In the competitive world of today, it's no longer enough to just post an ad and hope for the best. If you want your company to have the best talent, then it’s crucial to find a way to attract them. This guide will cover how to create job ads that will get more applicants and better candidates applying for open positions at your company.
Remember - The goal is not only getting people who are qualified but also people who might be a good fit with your company culture. It's important that they're someone who would enjoy their time there!
1. Create a job ad that is specific and detailed. A lot of job ads out there only manage to cover some broad, vague topics which leaves any potential candidates confused as they'll have no idea if this is the right ad to apply for. It's vital to be specific. If your company is looking for someone who can create marketing content and videos, then include those details in the job listing!
Provide enough detail so that the candidate will be able to picture themselves in the position. So instead of creating a bullet point list of requirements and responsibilities, add a line or two under each point to add some detail to flesh out the role. Even a fun fact or two can have a great impact on the reader as it shows the company's personality and workplace culture.
2. Include the company's mission statement in your job post to attract people who share similar values. This ties in nicely to what's just been covered, it's about candidates imagining themselves in the role, and they'll be much more likely to apply if the business values resonate with the reader.
By including the mission statement you'll be showing that every hire is a vital part of the team that's striving to achieve the overarching mission.
3. Use keywords when writing the job description, but don't use too many words that are difficult for readers to understand. It's important to get a balance here because it’s best to be as specific and informative as possible.
4. Adding keywords also helps for SEO purposes, using the right words will help your ad get more reach, more people reading it, therefore a higher chance of it being seen by the dream candidate.
Although some research is needed upfront, it can make or break a job ad if you're working with a search engine rather than fighting it. Think about what words the ideal target candidate will be searching for and use that to guide the rest of the ad.
5. Include a salary. This may seem obvious but there's a whole lot of job ads out there that don't do this. Adding a salary is a great way to tell the reader the level of expertise you're looking to find, so it really helps narrow the field.
Plus, more people are likely to apply if a salary is included. The attention span of a typical candidate scrolling is small, they're not going to fill out a whole application to see if the salary is right for them. What you really don't want is a load of irrelevant applicants to sift through, it's a waste of time for both parties.
6. Provide examples of how applicants can benefit from working at this business if they get hired. As well as the usual benefits, this is a great opportunity to highlight the company culture and its attitude towards employees. It shows that you're invested in their health and future as well. Applicants want to feel like they're being looked after and valued for their work, if they don't feel this way then they simply won't apply. Not only do benefits attract candidates but they also play a large role in retaining employees as well.
To wrap things up, spending time and effort crafting a well-thought-out job ad can make or break your search to find that new hire. By doing some research, using the right language to bring your company's value and culture across can really make you stand out from the crowd and become an employer that people create job alerts for in the future.
