Do you agree with recent discussions that the recruitment industry is “wasting time and money” with uninformative job adverts for candidates?

As a HR professional  – when it comes to attracting the right candidates, you know what’s important. However, are your job adverts working hard enough for you?

A report by the CIPD has discovered that 2 in 5 job adverts did not clarify details about the position such as full time or part time or temporary or permanent, whilst 21% found that the job advert suggested the role involved self-employment.

With unclear information being relayed to job seekers empty positions are less likely to be filled with the top candidates many HR professionals are searching for – having a negative effect for both parties.

Despite changes to application processes in recent years, the good old-fashioned approach to job adverting is still playing a big part in your candidate acquisition strategy. So what’s the show stopping secrets when it comes to job ads you may ask?  Follow our 5 easy steps to be in the know:

1. Less is more

You have about 400 words to create an impact, which will hopefully result in an action and application from job seekers. Adverts often have word limits for a reason – they aren’t meant to be essays; instead should include relevant information to create an impact and desire, which in turn will create a high return of quality applications.

Bullet points are successful in allowing candidates to spot different information quickly, whilst also adding a good format to your adverts. Once you have a good structure – stick to it. There is no harm using the same arrangement over and over again. In fact this will add to your employer branding by showing there is consistency and attention to detail.

2. Curiosity killed the cat – or did it?

There are thousands of job adverts out there, all trying to appeal to the best candidates. What you need to try and achieve is to give enough detail to appear attractive, however still keep the candidate engaged by allowing them to want more information. Ensuring basic information is correct and detailed will give a sense of security for candidates. A well-structured, thought out job advert will give a good reflection of your organisation as a whole. Remember, this is the first point of contact your candidates will have with the recruitment process and without sounding too cliché “start as you mean to go on…”

3. Tone it down – No chance!

Finding the right fit is always a key factor for HR managers as this helps to ensure higher retention rates of candidates. Therefore your writing style is key to allow the personality of the company and culture to shine through in the job advert and will give candidates an idea if they are suited or not from day one. Take some time to create a fitting tone to your adverts and ask fellow employees if they were applying again if it would attract them.

4. Share responsibly

Where you post is nearly as important as what you post. You’ve spent all this time creating impressive content to engage candidates – make sure they can find it! Using your social media accounts – especially Linkedin is a great way of advertising your roles.

However, don’t overdo it – seeing a particular role advertised too much may give off a bad perception to candidates and could result in a decrease in applications. 

5. Timing is off the essence

Put yourself in the shoes of candidates. If you were going to start looking for a new job when’s better than a fresh start on Monday morning? You’d be right! Research has shown that posting a job advert at the beginning of the week has a better response rate compared to that of a Friday afternoon.

The later part of the week can be used to draft out the following weeks adverts – making good use of time management and in turn ensuring a good success rate!

So remember when it comes to writing a top job advert to be concise but detailed, broadcast widely but not too far and hit the nail on the head with timing – Hardly a lot to ask for really!