Of course, everyone wants to attract the perfect candidate to fill the post that’s just become available in the company. The first step towards achieving this is writing a highly engaging and authentic job advert. To write a job advert that attracts the best applicants for the role, here are some bad examples to show you what not to do.
You’ll never have a second chance to create a good first impression
For your entertainment, here are some job adverts to make you cringe, taken from a Twitter account @JobPostShame – but noted with a serious intention. Job postings are the first time a candidate will notice your company and we’re sure you’d like that to be for the right reasons.
- A company wishing to employ an ‘Elite Receptionist.’
“This is a busy environment and someone who is sharp minded, professional at all times and immaculatly presentented is the type of person who will fit into this high flying environment.”
- An exciting opportunity has arisen at a highly profitable engineering business, where one of the requirements listed is:
“Hold at least 12 months experience in a finance posisiton is assential
- The ideal candidate will have a sales administrative background, however, traning in provided. If you have a solid hisotry of working in a customer service environment then please get in touch today. As well as excellent customer service skills, you will need to have high attention to detial.
Would anyone wish to work for these companies? Their lack of attention to ‘detial’ doesn’t reflect well on their standards.
How to write a job advert that works
‘What is the purpose of job adverts?’ and, ‘Why is a job advert important?’ are questions with self-evident answers. The questions that do need a considered answer are, ‘How do you write an effective job advert?’ and ‘What should you include in a job posting?’
Job title, salary and location
While it’s tempting to be clever with a job title, remember that people looking for a position will search online. It might be amusing to put ‘digital overlord’ when you mean ‘webmaster’ or ‘word wizard’ when you require a copywriter, but it may damage your chances of finding any applicants, let alone the perfect one. How many webmasters are going to type in ‘digital overlord’ when seeking a job? How high up the search engine rankings will your advert be?
The location of the job will automatically rule out some people who would otherwise be interested, as will a statement about the expected salary, so by putting in this basic information, you won’t get inundated with irrelevant applications.
Introduction to the company and the role on offer within it
A snapshot, so prospective candidates can see at a glance if this job could be something that meets their wishes and matches their competencies. Objectives and responsibilities should be outlined, as well as opportunities to progress within the company. According to research, 20% of job applicants are put off if the job description isn’t clear – so make sure it is!
Job Role Requirements
Minimum qualifications, and attributes like effective communication skills or the confidence to take the initiative.
Benefits and perks
A little sweetener that may attract some applicants. They are important to many professionals, so definitely worth mentioning.
General points
- Make sure the advert is proofread so it has no mistakes in it
- Don’t use technical jargon, which can be off-putting and discriminates against people who would be perfect for the role, yet their work experience is in another sector
- Break up the advert into easily digestible chunks with a clear structure
What next? How do I hire the right employee?
Put your carefully constructed job advert out there, on relevant platforms and wait for a flood of applications. You could use a Future Resume instead of relying on a traditional CV to select those people who interest you. Its in-depth questions and professional analysis, focusing on future potential not past experience provide a genuine insight into your candidates. If you are looking for a recruitment tool to help with finding the right candidates, Future Resume is here to help.
Contact us below for more information about how Future Resume can help you hire the right employees.