We have seen a lot of job postings over the years. So many, that we have learned a thing or two about how to write them. A few months ago we wrote about one job that caught our eye. After asking our internal staff what they would do, we put together a list of tips and tricks to make your job postings better and attract more applicants.
George Driscoll, Senior Account Manager writes:
KEYWORDS
Including the proper keywords in your ad is critical to candidates finding it on the site. Keywords are the ways the job seeker would search for a position: by title or skill set or field specialty. It requires us to think as the job seeker would think. For example: someone looking for a registered nurse position may use one of the following search keywords – registered nurse; nurse; nursing; RN; R.N.; R N. Therefore we would want to include each of those keywords in our ad. The easiest way to do it is to include a sentence that says something to the effect: We are seeking candidates who would respond to this position in the one or all of the following forms: registered nurse; nurse; nursing; RN; R.N.; R N.
BENEFITS CALL-OUT
We are experiencing a paradigm shift from recruitment to marketing that is occurring in our industry. In this challenging candidate marketplace, the job seeker we are trying to attract is more than likely currently employed. They are approaching job posts with the perspective of “what’s in it for me”. Listing benefits in your ad is a key tactic. And as important as the tangible benefits may be (and please list them all out -insurance, paid holidays, personal days, etc.) so are the intangible benefits (career advancement, free coffee, bring your dog to work, casual business attire, office with windows, etc.). Everything and anything will help in converting seekers to candidates.
CATEGORIES
Select up to three categories – even if they are only slightly relevant. Job seekers will search via categories and we want to increase our reach to present our ad to all potential candidates.
Ben Taylor, Senior Account Manager writes;
BACK TO BASICS
I think getting back to the basics would be a great start—help job seekers understand the role you are posting by increasing readability. Good font choice, sizing, wording, contextual format, spacing.
Basic best practice for posting structure:
- Intriguing job title
- Short paragraph job description (advertisement to sell, don’t be afraid to use a personal voice to keep it interesting)
- Sub header your Requirements and bullet them
- Sub header your Benefits and bullet them
- Special message or special application requirements.
This is all basic stuff but can have a dramatic effect on conversion rate from views to applies. Don’t you want your audience to easily digest your job posting? Do your job by making it easier for job seekers to understand what you’re looking for, they’ll thank you for it.
Said Eastman, General Manager shared his thoughts as well;
TOP TIPS
- Using the internal apply instead of redirecting (will get more applies)
- Not making the job description look like a newspaper ad (ex: no phone, fax, email, manager name etc.)
- Make your job description concise yet thorough
- Embed a video if you have one
- Always use your Logo
We hope these tips help. Don’t forget to reach out to your Account Manager if you need some help.