Creating an effective job ad is an essential part of the hiring process. Writing a simple job ad is fairly straightforward and can be done in no time at all, however if you want to see real results it’s best to take extra time in the beginning to figure out what information will captivate a potential candidate.

Focus on the job title
A job title is the first item to capture an applicant’s attention. Therefore when you are next thinking of what to write ensure that it is clearly linked to the job and easy to understand. Try thinking about what job title a candidate is more likely to search for when looking for their desired role, for example if it is a sales role write “Sales Executive” as opposed to “Brand Ambassador”. Obscure titles to roles will only confuse candidates and encourage them to continue scrolling instead of clicking on your ad. Remember to keep it simple and try A/B testing out various titles to figure out which ad performs better.

Outline required vs desired skills
When writing your next job ad remember to clearly distinguish between “Must Have” skills and “Nice to Have”. It’s crucial that these are listed plainly, otherwise you are likely to discourage/deter potential applicants for fear they are not suitably qualified for the role.

Ace the short Description
Candidates viewing online job ads are more inclined to read the short description as opposed to clicking through to the ad itself, as it’s a quick and easy way to establish their suitability for the role and whether it is something of interest to them. Therefore ensure that you put effort into creating an engaging brief description that covers each of the relevant points of the role.

Incorporate supportive language
There are two types of language used to write job ads; demanding and supportive. Be sure to make your advert supportive rather than demanding. Demanding adverts highlight what is expected of a candidate by the employer rather than also including what the candidate expects of the company. Demanding language refers to the job seeker as “the applicant” rather than “you”, which makes it less personal and welcoming to a potential candidate decreasing your chance of receiving a response.

For more helpful tips and recruitment guidance, check out:

SourceBreaker on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sourcebreaker
SourceBreaker on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SourceBreaker-801223143234297/
SourceBreaker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sourcebreaker