job advert clearly defines the role, responsibilities and tasks of the open position. The quality of the content and the tone used will attract candidates who have the appropriate qualifications and experience, as well as a personality that matches the business culture.
An opportunity to address a skills gap
For recruiting managers, advertising a role is an opportunity to fill any skills gap in their teams. More than just an open position, the recruitment can bring many opportunities to the team. Through a skills gap analysis, leaders can identify the hard and soft skills that their existing team members possess, and thus also the ones they do not possess that would benefit the business. The job advert should clearly state the required skills and experiences desired by the recruiting manager.
Ultimately, a well-rounded job advert will serve as an advertisement for the business, making a good first impression on the external workforce while aiming to fill any skills gaps within the business, making it more competitive.
The must-haves of a best-in-class job advert
Before you create your job advert, reflect on what the ideal candidate would look like. Stay realistic and keep an open mind throughout this process. Going beyond this reflection, it is also valuable to consider what the ideal candidate would be looking for in their next role. This ensures that the recruitment strategy has a long-term vision and reduces churn in the long run.
A successful job advert is both concise and clear. It considers the flowing elements:
A job title that characterises the role
The job title is usually the first element that comes up for candidates in their search for their future role. Having the right job title also helps to optimise your ad in terms of SEO. It is then much more likely to come up in the appropriate searches and attract the right candidates. The job title should be representative of the role. Keep it concise and simple.
The location or mode of working
The job location will have an impact on the pool of candidates who apply for the role. If the location is fixed, this should be clearly stated, as should any travel requirements. The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted new ways of working, and as such, hybrid or fully remote roles are now common. Details of these benefits should be clear and provide candidates with sufficient insights into the working options available.
The seniority level required by applicants
Businesses have different internal terminology, and therefore some titles might mean different things depending on the recruiting organisation. When writing a job advert, you should consider these variances. Whether it is an operational role or a strategic position, information about the role’s seniority needs to be made clear.
Salary information and benefits
For candidates, knowing whether the salary and benefits meet their expectations is always a huge plus. For organisations, providing this information will ensure that they optimise the time they invest in the recruitment process and attract the right candidates. Providing a salary bracket also demonstrates that the business has transparent policies in terms of salary equality.
Insights into the benefits should also be given. These may include the annual leave entitlement, car allowance, flexible working options and much more. Candidates highly value these perks.
Company history and culture
There needs to be something of a connection between the company culture and the job seeker’s personality. The company’s involvement in diversity and inclusion initiatives, charity work or other social initiatives translates the culture of the organisation and therefore gives insights into the atmosphere among the people working there. The candidate’s personality needs to be a match for the business’s values.
Role and responsibilities of the job
Rather than a list of tasks, this section should focus on key responsibilities of the role. Bullet-point the key highlights of the role. Details of the tasks themselves can be communicated at a later stage in the process.
What you are looking for in candidates
This section of the advert should connect with the skills gap. It may include some formal qualifications or some desired soft skills. The leader recruiting for the role should define how important these skills are. If they are a must-have, they should be marked as mandatory; if they are not, this should be made clear in order to ensure that candidates are not put off by them.
The application process, including timelines
Knowing how to apply is essential for candidates. The job advert should provide clear instructions and estimated timelines for the recruitment process, including, for example, the closing date for applications.
In addition to these must-haves, you may also want to include any relevant hashtags. Most adverts are posted on social media channels, where the use of hashtags can boost the appearance of your ad in potential candidates’ search results. You can also take a look at some job advertisement examples to familiarise yourself with the structure of a job advert.
5 simple steps to writing a high-impact job advert
The following five simple steps will guide recruiters and hiring managers through making their best-in-class job advert and how to advertise a job.
Step 1. Understand your audience
Emotions drive a lot of human decisions. Candidates’ motivation to apply will be influenced by how they feel towards the job advert. Understanding what the target audience is looking for in their future job and what will make them happy is essential to attract the right candidate. Some hiring managers even create a target persona to ensure that they find a skill set and personality match.
Step 2. Use keywords for your job title
A lot of job advertisement examples have funky titles that seek to drive interest. Although different and fun, this approach limits the number of views of the ad. In the title, keywords are essential to optimise the SEO referencing of the ad and therefore to increase its appearance in search results. Think of what the ideal candidate will be searching for.
Step 3. Present the company
Having a section that lays out the history of the company, its values and its culture will set the scene for applicants. The company details will allow candidates to understand what they are getting themselves into and have a sense of the company’s values. This section should be concise and should be put into the recruitment context.
Step 4. Give a snapshot of the remuneration package and the benefits
Managing candidates’ expectations will save a lot of time for recruitment teams. The risk of not communicating a bracket salary for the role is that you may have candidates with high levels of seniority applying and be unable to fulfil their salary expectations. Providing a bracket not only gives an indication to candidates of what to expect, but also provides transparency, leading to healthy DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion).
Perks and benefits are also important. They add a lot of value to the overall package and may influence a candidate’s decision. Be specific about the perks and benefits that go with the job.
Step 5. Describe the role and responsibilities
This section is the core of the ad. It should be clear and impactful. When writing about the requirements for the role, make sure it is realistic. This paragraph should come in the middle of the ad and should be detailed but not too long. Being realistic ensures that candidates applying for the role will have the desired skill set and qualifications, while keeping it short ensures that they will not be scared off by the prerequisites. The use of impactful words, especially verbs, aims to generate excitement.
When writing the job advertisement, keep an open mind and put yourself in the shoes of someone from outside your organisation. Ensure that there is no bias. Avoid the use of gendered language or company abbreviations.
Find out more about the recruitment process with these articles:
