30/09/19

Job adverts have developed significantly over time. From newspaper adverts, fast-forwarding to today’s digital world where SEO and positioning have a large impact.

When hiring online, your job advert will sit firmly next to competing job openings. Candidates will likely click on your job advert, alongside many others when actively looking for a new opportunity. Therefore, it is vital that you format a killer job advert that will engage and shout out to them; otherwise, the apply button may be used, but not on your advert…

Below sees the importance of the words, structure and positioning you select, along with how to format a killer job advert.

WHY THE FORMAT OF A JOB ADVERT IS IMPORTANT?

Hiring is a highly competitive activity. Imagine you’re looking for a Sales Manager. Now imagine the amount of job adverts online, promoting a sales manager position (there’s probably thousands). With this in mind, it’s important that you differentiate your job advert from others, which starts with its format.

Now you might be lucky and receive an abundant of clicks on your job advert. Yet once candidates view your advert, little action may be made; this can be down to a few factors, including a lack of important information, dull formatting, gender focused language or a lengthy block of text.

Yet this can be avoided by cleverly formatting a killer job advert, considering the readers experience. Without a high performing job advert, top talent could be attracted to further opportunities with your competitors. How does this make you feel?!

It is also important to remember that your job advert should reflect your employer brand. Your employment offering could be first class, yet if your job advert fails to echo this, getting candidates through the door could be a task and a half. Likewise, the opposite could happen where a killer job advert is shared, yet a low value offering is present, creating a deflating feeling. Therefore, the format of your job advert can control your hiring capabilities – keep this in mind when creating yours!

HOW TO FORMAT A KILLER JOB ADVERT THAT’S ALSO ENGAGING

Now we’ve gauged the importance, it’s time to share the steps to format a killer job advert…

    • Firstly, it’s important to consider the type of job you’re promoting. There are a number of different approaches and formats that can work, yet this will depend on the role, the company and how/where your job is being advertised. For the purpose of this blog, we will talk about online job advertising.
    • Once the direction has been gauged, it’s time to devise the body of the job advert. Now, it’s a fine balance between creative writing to best sell the opportunity and ensuring that the job advert performs well on the job boards from an SEO point of view i.e. the advert will get found by relevant job seekers with a high visibility level.
    • Now it comes to the finer details – First establish the key duties / responsibilities for the role (not an exhaustive list), essential candidate requirements (again not an exhaustive list – focus on the key elements), and any reasons why candidates should want to work for your company. This is your time to shine by sharing your unique selling points and benefits.
    • When considering the copy of your finer details, it’s important to follow a non-discriminatory approach. Many companies fail to attract female candidates due to the overuse of masculine language. Therefore, format a killer job advert by approaching your copy with a positive, clear and professional angle, with an injection of your brands personality.
    • Once you have the body of the job advert, considering the structure should be your next step. The first few lines should be formatted to give an overview and grab attention. From here, a clean structure with the use of bullet points should be followed, making it easy to find important information and read. Clear calls to action should be used when formatting a killer job advert, directing candidates to the next step of applying.
    • One of the final stages will be to consider job titles and key words. It is essential that the most relevant job title for the role is used and that there is relevant key word repetition throughout the advert. This will ensure that the job advert can be found by suitable candidates, while ranking highly on job boards, search engine platforms and social media platforms.
    • To increase readability and relatability, remove any jargon, techy and company specific wording. It is important that you view your job advert from the candidate’s eyes. This will improve the experience, along with ensuring that your advert is engaging with the right type of candidate.

By following the above steps, you’ll format a killer job advert, helping you engage top talent. However, it’s also important to consider where you’ll share you adverts; from various job boards, to social media platforms and networking sites.

Here at Smartsearch, we can help you format a killer job advert, making them personal to your offering. Likewise, we can work through the SEO ranking of your job advert, along with publishing across suitable platforms.

TO IMPROVE YOUR VISIBILITY, AND ENGAGE GREATER CANDIDATES, GET IN CONTACT WITH OUR TEAM TODAY. WE CAN GIVE YOUR JOB ADVERTS A REVAMP! 0333 939 0074 / INFO@SMARTSEARCH-RECRUITMENT.COM