If qualified people aren’t responding to your job postings, it’s probably because they don’t find them compelling enough. Remember, other employers are vying for the same talent as you. Therefore, your job ads need to capture the attention of the people you’re trying to reach.
Below are tips to make this happen.
Create a powerful headline
The headline is one of the most crucial aspects of any written advertisement. A strong headline grabs the reader immediately and makes them want to keep reading. Conversely, a weak headline causes the reader to lose interest right away.
Take the time to devise a smart headline that’s likely to appeal emotionally to your target audience. But keep it professional and free of gimmicks.
For example: Junior Software Engineer | High Growth Potential
This headline indicates that while the job is entry level, there is much room for advancement — a major selling point in any job ad.
Make it short
People tend to have short attention spans, especially when it comes to reading. According to LinkedIn data, “Candidates usually don’t want to read a novel when they click your job post. Most will spend just 14 seconds deciding whether or not to apply, so it’s important to make your posts easily scannable.”
LinkedIn says short job ads (1-300 words) usually perform much better than longer ones, “convincing candidates to apply 8.4% more often than average.”
Based on this data, it’s best to keep your job ads at 300 or fewer words.
Keep the intended applicants in mind
Your job ad needs to speak to your target audience. This means providing information that is essential to those applicants, including the competencies and experience required for the role. Consider anything else that applicants might want to see, such as salary, benefits and perks.
Knowing the salary up front is a must-have for many job seekers. In a Glassdoor survey, 67% of job seekers said salary is the main thing they look for in a job ad. So if your ad does not include salary, job seekers may move on to one that provides such information.
Keep in mind, some states and local governments require employers to include the salary in their job postings.
Additional tips
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Apply bullet points to emphasize and summarize important points.
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Use gender-neutral terms to attract a larger applicant pool, e.g., salesperson instead of salesman or saleswoman.
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Include information about your company, including its mission and core values.
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Consider using the second-person point of view where possible to better connect with the reader, e.g., saying, “What You Will Get” instead of “Compensation.”
Once you have created the ideal job ad, make sure you post it in places where your target audience is likely to see it.