Putting together a good job advert should be at the forefront of your hiring process. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where you post the advert or how attractive the position is, if the advert doesn’t ‘sell’ the role, then your company won’t get the applications you’re after. Furthermore, ensuring your job ad attracts high-quality candidates will save your team from wasting time searching through irrelevant applications.
And in such a competitive job market, it’s never been more essential to ensure that your job advert stands out to potential candidates. That means, your job ad needs to be better than basic – it needs to be perfect. Here, the experts at Zoom Recruitment have compiled our top tips for putting together the perfect job ad.
1. Give the role a name
This might sound obvious but the first place to start is naming the role – as this is crucial to ensuring you attract the right candidate. While it might be tempting to give the position a catchy or fun title, this could result in your job ad not actually being seen by your preferred audience.
A top tip from us is to include popular keywords in the job title. With so many job seekers now using the internet to find their next role, SEO (search engine optimisation) friendly – relevant and commonly used – words in the job title means it’s more likely that your ad will appear when searched for.
2. Create an attention-grabbing introduction
It’s time to focus on the introduction – after all, this is one of the first things potential candidates will see, so make sure it’s attention-grabbing. Use language that’s clear, concise and specific to the role.
3. Describe the job responsibilities
Providing a clear description of the role’s responsibilities is essential for any job ad. Be sure that the job ad sounds engaging but also informative – you might also want to list the responsibilities as bullet points, rather than heavy chunks of text, just to make them easier to read.
4. List job requirements
Be sure to list the requirements for the role, including all essential as well as preferable, including education level and any necessary qualifications. It’s important that you’re specific about what you’re looking for in a candidate, without using language that could be seen as discriminatory.
5. Include salary information
According to recent research from LinkedIn, 70 per cent of professionals want to hear about salary if contacted by a recruiter. So, why not cut out the middleman and include it in the job posting? Providing salary information can help attract qualified candidates and ensure that applicants have realistic expectations from the word go. If you’re not comfortable sharing the exact salary, then why not include a salary bracket or at least mention that it will be discussed during the interview process.
6. Showcase your company culture
It’s important to remember that your entire job ad might be the first impression a potential candidate gets of your business – so use it to showcase your company culture. There are a few ways you can do this:
- Through the language and style of your job ad
- By listing the perks of the job, for example:
- Annual leave
- Pension contributions
- Additional sick pay
- Flexible working
- Parental leave and support
- By including a brief description of the team the role will be part of.
7. Provide clear application instructions
So, you’ve successfully engaged with a potential candidate, you’ve attracted them to the role and now they want to apply. With that in mind, it’s essential that you are clear about how candidates can apply for the position, including any required documents they might need, for example, a cover letter.
Remember, always include a realistic deadline for applications. While you want to give candidates an adequate amount of time to apply, you also don’t want to start receiving applications in good time. According to industry research, the ideal time for a job ad to stay live is 30 days.
Are you looking to recruit? Do you need help creating the perfect job ad?
If you’re looking to fill a position, then get in touch with Zoom Recruitment. Our experienced team of recruitment experts come readily equipped with the knowledge required to create the perfect job ad. Our professional recruitment and headhunting specialists can support, advise and guide employees throughout their entire recruitment journey. We will ensure you attract the best possible candidates for the role and showcase everything your business has to offer while guaranteeing your job ad is seen by the right audience. Contact Zoom Recruitment.
