How to structure your job advertisement

1. Naming your role

It might seem like common sense, but naming your role is subtly crucial to attracting the right candidate. As a business, giving your role an unusual title might seem like a fun way of helping your role to stand out to candidates during their search, but if it is not SEO friendly it may not be seen in the first place. So that candidates can find your job advertisement in a search, make sure that you use popular keywords in your title. If you don’t use a common keyword, then the chances are that the right candidate will not see the role in their search results, and if they do, they may still be confused as to what the role requires. In order to work out the most keyword-friendly title for your role, try searching for similar job descriptions online and use a pre-existing, frequently used title for that specification. For example, for a role that mostly involves creating communications content for social media posts, choose a title like Communications Officer.

2. Where the role is based

It is important to include where the role is based somewhere below the job title, making it easy for potential applicants to find. When uploading a role on Indeed, do not include the location of the role in the name itself. Clearly stating the location of your role in your job advertisement will help filter out candidates who are not local to your business, saving you time checking that the applications you have received are from candidates who live nearby.

3. What salary to expect

Candidates will want a clear indication of the salary or salary bracket that you are offering. Placing the salary at the top of your job advert alongside the location will help candidates to quickly decide whether it is attractive to them. State if your salary is competitive, and whether you would be open to negotiating the salary with candidates. This might help draw in those who are looking for a different offer, but would otherwise be a good fit for the position.

4. Introduction

As your candidates will be sifting through hundreds of job adverts, it is crucial that you summarise the role and what your business has to offer in a few concise sentences. Mention briefly which key skills you are looking for from prospective recruits, as well as the culture of your business and the personality that you think would be a great match. It is optional but a good idea to briefly outline some perks of the role in the introduction, as this can keep candidates engaged enough to read the rest of your ad.

Example: We are currently looking for an experienced candidate to join us as PR Account Manager. Having 2-3 years’ experience working with household name brands and local businesses, you will take the lead on pushing fresh new ideas to our growing client base and their accounts. The role includes generous perks such as laptop and mobile phone provided and flexible working.

5. Main responsibilities

After briefly outlining the role in your introduction, you will want to explain the main responsibilities of the role to the candidate. This includes clearly explaining the role’s relationship within the business, to the specific team and to the business as a whole. Make sure that the job ad sounds engaging while remaining informative about the position; potential candidates can be dissuaded from applying if they think that the role sounds repetitive or dull. You can also put the main responsibilities in bullet points to make them more readable.

Example: Leading our accounts department, you will be actively involved with helping us to grow our client base, as well as developing pre-existing client relationships. You and your team will be collaborating with a diverse, fascinating range of client accounts in design, social media and events management. Highly organised, you will help plan client strategies and provide detailed feedback.

6. Requirements

Depending on the nature of the role, you will probably want to filter candidates based on whether their qualifications fit the role’s requirements. Here, you can ask the candidate to provide examples of relevant training that they have received. After stating your role’s qualifications, describe the candidate personality that you believe will be a good fit for your team and your clients.

This includes soft skills such as:

• diplomacy
• communication styles
• adaptability
• leadership skills

Example: The ideal candidate has a bachelor’s degree (2:1 or above) in public relations, communications or business. Managing a small yet dedicated team, you have the mindset of a leader but know when to take onboard feedback from your colleagues. You are both confident and diplomatic in your relationships with clients, and can speak the language of their target markets.

7. Company culture

Briefly stating a few of your company perks in your job advert introduction is a great way to draw in candidates.

Later in the job advertisement, you can be more specific about these perks, which may include:

• parental leave and support
• free parking
• yearly share of profit
• additional sick pay
• flexible working

Each perk has its own strengths and weaknesses, and you will have to decide which ones best reflect your company policy. Flexible working is an increasingly attractive perk for employees working through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Points to avoid in your job advertisement

It should now be clear to you what candidates are looking for in top job adverts, but there are also certain phrasings to avoid if you want to make sure that they keep reading through to the end and consider your role worth applying for.

Keep candidates motivated to apply by avoiding these mistakes:

• Using industry buzzwords or jargon. Instead, include as many keywords relevant to the role as possible, while making sure that your description sounds natural and easy to read.
• Choosing not to disclose salary information. While many businesses choose to leave out detailed salary information in order to negotiate this with successful applicants later, doing so can put off prospective employees. Candidates may also filter job roles by salary bracket, so stating the salary will make it clear whether it is relevant to them.
• Deterring less qualified applicants with negative language. Telling candidates not to apply if they do not completely fit the specification may help to filter out irrelevant applications. However, it may also deter candidates who do not have all of the skills that you are looking for but who otherwise might be a great fit for your company culture . Keep an open mind about who your best new recruit might be.
• Your job advertisement isn’t broken down into readable paragraphs or bullet points. Candidates reading through multiple job adverts per day might be put off reading yours if it is too dense and unstructured. Take the time to break down larger paragraphs into smaller ones.

With these seven tips in mind, you should now be able to structure a job advert more quickly and effectively, attracting the right candidates to apply for your role. Considering that the job market is more competitive than ever, writing an engaging advertisement that is creative and informative will make your business stand out from the rest. When your ad is free of buzzwords, is easy to read and uses positive language, candidates will be more likely to keep reading. Through a job advert, you as the employer are trying to sell the role to the candidate, as much as they will try to sell themselves to you in their cover letters and during the interview stages. They will be able to see themselves in the role if you make it an attractive offer that no one with their skill set would want to refuse. Related article: How to Post a Job on Indeed