The Ultimate Guide to Posting a Job that Hires the Best Talent
Job advertisements have been evolving from the traditional job post. Those boring, text-only job posts are no longer attracting the best talent because the way we consume information has changed. Job seekers will often look over a job post and make a split-second decision of whether or not they should apply for a job, just like an employer may make a split-second hiring decision based on one glace of a resume. As a result of this change, job marketing must change as well. Want to stand out as an employer? Writing a compelling and visually appealing job post will ensure that you attract the best talent.
Key Takeaways
- Job advertisement descriptions need to be compelling.
- Don’t leave out any details that will be important to the job seeker.
- Create creative job posts to inspire talent and lead them to apply.
- Separate qualifications from skills. Be flexible about preferred skills.
- Advertise job openings on social media to attract the best talent.
1. Write a Compelling Job Description
Writing a compelling job description for your job advertisement is the most important thing to do to attract the best talent. Job seekers often scroll through hundreds of job advertisements that plainly list who the company is, what the role entails, and the qualifications. After a while, every job advertisement starts to look the same. The main goal of writing a compelling job description is to set your job advertisement apart from the rest. Second, it is to convince the job seeker to want to apply for the job and be hired by your company.
What is the best way to write a job description?
- Speak directly to the job seeker when marketing talent. This will lead them to envision themselves in the role. Use “You will” instead of “the right candidate”.
- Keep it short and concise. You want to grasp a job seeker’s attention and hold it. Otherwise, they may just skim read or lose interest. Keeping the reader engaged is a key component of job marketing.
2. Include all Job Information
When marketing talent, you want to include all of the information about the job. If job seekers are reading through your job advertisement and have questions about the role, benefits, salary, or hours, they most likely will move on to read the next job post.
Job seekers want to know exactly what they are going to do, who they will be working for, and how it will benefit them. The best candidate will want to see all of the information before applying, so make sure not to leave out any details.
3. Include Benefits
One important component of job marketing is to focus on what you can offer to the job seeker, not just what they can offer you. This is important because it shows the candidate you value their skills. To attract the best talent, make sure to include all of the benefits that you can offer them within the job advertisement.
What benefits do the best candidates want to see in a job advertisement?
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Vacation time
- Paid time off
- Retirement benefits
- Wellness benefits
- Education opportunities
When it comes to effective job marketing, if your company offers benefits, list all of the benefits your company offers in the job advertisement.
4. Include Hours
Commonly, the terms “full-time” or “part-time” are all that is mentioned about work hours within a job advertisement. Job candidates would prefer to know the hours of the shift before they apply. Once again, it is important to include everything when marketing talent to compel the best talent to apply.
Reasons to include the hours:
- The candidate might just assume that “full-time” means 9 AM to 5 PM.
- The candidate will not know if “part-time” means working in the morning, afternoon, or evening.
- The candidate will be better able to envision themselves in their job if they can see how the job hours will benefit or affect their work/life balance.
5. Include Salary
Including salary within a job advertisement has been controversial in the past. 50% of companies have reported that they don’t mention salary information in their job advertisement. The reason is that they don’t want competitors to outbid them and steal their potential applicant.
While job marketing may be competitive, it may be time to start including the offered salary (or at least a salary range) within job advertisements. 70% of job seekers want to know the salary for the job they are applying for, and the salary is at the forefront of their mind when looking for a job.
The best talent will want to know their compensation before applying, so they can see if taking the time to apply will be worth their time.
6. Be Clear About Qualifications and Skills
While listing requirements and skills included in a job advertisement, they must be clearly written. If job seekers have questions about whether their qualifications are insufficient or they have a gap in their resume, they may not apply, and you may lose out on incredible talent.
When writing about job qualifications, clearly list the nonnegotiable qualifications separately from desired skills. Of course, certain qualifications are required, but remember to be flexible about skills. Being too specific about skills may turn away excellent talent. For example, even if a candidate knows that they are well qualified for a job, but they are missing one listed skill, they may not apply for the job.
How to list skills to attract the best talent.
- Prioritize the willingness to learn. If a candidate lacks a skill, they will most likely be able to develop the new skill very quickly if they are willing to learn.
- Let the job seeker know that the skills are good to have but not required. This will help in not turning away the potential great talent.
- List characteristics and potential instead of just focusing on technical skills.
7. Make the Job Post Visually Appealing
When writing a job post, you want to create a creative post that will inspire talent. A recent survey found that 51% of job candidates are more interested in a job advertisement when it contains visual components. Visual components will bring a job advertisement to life for a job seeker.
When marketing talent, the goal is to compel the best talent to apply. Creating a visually appealing job post is a key component of job marketing, as it will make your job post more memorable, attractive, and lively. It will make your job post stand out in the sea of plain text job posts in the current job market.
8. Include Information about the Work Culture
Traditionally, including information about work culture is left out of job advertisements. However, as the workforce has evolved, the best talent is now looking to a positive work culture and team while job hunting. Before applying, they want to know if the job has a positive culture, if employees like working collaboratively, and if the environment is cheerful.
As work culture becomes more important for job seekers, it is important to let them know about the work culture that the job will provide for them. It is almost just as important as listing the compensation and benefits.
One way to make your job advertisement stand out against others would be to include a team photo so the job applicant can see exactly who they would be working with.
9. Add a Video
It is no secret now that creative job posts inspire talent, so why not take job marketing to the next level and include a video in your job advertisement! With 65% of internet traffic being routed to videos, including a video within your job advertisement will lead more job candidates to your post.
Wondering what you can say in your video?
- Introduce yourself.
- Briefly describe what your company does and the position you are advertising.
- Speak as if you’re talking to the best talent and tell them why you want to hire them.
10. Advertise Job Openings on Social Media
The final step for marketing talent is to advertise the job openings on social media. Currently, 92% of employers post job advertisements on social media. The reason that job marketing has gravitated towards social media use is that 73% of millennials have found their last job through searching social media platforms.
Taking advantage of using social media in job marketing not only opens more opportunities to find the best talent but also provides an opportunity to share the culture of your company.
The Bottom Line
Job marketing has changed. To attract and hire the best talent, you must write and present your job advertisement in a compelling way. Job seekers know that they want, and they will look for a job that meets their needs. You also want your job post to be visually appealing because creative job posts will inspire the best talent. Creative job posts will also make yours stand out in the sea of plain job posts.
Post a Job That Hires The Best Talent
- Want to stand out as an employer?
- Want to persuade and attract hot young top talent?
- Want to tell a compelling story about your job?
- Want to add video, photos and voice to your job posts?
If your answer to any of these questions is YES, try SidePost
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60,000 X
Humans process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
Posting a job with visual content such as video and images will make your job postings more engaging and help you share your brand, culture, and values. Visuals are content.