How to Write Job Postings that Are Highly Effective

Many employers hardly know how to write job postings. And most times highly effective job postings are a rarity. Hiring employees is a challenge small businesses face, but the perfect fit is not as far away as you think.

10 times out of 12, firms conduct interviews for applicants from online sites and sources. These are very cost-effective ways of hiring great talent so this is a good time to utilize online sites to get your job postings to your ideal candidate.

This post helps you understand how to make your job postings stand out and also gives you some tips on writing a converting job posting.

But before that, why should you even bother with crafting job postings since you will be drowning in so many applications?

You don’t want people that will grate against your company culture and style. I’m sure we all have stories of those employees who never seem to understand anything, no matter how long you explain.
You cannot afford to attract unproductive applicants. This will ensure you spend precious resources hiring and firing at random.
You don’t have that kind of money to waste on recruitment expenses.
You don’t have the energy to sift through unqualified candidates until you find that one qualified candidate. We understand this can be mentally and physically exhausting, that’s why we’re offering to take up your recruitment and staffing processes.

It is important to write job postings carefully because it is the first impression your future employees may have about you. It would be much more productive to have a few perfect fits than a hundred “let-me-just-try-my-luck” applicants. (Say it in your most Nigerian voice). The trick lies in how you craft your job postings.

So how can you make your job postings stand out to your ideal candidate?

Be Specific

It will save a lot of time if you are specific about who you want to hire and what qualifications they should have. It helps you to have an initial picture in your of your ideal candidate. From then on it becomes easy to put everything else together and write in such a way that the particular persona you are targeting will be drawn to it and apply.

For example:

If you have to fill the post of social media manager, you’ll be looking for someone who understands social media marketing. Their personality is also a very important part of your search. When you are crafting a job post for this position, you will then have to make your language lively. Your target candidate can easily see this as a job they are fit for.

Be Clear about your job description

What do you expect your candidate to do on this job? List skills you want them to have. What experience do you require them to have? What qualifications must they have? If you require a certain competence to employ them, say so.

Be clear about your job post

Try to avoid complicating your job posting by using very highbrow industry jargon for a certain post. Many times, these names could be lost on the majority of your ideal candidates. The point is, for you to ensure that you employ the right candidate, ensure that you are using the most popular name for that job spot.

Be clear about your expectations

Let your applicant know what the position entails. E.g., if your post entails them working remotely, putting in 6 hours of work every day, let them know. If it’s on-site work and you need them to be living within a specified area, do say so.

How to write a highly effective job posting

A summary of the job: Sum up the role you are looking for in the first paragraph. Here you talk about what position you want to fill, and the major responsibility(ies) of that position. For example, “We’re on the lookout for a social media manager to increase our social media presence, establish authority and ultimately increase sales”.

This social media manager already knows that they have to show their previous results. Those without this result are likely to stay away.

A description of the position and requirements: List the most important skills and requirements first.

An explanation of the specific duties involved: Here, remember to be as detailed as possible, so that your candidate has a better understanding of their duties.

An overview of the company and what the company has the potential to do for your ideal candidate: These could be opportunities for career expansion, travel opportunities, networking opportunities, anything you feel will incentivize your ideal candidate to say yes and apply. At this point, it should be noted that including salary range in a job posting is dependent on your preference.

A clear single call-to-action: Avoid giving them the option to apply via different means. Some job ads on LinkedIn leave the button for “easy apply” open and still ask to have a mail sent to their recruiter. Choose only one method so you can keep track of all applications.

In the end, knowing how to write job postings that are highly effective might appear very inconsequential, but it is instrumental to attracting the kind of talent you would be proud of.- one that represents your organization to the fullest.

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