When you have a new job opening, you want to hire someone as quickly as possible. You don’t want to hire just anyone, though—you want to hire the right candidate for the job. Because we are in the era of social media, it’s easy to get your job postings seen by a lot of people. However, the key with job postings isn’t quantity of views or applicants but rather the quality of each. If you want to get the right applicant for the job, you need to write a job posting that stands out from the rest. Here’s everything you need to know about writing a job posting for the purpose of getting the best applicants.
Tip #1: Job Postings Should Not Be Job Descriptions
Job descriptions do just that: describe the job. Because job descriptions provide all the information about the open position, many employers make the mistake of assuming that posting the job description is enough. However, job postings should be different from job descriptions. Both are important in recruitment and hiring processes, but the two serve different purposes. A job description gives job candidates and employees an understanding of the duties of the role and its possible career paths. It also explains what success means for the position and how it is measured. A job description is usually long and boring, providing a lot of information about every aspect of the position. It goes into great detail about every little thing, including the most basic tasks and requirements. A long, boring job description will not work as a job posting because it won’t catch anyone’s attention.
Unlike a job description, a job posting should be an advertisement for the open position. A well-written advertisement grabs the audience’s attention and stirs interest in the thing being advertised. Your job postings should do the same for your job opening. A job posting should grab attention and convince potential candidates to apply. It should highlight the best and most interesting parts of the job to make people want to apply for the position.
Tip #2: Keep It Short and Sweet
When starting the hiring process, many people wrongly assume that more information is better. This way of thinking makes sense because more information will make it easier for an applicant to decide if they want to apply, right? However, when it comes to job postings, less is always more. According to a study by LinkedIn, shorter job postings receive a higher volume of applicants. Job postings with fewer than 300 words get 8.4 percent more applicants than longer job postings. If you want your job posting to receive more applicants, keep it short so you don’t lose people’s interest.
Tip #3: Get to the Point Quickly
On average, job seekers will spend between 14 and 30 seconds looking at your job posting. This means you should state the most important parts of the job quickly and at the top of the job posting. Studies have shown that when reviewing job postings, candidates spend most of their time looking at the information at the top and just skim the bottom of job postings. For this reason, you should place the most important aspects of the position at the top and the less important aspects at the bottom.
Tip #4: Use Bullet Points in Job Postings
You should use bullet points whenever possible in your job postings to highlight and summarize the most important parts that you want job seekers to be most aware of. Bullet points are useful because:
- The use of bullet points makes information easier to remember and makes it seem simpler.
- Bullet points help applicants scan your job posting quickly to see if they have the necessary skills.
- Bullet points make it easy for applicants to see if the position provides the opportunities they are looking for.
Tip #5: Maintain Professionalism
Job postings shouldn’t be overly formal and stiff, but they also shouldn’t be too informal. When you write a job posting, you want to find a balance to keep it professional yet casual. To those who are searching for a job, your job postings will give them a sense of your company and its work environment, and most job seekers want a professional work environment. Your word choice will give them an idea of how professional it is.
Tip #6: Keep It Gender Neutral
The hiring process needs to be free of any sense of discrimination, so when you write a job posting, you should use gender-neutral terms, such as “salesperson” instead of “salesman.” This practice will attract more potential candidates to apply for the position because it shows that your workspace is inclusive and values diversity, which are qualities that many job seekers search for.
Tip #7: Pay Attention to the Details
During the job search, applicants seek out transparency from employers. In addition to knowing what the job entails, they also want to be able to judge if they could see themselves with long-term career possibilities with the company. Don’t mistake this as meaning that you need a long job posting to show transparency, but you do need to add some details about the job opening and your company. One of the most important details you should include is salary and benefit information. According to a study by Glassdoor, 67% of people looking for jobs want to see salary details in job postings.
Tip #8: Tell What More You Can Offer
When you can’t compete on salary, discuss the other perks and benefits you have to offer for new employees. While salary is a factor in the job search, it’s not the only thing applicants care about. Job seekers want to know if they will have health insurance, paid parental leave, retirement plans, vacation time, vested shares in the company, etc., so make sure you mention these additional benefits you can offer when you write a job posting. Whatever benefits and perks your company can offer, be sure to include them so that applicants will know why they should want to work for your company.
Tip #9: Discuss Potential Deal Breakers
In your job postings, you should include anything that may be considered a deal breaker. Does the position require regular travel? Does the candidate need to live within a certain distance from the office? Bring attention to these important details upfront. You need to be honest about these aspects at the beginning of the hiring process by placing them in your job posting so that you don’t waste time offering the job to the wrong candidate.
Tip #10: Talk About More Than Just the Job
Job postings are about more than just the position. They are also the applicant’s first chance to get a glimpse of the company. When you write a job posting, you should use this as an opportunity to paint a picture of the company that is compelling to potential candidates. Tell job seekers why your company was founded and what its major goals are. Is your company going to change the world? Is it a family-owned business that values its customers? Adding these details about your company will help applicants know how they will fit into the company’s story as well as the opportunities that may be available to them.
Tip #11: Don’t Talk About Culture
Your company’s culture is important, but you don’t want to discuss it much in your job posting. As stated above, the best job postings are short and to the point. Adding too many details about culture will make the job posting too long and unappealing. You can give small hints about culture throughout the job posting with phrases such as “work-life balance”, “flexible schedule”, and “dog-friendly office.” However, a detailed paragraph about how great it is to work for your company will not be well-received by job seekers. Keep your talk about culture brief, and direct applicants to your company’s website to learn more about its culture.
Tip #12: Use Simple Keywords
You want your job postings to be seen in searches on job boards. Applicants search for jobs on these sites using keywords, so you should make sure you use keywords in your job posting that match what people may be searching for. You want to include common keywords, not obscure job titles. While it may seem cool and unique to create a job posting for a “Marketing Genius,” your potential candidates likely are not using that as a search term. Stick to more conventional job titles and keywords so that your ideal candidate can easily find your job posting during their search.
Use Professional Recruitment Services to Get the Results You Need
The hiring process can be difficult to navigate on your own. You have to write a job posting, sift through applications, screen resumes, conduct interviews, perform background checks, and the list goes on and on. With all these steps in the hiring process, finding the right candidate for your open position can seem daunting if not impossible. If you want to make sure you find the perfect match, professional recruitment services can help. Here at Vega Connections, we will work with you to recruit the top talent in your industry. With our recruitment services, you will be able to hire the perfect, most efficient match for the position. Reach out to us today at 865-212-4867 or online to improve your hiring process and your workforce.
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