Looking for the right people for your company can be tricky. First, you’ll need an appropriate job advert that will attract a wide range of people; remember diversity is key. Next is the process of filtering those applications to find the best talent. For any tips on how to do so, here is our step by step guide in the later stages of the recruitment process. In this article however, we are going to concentrate on the job advert itself. Of course, every job, and every company, are different so you may need to adjust the details according to your needs.

Knowledge is power

The most important place to start is with the job itself. If you know the job inside-out, then writing an advert will be easier and much more effective at attracting the right kind of candidates. If you’re not so familiar with the role and have just been handed an overview, it might be helpful to ask some questions to obtain a more in-depth knowledge of the role for which you are trying to recruit. If there’s already a team in place, ask them what they’re looking for and what skills the new recruit would need. It may take a little more time in preparation but it can save you time in sifting through applications from incorrectly targeted audiences. Not the mention time wasted in interviews later down the line!

Keep it simple

Nobody is looking for War and Peace. Long paragraphs and too much content will put some people off. It’s good to show passion in your piece but a job advert should be about the applicant, so try to focus on them.

Short punchy paragraphs (the topics of which are covered later in this article) are likely to give the best results. Candidates may be looking at job specifications for a number of employers so keeping your advert an easy read is likely to put you in good stead.

Catch their eye

In some cases, the job role itself and the skills required will be quite specific, for example the title of your advert. However, your job title should include generic terms to make sure the advert appears in broad searches. The title of your advert should stand out, the term ‘compliance manager’ might be exactly what some people are looking for but when they search for this, potentially 100’s of adverts will use this title. ‘Nuclear power plant health and safety compliance manager’ however might distinguish you from the rest. While candidates will often use quite broad terms in their search, good search engines should still filter your job as relevant to their search. You might want to test this on the career site you are using as some sites may use “exact match filtering” and push your advert down the list a bit, testing is key here.

Use an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand structure

You can find lots of job application templates online, but the simplest and most effective job advertisements usually have something around the following layout:

A quick overview of your business
Your introduction should answer the basic questions. Who are you? Why are you looking for a new employee? One or two sentences should usually do the trick, for example "At RoundedPeople, we help companies simplify their recruitment processes. Due to our increasing popularity we are seeking people with recruitment experience to join our expanding team". As you can see, those two sentences have helped the target audience identify: 1. Who they are applying for 2. Why they want someone to start working there 3. That this is a secure role with a solid future. 4. What qualifications may be expected later in the advert.

Location
Your audience will want to know where they’re working. Your head office may be based in London but perhaps you’re thinking of expanding to Manchester? Likewise, for those seeking virtual or remote assistance, this is your chance to highlight the fact that the successful applicant can work from home. Also mention if the location is flexible or if relocation is needed.

The Role
Naturally, this will take up a good chunk of your advert. You’re looking to add a new person to your company for a reason, now is your chance to get into more detail about the position! Begin with the main responsibilities of the role but try to keep the list clear and concise. Remember to explain any acronyms/abbreviations that may not be widely known in the industry and also who the job-seeker would be reporting to and/or who they would be supported by.

Person specification
Again, write down the key things you are hoping to see in any applications. Many potential candidates will quickly scan this section to see if they hold the minimum requirements, then go back to read the description in full. So, if there are any qualifications required for the role, place these near the top. If there are a few things you’d like the applicant to have (for example, being outgoing or personable) that aren’t essential to the role, you can always create two categories; essential and desirable.

Next steps
The advert won’t be successful if nobody knows how to apply! If you’re using a third-party site, these usually have a simple link to send their CV and cover letter in. However, if the advert is on your website then you may wish to pop down a specific email for interested parties to contact you. Don’t forget to write whether you would be interested in agency participation, otherwise you may be inundated with recruitment companies wanting to work with you!

The advert is just the beginning

Once your advert has gone live, there could be thousands of people who view your job in the first few days. That’s a lot of paperwork to sift through! A great way to eliminate some of this is to use our psychometric tests.