The job advert is often overlooked as an important skill for recruiters and hasn’t changed much although we know the recruitment landscape has changed drastically.
Advertising a job is all about candidate attraction but does the job advert speak to the candidate or just go on about how great the client is?
As recruiters we have to really sell the company as well as the job, revealing enough about the company and culture for candidates to get a feel of the company as well as attracting the right candidates with the skills needed to do the role. We often ignore the part of it being a job advert and post the job and company description without thinking creatively on how best to attract candidates through advertising.
Here are a few things to consider when writing your job advert:
Grammar and Format
There is nothing worse for a candidate or client to see, than a badly worded and incorrectly spelt advert – it not only projects the wrong image of you as a recruiter but also of the client you are representing.
Remembering it is an advert to attract candidates you need to keep their attention so make your advert as interesting and appealing as possible. This can range from breaking text up using bullet points, using a readable and consistent font and ensuring the layout is tidy.
Some job boards offer additional advert options, such as coloured backgrounds/ customisable templates etc. These can be a great way of creating a visually appealing advert but don’t go overboard; you don’t want the graphics and layout compromising the content of the advert.
Include the Essentials
Some jobs require very specific skills from candidates, it may seem obvious but make sure you clearly indicate what is a must have and what is a desirable, this will help reduce the number of unsuitable applications.
With very few details on requirements of a candidate it can often leave candidates unclear if they are suitable or not for the job.
Think Differently
Try and think differently – who are they types of candidates you are trying to reach, where do they hangout and when are they online. Thinking like the candidates you are trying to attract rather than a recruiter can often lead you in a different direction when it comes to advertising a job. For example this job advert was written entirely in code – this clearly targets the type of candidate you are looking for, as well as testing their abilities and challenging them.
Next time you are writing a job advert, take a step back and read it as a candidate, would it attract you and get you interested?
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