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Crafting Job Adverts That Attract Candidates
15 March, 2024
Job Adverts That Convert
Like with anything involving marketing where the goal is to create engagement with a specific target audience, creating a compelling and effective job advert is crucial for attracting the right candidates. In this blog, Talented Recruitment Group explore the key areas that job adverts should cover, along with invaluable tips to maximise the chances of finding the perfect candidate.
Attention Grabbing - The Job Title
It sounds basic but so many get this fundamental element wrong or just don’t consider it. The person creating the job advert will be fully aware of what they are hiring for (well hopefully) but make sure the key areas are communicated clearly and concisely to accurately reflect the role.
For example, if you are hiring for a National Account Manager who looks after the major grocery retailers, don’t use the job title ‘National Account Manager’, make sure you include the key focus of the position ‘National Account Manager – Top 4 Grocers’ for example. If you’re hiring for a Software Developer with a specific focus and expertise with C#, make the job title ‘C# Software Developer’ rather than just ‘Software Developer’.
This sounds so simple but many hiring managers fail to look at the advert from an applicants point of view which can mean they miss out on capturing some of the best talent.
Key information
- 1. Company Overview & Introduction
- 2. Role Responsibilities
- 3. Qualifications
- 4. Benefits & Perks
Make The Advert Informative & Engaging
There are several key areas that most job adverts should always include, there might be other areas outside of this specific to your hiring needs or business but as a minimum, we would always normally advise on including the following:
Company Overview and Introduction – Remember that the person reading your job advert might not have heard of your business before (I know, hard to believe right!) so be sure to provide an insight into what the business does and why it is such a great place to work. Outline the company culture, how the company and different teams typically interact and the type of working conditions they should expect. For more on cultural fit, check out our blog on ‘Culture Fit and Soft Skills‘.
Role Responsibilities – Again, an obvious one but make it informative and include the key areas. If you’re hiring for a Senior role, there’s no need to include elements of the role or experience that are a given for a Senior position. For example, if you’re hiring for a Senior National Account Manager, including the need to be comfortable using e-mail is a waste of everyone’s time or stating that experience engaging with Buyers, is using space that could be used for content specific to the role you are hiring for e.g. ‘experience working directly with the Tesco category team is required’.
Qualifications – Be specific but make sure you don’t rule great candidates out by not highlighting what is a preference vs. what is essential. There will be certain qualifications that candidates must have for specific roles, such as a background in law for a barrister role, however, if the position doesn’t require specific qualifications, you could be missing out on great talent by stipulating specific qualifications that are mandatory.
Benefits and Perks – Here it is, the controversial one that still divides the masses. As a recruitment agency, you can probably guess where we sit with it.
Let’s look at it from a different angle, would you view a home you were looking to buy if you didn’t know the value? Would you test drive a car that you didn’t know the cost of? Or would you try on a piece of jewelry that had no price tag? Most people probably wouldn’t and that’s because time is valuable to all of us. The last thing we want to do is waste people’s time or have our time wasted by others.
“Advertising a jobs salary might not be straightforward for a number of reasons but make sure you include a bracket or banding. By not including an indication to the salary for a role you will likely miss some of the best talent.”
Advertising a jobs salary might not be straightforward for a number of reasons but make sure you include a bracket or banding. By not including an indication to the salary for a role you will likely miss some of the best talent, of which some might be within your budget. That’s because most of the best talent are already in high demand or extremely busy and if they aren’t aware of what is on offer from the role, they’ll usually have other offers that do disclose remuneration.
Utilising The Most Relevant Platforms
One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to advertising jobs. There are hundreds, if not, thousands of platforms available to advertise jobs these days so choosing the ones that are most relevant to your sector or role is key to attracting the right talent.
Three key areas to consider should be:
- Job Boards
- Social Media
- Networking and your existing network
Each of these areas should be specific to your sector and a clear strategy should be put together around where and how the job adverts will be run across each area. For example, utilising a Job Board specific to technical hiring when hiring for a Software Developer or utilising Instagram for a creative role when it comes to the Social Media platform of focus. For more on Recruitment Strategic Marketing, check out our blog ‘Attracting Top Talent through Strategic Recruitment Marketing‘.
Also, consider how your existing network can act as a voice for your hiring, for example adding a ‘we’re hiring’ banner to the company website or utilising LinkedIn posts to make people you are connected with aware.
Make The Application Process User-Friendly
Most Job Boards and platforms make it straightforward for candidates to apply for jobs these days. If you are advertising a role on your own platforms, try and get as close to a ‘one-click apply’ process as possible. Applying for a job should be as straightforward and frictionless as possible.
Make sure the application process is accessible across all devices including mobile and tablet. So many companies focus on the desktop version of the application process whilst many candidates spend time looking on their phone and tablets.
Last but not least, include a clear call-to action! So many job adverts have the apply button or the process to apply hidden away somewhere not obvious to the person applying.
Stand Out & Think Differently
We look for candidates to stand out during the interview process so why should the approach to attracting those candidates be any different?
Think how else you might be able to reach and engage candidates. Launch a referral program, incentivise recommendations internally with your biggest advocates… your existing employees, if hiring is an ongoing plan for the business, optimise your SEO strategy, create a recruitment hub or portal to help provide an insight into the process and company.
There are many ways to market and advertise job roles so make sure a clear and concise strategy goes into every role you hire for. Hiring can be time-consuming and take focus away from other areas of the business but it is the hiring process that will determine the future of the business so make sure it is given the time, effort and focus it deserves.
If you would like any help, support or guidance around advertising jobs or managing the hiring process, please get in touch.
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