You might think all you need is an open position and candidates will be stampeding your doors to get the chance to talk with you, and while this is certainly true for some positions, gone are the recession years where job seekers applied anywhere and everywhere, desperate for an opportunity. Today, most job seekers have a little more luxury, flipping the pressure onto employers. You can’t expect job seekers to clamor to your door if you don’t give them a reason.
This begins with your job posting. Just as you judge a candidates’ resume in a few seconds of review, job seekers take a quick look at your posting and decide whether or not to keep reading, much less apply. Let’s go over a few basics to doll up your posting so it’s applicant ready.
Keep it Short
How long is your job posting? Does the text format vary from just blocks of text? Job postings should not go on for pages, in fact, one page is a good rule when you’re writing your post. It’s tempting to put every requirement and responsibility into job postings, but when you step back this creates a laundry list that can be overwhelming to candidates before they even read it. Try to limit your postings to 3-4 qualifications and 6-8 main responsibilities. And use bullets! A posting should not look like a chore to a potential applicant – you’ll miss out on great talent if it does.
Add Benefits
Why should they work for you? You’ll have your chance to find out if they’re the right fit once they apply, but before that you need to position your company as a team they want to join. Stress the best parts of your company culture – whether its office snacks, generous vacation time, or a dog-friendly office. You want candidates who are excited about working for your company – but if you’re small, they may have never heard of you before stumbling across your posting. Your job is to encourage them to learn more and submit their application.
Know Your Audience
Your posting will be different depending on the type of candidate you want to attract. For example, if you’re looking for a creative type you would strike a different tone than hiring a an analytics officer. It’s also worth thinking about how your candidates will find your posting. Indeed is the #1 search site in the country, and recently began displaying wage amounts directly below job titles on their search page. If you have a competitive salary or hourly rate for your open position, including it will motivate candidates to click on your posting to learn more.
Remember, a job posting is your company’s resume to potential applicants. If you put the time in to make it worth job seekers’ time, you’re more likely to attract the quantity of applicants you need to make a quality hire.
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