With a huge range of roles needed to be filled in a variety of sectors, nailing your job advert is a must in order to obtain your ideal candidate. Get it wrong, and you could end up with a whole host of irrelevant applicants, or no applicants at all. Either way, it’s costing you your precious time
We’re here to help. This article will explain how to create a successful job advert and what content you need to include.
Before you dive straight into writing your job advert, it’s worth knowing the difference between a job advert and a job description. Although they are quite similar, they should always be distinguished between one another.
A job description is predominantly internal, and describes the necessary activities a successful candidate will be undertaking. It is one of the first steps in a recruitment process.
A job advert however, is external and used to sell the vacancy. It highlights the outcome of the role which will attract potential candidates.
An effective job advert will engage and excite the candidate you want. You should be using key selling points to capture their attention and encourage them to apply.
Essentially, you want to stand out against other employers and emphasise to candidates what they will gain in return for taking on the role.
Make sure your advert includes answers to the following questions:
Job adverts that use industry standard titles are more likely to be seen by and attract a better level of applicants. We recommend speaking to your consultant about the best title for your role to ensure you attract the best possible candidates.
When it comes to writing your job advert, picture your ideal candidate reading it. Then write it as if you were speaking to them.
Your choice of wording can be crucial, and you will need to strike a good balance between professionalism and your company’s work culture. Avoid using language that is too complex or too slang-heavy.
You should also use inclusive language in order to attract a diverse group of candidates. To do this, try to stay away from phrases that perpetuate faith or culture and be mindful of gender-coded language and pronouns.
There should be some reflection of your company’s culture in the advert, but avoid going overboard. It can be easy to use cliches such as “we’re like a family”, but these phrases are essentially meaningless to the applicants and can be a red flag.
Getting insights from current team members can help you describe your company culture more accurately. Including short testimonials from current employees is also a great way to attract applicants, as well as going the extra mile.
Above everything else, candidates are looking for a detailed role description. The vast majority of applicants want to know what the role is, the requirements for the role and a predicted salary.
It’s vital you provide sufficient detail on exactly what your vision is for the role, and the requirements from applicants. If this information is not provided, not only can it deter applicants from applying, but it can also lead to hiring candidates with expectations which don’t align with yours.
Whether applicants are applying via recruitment agencies, agency websites, careers portals or job boards, candidates will be filtering their search results.
The top criteria candidates filter by is location and salary, meaning employers who do not include this information are missing out on candidates who will not consider applying without this information.
There are a few common mistakes that you should watch out for when writing a job advert:
If you need assistance writing a job advert for your company, or recruitment in general, you can get expert advice from our experienced team.
We can help you with job advert writing, ensuring you hire the perfect candidate. Get in touch with us today!
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