Qualified personnel are becoming increasingly difficult to find. A good job posting helps: It can target suitable applicants.
Writing a job ad correctly is an art in itself. However, we have compiled 8 simple tips and tricks for you on how to make your job advertisements better and appeal to the right candidate. The 8 tips are kept practical, but at the same time go into detail. All in all, they focus on clarity and connecting elements with your candidates. At the end of the article, we've even attached an example for you and walk you through what we consider a perfect job ad. If you have any questions, we'd be happy to help. Before we get started, though, let's answer one question: What do we want to achieve with job ads?
Companies have tried many things and the job market has changed a lot in recent years, but at the long end, the job ad is still the best way to hire new employees. And when it comes to job ads, only one question matters: how motivated is the candidate to apply to your company after reading your ad?
I'll be honest with you, over the past few weeks I've struggled through numerous job ads and unfortunately my verdict is even worse than expected. Many job ads are poorly structured, don't communicate the essentials, don't get to the point and all in all are not appealing. That's why we set out to write this little guide. Because one thing is for sure: It's not hard to write a good job ad, but it's sorely needed.
In fact, it's quite easy to make an existing job ad better. And this is also necessary, because according to LinkedIn, the average applicant spends only 14 seconds looking at a job ad.
It's a realization that Montreal-based game developer Ubisoft also realized when they rebranded in 2014. Ubisoft evaluated their applicant data and realized that while 40% of applications received accessed job ads via mobile, 85% of applications were ultimately submitted via desktop.
This means that there is usually a small time gap between seeing the job and applying for it. This presents companies with the challenge of maintaining the attention of their applicants over an extended period of time.
Matthew Wiazowski the Director of Talent Acquisition and Internal Mobility at Ubisoft Montréal summed it up as, "They go home and think about it. We really need to make sure we give them something to think about when we write our job ads."
After recognizing this problem, Ubisoft Montréal hired Angelica Novielli, a talent acquisition specialist. She immediately set to work revamping the studio's job ads, focusing particularly on "hooks." The all-important opening lines of any job posting.
While I think Angelica Novielli struck gold with this, I still believe that if you write a nice "hook," you might as well build the rest of the job posting around it.
To make this happen, we have primarily formulated 8 practical tips to help any HR professional write their job ad correctly to attract the best candidates.
These 8 practical tips should help you write your job ad correctly. At the end of the guide, we address what a perfect job ad looks like. So if you can't take it anymore, feel free to skip to the end first and then come back to the 8 practical tips first. So first, let's talk about the 8 tips to help you write your job ad the right way.
Writing an attractive job ad is an art. That's why companies with a lot of money hire expensive freelancers to do the job, and then they actually get something for their money. But if you don't have that money, you need to be smarter, and we're here to help.
To be precise, these 8 tips should help you with that:
Your candidate is dealing with your ad for one reason only: he wants a job. Never forget this!
The job title is therefore the title of your advertisement. It must be clear from the start, but above all, it must be catchy. The title sets the tone for the rest of your ad. Ultimately, the title decides whether your candidate sends an application or not.
Our advice: Use titles and words that candidates in your industry search for the most. Google Trends lets you see how popular your job title is and how often it's used.
Broken down by region and language, Google Trends shows the latest trends on search terms entered by users in relation to the number of searches on Google.
It's a great tool for you to identify search trends, make term comparisons, and validate your title choices.
But when is an ad effective? Well, when the requirements for your position are clearly spelled out. Think of your ad as a filter that protects your HR staff from being drowned by inappropriate resumes.
Follow these 3 tips if you want to write effective job ads:
1 - Exclude the profiles you do not want from the display.
Clearly define the elements that are essential to your selection. The candidate must immediately understand whether you are interested in an application or not. This way you are guaranteed to save time and receive only qualified applications.
Any filter elements may include:
Mention your desired requirements clearly.
2 - Create a clear job description.
What will make the difference between your job ad and your competitor's? Why is a candidate more likely to apply to you?
Think of the job posting as a seduction tool. Just like a dating website, your job posting needs to make people want to meet you.
Get off the beaten path, stop copying and posting ads. Go further and look for what makes the difference in your business. Approach your candidates the way you would talk to your company.
To do this, simply ask yourself a few more specific questions about the job. For example, how do your sales people achieve their goals? Would be a critical question if you want to attract sales people. Try to make it clear how they work and what is expected of them. Describe it in your ad and add a human touch to your description.
TIP:
Ask for help from your co-workers and ask them your questions:
- What do you enjoy most about your work at the company?
- How does the work in our company compare to others?
- What do you like most about our company?
3 - Show yourself. Show them the inside of your company.
Present the company from the inside, because ultimately humans are visual creatures. Only a few animals can see better than we can. The atmosphere in your company must therefore be reflected in your advertisement. If this succeeds, you will be able to address the right candidates.
Company Description Note: Stop using the words leader, industry leader or anything comparable. In general, avoid buzz words with no intrinsic content. Because all of these words are overused by companies. And let's be honest: what use is such information to your candidate?
Be fresh and original. Just communicate from your gut. After all, it's also about you having a good feeling with the candidates and them having a good feeling with you.
Make a difference with the tone of your ad.
Close, distant, a little humorous, geeky or tasteful, learn to speak directly to the candidate. The tone gives the ad its look and, most importantly, it carries the spirit of your company into your candidate's inner ear.
That's why you should pay attention to the following:
Write your ad like a dialogue. In a normal conversation, highlight signs of enthusiasm, be surprised, ask your interviewer questions, and try to make the other person smile. You can also capture your candidate's attention through similar attempts.
Your job offer must reflect your authenticity and the reality of the position you are offering. Therefore, use specific terms that accurately describe the job scope and the entrusted tasks.
A properly chosen tone will allow you to build a relationship with the candidate and check if you are compatible in terms of mindset or values. It is a real time saver during the selection process.
When writing an ad, keep these simple principles in mind:
Die folgenden Tipps helfen Ihnen dabei, Ihren Schreibstil zu finden. Beachten Sie aber hierbei, dass weniger zu schreiben, immer mehr Zeit braucht.
Idea #1: Be catchy.
Use a catchy headline that grabs attention.
The 1st impression is often the one that sticks. This is where you need to successfully sell yourself.
Idea #2: Make your ad easy to read.
Divide your ad into several blocks.
Your ad will gain readability and allow candidates to find the information quickly: Job title, company description, job/duty description and profile.
Use short sentences. Do not write more than one or two lines per sentence, otherwise you risk losing the candidate's interest. Short sentences give more rhythm to the text.
Idea #3: Remember bullet points.
Structure and organize your ad with bullet points.
It will make reading the information easier and faster.
The publication of salary in a job ad is not very common in the DACH region. Nevertheless, I'm reading more and more ads here that address this point separately. And why not? In the age of glassdoor and kununu, every applicant knows the salary structure of your company anyway.
Just be aware that a salary is always an attractive and even crucial element for applying to the ad. Your candidates are interested in the salary.
Therefore, our advice is as follows:
Make the most of your advantages, but also remember that salary is not everything. Therefore, provide all the complementary information about the position. The candidate will always analyze your proposal as a whole. Therefore, you should also mention all other benefits you have to offer.
Some examples of "classic" benefits are these:
Market your job ad as wisely as possible. People are herd animals, so we are always interested in positive and negative reviews. So if you have received awards, labels or prizes, show them in your ad.
Awards are a real guarantee of performance and credibility. They are the proof of your attractiveness. Don't miss the chance to show everything good about you to candidates as well.
Stand out from the crowd. To do this, work on your visuals and design. Show your originality while maintaining the characteristics of a job offer.
The visuals of your ad will allow you to make the spirit, culture and atmosphere in your company come alive.
Start by gathering the visuals from your communication campaigns, your internal photo shoots, your events, your logo and your videos. Then use this foundation to create your ad.
According to the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) in Germany and the Equal Treatment Act in Switzerland, you as an employer must advertise a position in such a way that no applicant is excluded for reasons of:
You should pay particular attention to wording relating to age or gender, as most job advertisements have their problems in these areas. Failure to do so could result in a hefty compensation payment.
But now how do you formulate the perfect job posting? Well, start with your title. This should always describe the advertised position as specifically as possible. The title is followed by the "hook". These are the two things you should think about most and everything else will come naturally.
Send your applicant on a little journey. Tell him what his job will be at the deepest level. A human resources manager, as an example, doesn't just take care of a company's employees, he connects people and opportunities.
You need the ideal image of your candidate and this should come out in the "hook". Tell your potential candidates very clearly and unambiguously what you are looking for. But start the first sentence with what the candidate is doing with you at the highest level of analysis.
Next, it's about the task as such. It's important for your candidate to know what they will be doing. Keep in mind the points above and stick to the truth. Describe the job as precisely as possible.
To do this, ask the existing employees in your company who hold a similar position.
What do you expect from your future employee? Use this section as a filter and describe exactly what qualifications you expect from an applicant.
Tell the applicant what documents you need from him/her.
Briefly describe your company, be approachable and authentic at the same time. Write briefly about the following:
Now you should be able to write your job ad correctly. But whether it will be perfect is up to you. Connect with your applicants on an emotional level through the tone of your ad and think long and hard about the right "hook", after all, you want to be remembered.
Also feel free to check out our guide to job posting.
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