How to write a job ad with impact
One of my biggest bugbears in recruitment is the quality of job ads.
I could fill a book with commentary on all of the terrible job ads I’ve seen over my time — and stories I’ve heard from people spending time on job boards and experiencing the many pitfalls of typical job ads.
Instead, I'll share what I've learned — about what works and what doesn't, what resonates, what people want to see — and how to get the right eyeballs on your job ads.
(Side note: I am publishing my first book next month, but it's not about terrible job ads.)
Next time you’re hiring, before you hit 'publish', ask yourself if your job ad is:
audience-centric
compelling
authentic and honest
memorable
clear, accurate and free from cliches?
I know from first-hand research that most job ads aren't all (or even some) of these things.
'We can't find suitable candidates' is a statement I've heard many, many times.
When you're hiring, there are a lot of things outside of your control. Let's focus on what we can control, including how you approach recruitment.
Because recruitment is marketing, the quality of your job ad is really (REALLY) important.
10 tips to write a job ad with impact
Think about the job not as a role but as an opportunity. People work for more than the paycheck and the job title.
Think about your ideal talent persona before you start writing. Recruitment is not about you as the employer, it's about the person you're trying to attract.
Put yourself in their shoes. Where are they currently working? What are they interested in? What’s important to them?
Create an ad that makes your ideal talent say, ‘That’s me! This opportunity sounds like exactly what I’m looking for!’. If you can achieve this and your ad is accurate and authentic, you'll win.
Open the ad with a bold, concise sentence about the ideal talent and the most exciting thing about this opportunity. Yes, this is hard to do in one sentence, but it can be done.
Think about why you love your job and employer. Then inject this into the ad.
Describe the team/environment/culture honestly and without cliches. Need I say more?
Include your evidence-based EVP. If you're not sure what this means, you can read more here.
Include some information about your mission/purpose and how this role is part of that. Refer to point 2.
Include a salary range in the ad. A lack of pay transparency wastes everyone’s time and sends the wrong message. Job ads with salary transparency get 3X more applicants.