There’s no hard and fast rule to posting the perfect job ad however, there are several things you can do to make sure it’ll both stand out and attract the candidates you need.

We’re going to take a look at the 6 simple steps you can take to make sure your ad hits the target and ultimately scores you the perfect applicants for your role.

The Job Title

The hook for any good article is it’s headline, in this case the job title is the hook. Unfortunately eye-catching is often confused with jargon, which has lead to slightly off-kilter words like Rockstar or Wizard being included in job ads where they’re not really needed.

This is bad because using words that aren’t related to the actual job is detrimental to search results. The less keywords that are included in the job ad, the less likely it is to show up when candidates search for a specific job title.

Secondly, the truth is most of us aren’t literally looking for a rockstar. If the term reflects a company culture then naturally it’s worth including. However, if the job title is potentially misleading, it’s best just to keep it to the point.

Key Words

Using keywords is essential for both the job title and the subsequent description, so it’s worth thinking about what keywords your candidates might use to search for your job including any abbreviations or similar terms i.e. User experience design (UXD or UED).

The Job Description

It’s tough to find qualified candidates these days and therefore it can seem like a good idea to broaden the job description for a bigger catch. However, this is a bad idea for the following reasons:

A. You’ll probably get more applicants, but the chances of them suiting the role are slim
B. The candidates who could be perfect for the role, might not recognize it
C. It’s not worth the extra hassle of turning down more candidates than you need to

When writing a job description it’s important to keep it specific in order to avoid any under qualified applicants, you also want to include all of the vital information that a good candidate will be looking for i.e.

The key responsibilities of the position
Salary, location and time commitments
Is there room for growth in the company?
Health care, benefits, pension schemes etc.
Last but not least, staff perks

The job description is the ideal platform to brag about work culture but it must be accurate: Mis-leading a candidate will backfire when they realize the ‘fun startup atmosphere’ they were promised is no different to the boring corp they’ve just left.

Layout

Wading through hundreds of job ads in search of the perfect role is no easy task and therefore it’s useful to make it simple. The job ad needs to be precise in content and thoughtfully laid out, consider dividing your content into the following sections:

The job title
The job description
Mandatory skills required for the role
Optional skills that would compliment the role
A short description of the company
How and where to apply

With the content in check, you want to give it a nice home. Consider the design of your ad, the colours and the font. Does it suit your employer brand, does it accurately represent your company culture? If the answers no, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Proof read, proof read, proof read.

No one will apply for your job if it’s got speeling mistakes.

Video

According to statistics job ads with video are viewed at least 12% more than those without, plus it’s a great way to illustrate a company culture. Creating a unique video for each job ad may be unrealistic, however it is worth considering making a corporate video which can be included on both job ads and other areas such as the company website or online jobs list.

Posting jobs with softgarden

Hopefully from now on, making great ads will be a breeze. With a just few adjustments you’ll be surprised at the change in conversion rates, but content isn’t all. The design of an ad is the other side of the coin, so if you’re still using Word to make your ads, or paying a designer, consider using softgarden.

Apart from applicant tracking, the system takes care of the professional design and look of your ad, leaving you time to concentrate on great content. The software comes with a customizable job ad template to fill out and brand exactly how you want.

Once you’re happy with your ad and ready to post, you can choose from an extensive database of job boards for the perfect ones for your vacancy. If you’re not sure where to post, softgarden will recommend the right ones for you, we’ll even predict a forecast of the amount of applications you can expect.

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