One of the main reasons so many job adverts fail to attract the right candidates is that they are written like job descriptions. A job description, however, is an internal document, driven by the legal and functional requirements of the employer, usually part of your contract. Usually…boring to read and not something that makes a job seeker apply.
A job advert should present all the important arguments and benefits that make your company the employer of choice. It should attract candidates’ attention, be easy and enjoyable to read and evoke emotions – this makes someone dream about this new position and apply. Here is a list of tips on how to write a job advert that will make your audience push the “apply now” button.
What makes a good job advert?
Have you heard about the acronym WIIFM?
When writing a job advert, remember the acronym WIIFM (what’s in it for me?) – a well-known approach in sales and marketing. You need to know your prospects’ interests, fears and motivations to make him or her act the way you want. If you can answer “What’s in it for me?” for potential candidates, you can be sure you will inspire curiosity.
While it is important to list the requirements and qualifications needed for the role, try not to overwhelm the candidate. Remember, this is a job advertisement, not a job description! Instead of writing a wall of text, use bullet points to get your message through.
Learn about your target groups
Categorise your target groups, because we can assure you, that specific motivators will be different for managers, specialists and those on the front line. What’s interesting and motivating for a Software Developer is probably different for Accountants.
You can find out what’s in it for them through a combination of anonymous surveys, focus groups, market research etc. But the easiest way to start with more than your gut feeling is to make 3-5 short interviews with someone working in the same or similar position you are trying to fill. Why do they love their job? What are the most interesting challenges? How rewarding is it? What makes the current employer stand out from previous ones?
What to include in your job ad copy?
You want to keep the copy on your job ad clear and short, yet engaging and spark interest in the right kind of candidates.
Most well-written ad copy includes the following information:
- Job title
- Short company background
- Job type (full-time, hybrid, remote, project-based, etc.)
- Job description and responsibilities
- Perks and benefits
- Qualifications, skills and experience needed
- Information about the application process
- Contact information
- Deadline for applications
- Application form
Create brilliant job adverts
- Create mobile-friendly job adverts and recruitment landing pages
- Customise text, change colours, fonts and upload your own photos
- Share them on social media or link to your career page
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How to grab job seekers’ attention?
You can divide your landing page visitors and job ad viewers into 2 groups:
- Fast decision-makers
- Slow decision-makers
Fast decision-makers are considered to be more emotional, and slow decision-makers more rational. Fast decision-makers rely on your hero section and photos, headlines, and trust elements like quotes or other highlighted aspects on your landing page.
On the contrary, slow decision-makers are readers. They don’t stop at the headline; they read and look for additional information from your web page or social media channels.
How candidates think and behave is different, but the first 5 seconds after landing on your job advert, are critical for both groups. You have to gain your target group’s attention with the first section. Your headline and call-to-action need to be crystal clear and entice your audience to scroll through the landing page.
Conduct a 5-second test
Conduct a 5-second test with someone you trust – with just 5 seconds, what will they remember, and what kind of impression do they get from your job advert?
Although changing jobs sounds rational, many emotional aspects are involved, and employers considered to be attractive have found the right buttons to push.
This not only helps you get more candidates but also ensures that it is attracting the right fit for the role. You want to convey your message to people who match your ideal candidate profile and make sure your message gets through smoothly and correctly.
How to write a job advert that works?
Adding some crucial elements will make your job advert or recruitment landing page succeed or not. We recommend adding the following elements.
Add trust elements on job adverts
You can add different kinds of trust elements to your job adverts to make them more effective. Some ideas for trust elements in a job ad include:
- Contact details with a photo of your future coworker
- A quote from the manager
- Testimonials from coworkers
- Photos of your team events
- Information about your main clients, market share, certifications or awards etc.
Use photos and images on job adverts
Avoid stock photos and use your own. Show, don’t just tell.
Show your office, meeting rooms, kitchen, modern work equipment, office dog or something else that your colleagues love. Present photos of your coworkers, not models or actors. In recruitment marketing, authenticity is more important than the quality of the photos.
You can also add captions to these photos to show that these are actual photos of future colleagues and office space.
Learn more about creating an attractive job ad design.
Write clear job advert copy
Statisticbrain.com’s research says that, on average, people only read about 28% of the words on your web page. Keep it short but informative (remember WIIFM!). Avoid using corporate cliches. People are less likely to be interested in working for an employer that speaks too much ‘Corporatese’.
Instead of writing, “we offer you a competitive salary”, describe your salary system more accurately.
Other examples of what to try and AVOID in the “what we offer you” section:
- Competitive salary
- Modern office
- A great opportunity in a fast-growing company
- Opportunity to learn and grow
- The fast-paced environment
- Amazing, fun company culture
- Sociable and friendly team
Many job seekers want clarity about the recruitment process, so explaining the steps on the job ad helps you provide that.
Design an attractive job ad
The design should support your end goal: to make your audience apply. Design can work as your trust element or something that will leave a bad impression as an employer. Teamdash‘s templates are designed to match your needs so that creating a landing page doesn’t require design skills from you. Change colours, and fonts, and add your photos according to your visual identity as an employer.
Create attractive job adverts without the help of a designer or web developer
For example, Teamdash’s landing page editor tool has 7 customisable sections to attract your audience’s attention and convince them to apply. You can customise all the text boxes, change colours and fonts, and add your photos and custom application forms to make applying as easy as possible. Without the help of a designer or a web developer, you can build a landing page for your recruitment project in half an hour.
Why turn a job advert into a landing page?
Once you know the most important arguments, you have to decide on how to present them to your audience. Our number one recommendation is a landing page. Landing pages are widely used in sales and marketing for generating leads, and if built professionally, they deliver results.
Using a landing page as your job advert will allow you to express your arguments in a more detailed and emotional way. Information will be presented in a very structured way, in sections, supported by good design, which will ensure that it is easy and enjoyable to read.
You can also fit more information about your offer on a landing page, compared to a single image ad. And still keep it engaging and easy to follow.
Conclusion
So, write a job advert, not a job description. If you post a job description and expect it to behave like a job advert, you won’t get the results you are hoping for. Creating attractive and modern job adverts that will distinguish you from your competitors and support your employer brand, is not a hassle anymore. Use the landing page tool by Teamdash and see it for yourself.
