This is a great article from the CV-Library Content Team
As the UK finds itself in a candidate led market, with many more jobs available than there are candidates to fill them, candidates are in a position of being able to pick and choose their next role.
The last time there was such a disparity in the job market, it was after the great recession of 2008. Unlike the current market though, last time it was an employer’s market, with far less jobs, and many more candidates.
With the high number of jobs open, and the pool of candidates so low, many employees are looking to set their sights on a new roles, leading to what the market has dubbed “The Great Resignation”.
So, as a recruiter looking to fill your available positions, what can you do to stand out? The first step is to have a well written and attractive job advert. Below we will guide you through the process of ensuring that your job advert is attractive to your target candidates as possible.
Structuring your job advert
Although we want to make your job advert standout, changing the basic format is not the way to do this. The way to make your job post really stand out is through the content of the job post itself. Every job post needs to contain specific information related to the job and the company that you are hiring for.
The sections that need to be included in a job post are:
- Job title
- Salary
- Location and details of any remote/flexible working options
- Introduction to your business
- Role and responsibilities
- Key requirements (qualifications and skills)
Information to include in each section
As mentioned above, it is not the structure of your job ad that will make it standout, but rather the content within the advert itself. Below we will go through the basic content that should be included to ensure that your job ad gets the right kind of attention.
- Job title
You need to ensure that your job title matches the role you are hiring for. In many cases, recruiters main aim to use ambiguous or buzz word heavy job titles (what is a marketing ninja?). Keep it clear and concise, and if there is something unique about the role be sure to include it (e.g. Fully Remote).
Also include any variants of a job title, for example if you are looking for a Chief Marketing Officer, be sure to include CMO in the job title.
- Salary and location
Location is quite straight forward, be sure to include the job’s location, preferably within a small distance (e.g. London, SW1). This will allow job seekers to easily determine what the commute to the job’s location would be. If the job offers working from home or is fully remote, be sure to mention this too.
As for salary, there is currently a big debate going on whether job postings should contain the salary range. The simple answer, if you want to ensure you get the right candidates is yes, include the salary range. No job seeker wants to go through the application process, and potentially multiple interviews for a job that will not pay them what they are looking for. Including the salary range ensures that only candidates who are genuinely interested will apply.
- The introduction
The introduction for your job advert shouldn’t be too long. It should be a simple introduction to the company you are hiring for, which includes the industry. You should also try and include a few keywords and some relevant skills and experience. This will allow the candidate to know from the start if this is a role for them.
- The objectives
The objectives section of your job post is to provide job seekers with the “why” of the job role. This can sometimes be overlooked by recruiter when posting jobs, making potential candidates question why the job role exists in the first place.
By providing a clear objective section on your job advert, you set a very clear expectation for the role you are hiring for.
- Responsibilities
The responsibilities sections of your job advert is to provide the “what” of the position you are hiring for. Ideally this section should be a collection of bullet points of the day to day, weekly and monthly tasks of the role.
To ensure that your job advert works, be sure that the responsibilities that you post are not outside of the general scope of the role you are hiring for.
- Requirements
The requirement section of a job advert follows a general structure, as follows:
- Education level – Here you should mention the level of education that you require. This can also include a relevant experience disclaimer (no need for the educational requirements if the candidate has a lot of experience). You can also include a preferred level of education in a bullet point below the required level.
- Hard Skills and Experience – These are specifically learnt skills or experience that the role requires. This should include skills only an experienced candidate would have.
- Soft Skills – This section is for mentioning soft skills, such as communication, as these skills are not specific to the role. These skills are generally transferrable from job to job, so expect most job seekers to have these.
- Your company
This section is for you to sell the company to job seekers. The primary part of this section should focus on the benefits that the company provides. Here you want to really try and highlight benefits that go above and beyond the norm for companies in the industry. Some industries might find that free tea and coffee at work are great, but if you are hiring within the technology sector, these are expected from employers, so there is no need to included them.
Mention any insurances offered (e.g. healthcare), leave allowances, any learning, travel or personal wellbeing schemes and any other benefits that make the role more attraction to potential candidates.
When describing the company and its culture within this section, be sure to avoid cliches and buzzwords, as this can make this section feel forced.
This is a basic guide to ensure you have an attractive, and well written job advert. You can also read our How to write a job advert (with examples) at CV Library, which is a complete guide, that includes examples of the type of content to use.
