In the current climate and with a record number of jobs, attracting candidates has never been tougher. When recruiting, your job advert is your first chance to attract talented individuals to your roles. This is also the first impression that candidates will get of your business and you know what they say about first impressions!
With one in five (20%) job hunters revealing that they’d be put off applying to a role with an unclear job description, it’s vital that you get it right.
Related: Best tips to succeed in any interview
Spending time and effort on your initial posting can be extremely beneficial, saving you time and money in the long run. Get it wrong and you could end up with a string of irrelevant applicants, or worse, none at all.
That’s why we’re here to help. This comprehensive guide will explain how to structure your advert and reveal what content you need to include. We’ll also cover off the key ‘do’s and don’ts’ of writing a job description.
Structuring your job advert
While it might be tempting to get creative when advertising your jobs, you should always follow a basic format.
In fact, getting the structure right is an important first step towards writing a strong job advert. This will ensure that you have a clear layout and only include the most relevant information.
We will discuss each section in more detail below, but for now, here is the basic checklist to follow when writing your job advert:
- Job title
- Salary
- Location and details of any remote/flexible working options
- Introduction to your business
- Role and responsibilities
- Key requirements (qualifications and skills)
What to include in each section
We will now breakdown the job advert one section at a time to help you gain a better understanding of what to include. We’ll also illustrate this with examples.
1. Job title
Arguably, the most important part of writing an advert is getting the job title right. This is the best way to attract the most relevant candidates.
It can be tempting to come up with creative or unique titles to try to attract candidates. But the truth is, these could actually damage your chances. Be specific and use recognisable keywords.
Remember, when conducting their search, job hunters will use these keywords and if your job title doesn’t conform, it could be harder for them to find your vacancies.
So don’t beat around the bush. If it’s a ‘Marketing Executive’ that you want, make sure that’s what you’re asking for. You could also include the seniority in your titles e.g junior or assistant.
2. Salary and location
Below the job title it is common practise to include the salary (or salary bracket) and the location. While it’s not mandatory to include this information, it is an effective way to ensure you attract the right candidates. Without this information you risk a host of job hunters applying, despite not suiting the working patterns. Not only this, but you might find a great candidate, only to lose them further down the line because the salary wasn’t what they were expecting. It’s better to be clear right from the start.
Using the right job title, salary, location and remote/flexible working options is particularly important as it also gives your vacancies a better chance of appearing in Google’s job search index.
3. The introduction
Next you need a small introduction – just a few sentences – which outlines your business and the role you’re advertising for. This really doesn’t need to be long as you’ll go into more detail later on.
This section should contain keywords that help candidates know right from the start if this role is something they’d be interested in. Try to include the job title, industry and some relevant skills or experience that would be advantageous.
This is also your chance to let the candidate know a little bit more about your business and why you’re a great company to work for. Think of this as a sales pitch; why should talented candidates want to come and work for you?
Example
{Your company name} specialises in {your industry or niche} and has an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Marketing Executive to join our dynamic team. This permanent position is well suited to an individual that is looking to advance their career in marketing and gain hands-on experience in a thriving and supportive workplace.
3. The objectives
After introducing the position, it’s a good idea to set out the goals or objectives for the candidate. Again, this doesn’t need to be long, just a few sentences will do.
This is a nice opportunity to help the candidate understand the role they’ll play, and the contribution they will make within the business.
Example
Based within the marketing department, you will work closely with all areas of marketing, to assist with the design and production of exciting campaigns and helping the team to achieve agreed targets. This exciting position offers opportunity to progress into a higher role.
4. Responsibilities
Next it’s important to outline what the role will entail and list a few of the main responsibilities. It’s a good idea to break these up into smaller paragraphs, or better still, bullet points. This makes it clearer and easier for candidates to digest.
The responsibilities of the role are important to candidates. No one wants boring daily tasks, or to end up disliking their job. As such, it’s vital to always be honest about what will be expected of candidates.
Example
- Writing a range of B2B and B2C marketing materials
- Managing day-to-day running of company blogs, ensuring posts are SEO-focused
- Generating content for company social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
- Creating exciting content for both internal and external communications and promotional materials
- Liaising with external agencies
5. Requirements
Now you need to outline the key requirements of the position; there are a number of parts to this. The requirements themselves will depend on the level of the role. It can be helpful to use bullet points in this section as well.
State whether your candidate needs qualifications, for example specific A-Levels, certificates or a degree. Make sure you clarify whether these qualifications are vital in order to be considered for the role, or whether they’re just advantageous.
You also need to outline any personality traits or soft skills you wish your candidate to possess. For example, maybe you want them to be enthusiastic, with good communication skills and have an interest in the industry.
If you would like someone with a certain amount of experience, this is your chance to highlight this. You may also require your candidate to have a background in your industry.
Example
- Degree in marketing, business or another relevant subject (minimum of 2:1 qualification)
- 2-3 years marketing experience in a similar role
- Knowledge of {industry} is advantageous but not essential
- Proficient in all Microsoft programmes
- Excellent project management skills and attention to detail
- Good communication skills
6. Your company
You should also take this opportunity to outline any great benefits or perks that the candidate would receive in your employment. Today’s employees want to feel valued at work. Workplace perks are important to today’s professionals, so don’t forget to include these in your job advert, and include any around well being and mental health, not just pensions and free fruit on a Monday!
What you need to avoid
There are a few common mistakes that you need to watch out for when writing a job advert. As we’ve already mentioned, candidates are put off by unclear job descriptions and this also goes for poorly written or vague adverts. Below we outline the top four mistakes to avoid at all costs:
1. Unnecessary jargon: While you might think it sounds more knowledgeable, littering a job advert with buzzwords, acronyms and jargon can actually have a negative effect on application rates. Instead, be sure to use clear and concise keywords, only using abbreviations or buzzwords if totally necessary.
2. Leaving out key information: Don’t neglect the basic information. By adding the job title, location and salary to the top of the job advert, you’ll ensure you receive more relevant job applications and boost your presence on Google.
While some employers choose to leave out the salary so they can negotiate on it later on, not including this can actually put candidates off applying. Particularly given that candidates know what they want from a job (salary included) and search with this criteria in mind.
3. Spelling and grammar mistakes: Basic mistakes in your job advert can look unprofessional and sloppy. Make sure you proofread your advert several times and maybe even get someone else to look over it just to double check.
After all, you’d definitely judge a candidate if they made sloppy mistakes in their application. So be sure to lead by example.
4. Ignoring the structure: You don’t want your job advert to be one big chunk of text. This can make it hard to read and will likely deter candidates from even trying. Be sure to use smaller paragraphs and bullet points to break it up and create a clear and concise layout.
In summary
Your hiring process starts with your job advert and you risk damaging your brand if you don’t get it right.
Taking the time to perfect your job advert from the start can be hugely beneficial, saving you money and resources. Not to mention the fact that it can boost your application rates.
Follow our simple structure and make sure you include only the relevant information. That way, candidates can decide quickly if they’re interested in the role and see if they have the required skills for the job.
This will help to ensure that only the best candidates will apply, helping you to fill your vacancies quicker! Once you’re ready to post you job, make sure you follow our top tips.
