Writing good job adverts can contribute to the success of your company, by attracting talented employees. With that being said – are you writing good job adverts?

Attracting the right applicants is a fundamental part of the recruitment process. Because of this, writing good job adverts is a skill in itself.

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You may not have the luxury of hiring a great copywriter – so, we’ve listed our top tips for writing the best job adverts:

1. Find the right audience

It’s one thing to write a good job advert – but another to make sure that it’s reaching the right candidates. Try and put yourself in their shoes. This will allow you to determine the best place to reach them.

Creating an ideal candidate persona may seem far-fetched. However, doing so helps to better position your job posting to give you the best chance at reaching the right talent.

2. The Human Factor

A successful job advert is not one which receives the most applications – it’s the one which attracts the right type of candidate for the role.

Consider this: how would you describe the role to a friend? Let the candidate know what’s in it for them! Boring language and basic formats are the biggest no-no’s when it comes to adverts – use your personality to make it shine.

Adapting your tone or style of writing can make a huge difference in encouraging your candidates to apply. Therefore, you should check out what other adverts are saying – as a means of comparison.

3. “This fits just right,” said Goldilocks

Not too long, not too short. The length of your job advert should sit in the ‘Goldilocks Zone’, as well as helping them decide if they fit the role.

Reading over 1,000 words is more than enough to deter a candidate. Break up the content – use bullet points and short, punchy paragraphs to get straight to the point. Maybe even include a short video, so it’s not all text?

4. Paint a picture of what success looks like!

Tell the candidate what they can expect to achieve within the first 6 months. What skills will they pick up? What will they be able to do that they couldn’t do before? Candidates will want to know how the job is going to help them progress – in both a personal, and a professional capacity.

As well as highlighting the things that they will learn – give them a taste of the challenges they might face. You’d like to think they’ll know that the job won’t be easy. But, outlining some of the main things that they will have to deal with will help put this into perspective.

Painting a picture of what success looks like gives potential applicants the opportunity to understand whether or not the role is for them. Align their objectives with what they can achieve by working for you. This helps them to re-evaluate if they really want to join your business for the right reasons. Furthermore, it helps to filter out unsuitable candidates before you even begin the recruitment process.

5. Encourage your readers to apply

Good job adverts help a reader to determine if they would like to apply. Drive interested job seekers to the application process by providing clear instructions, links and a call to action.

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A job ad is your opportunity to leave a lasting impression of your company. Hone in on why joining your company is in the candidates’ best interests. Taking our top tips into account will get you well on the way to writing good job adverts – helping you to start attracting great, new talent today.