A good job ad is the bedrock of your hiring process. It does not matter how many job boards that you have posted your job advert, if you can’t give job candidates a reason why your role is worth applying for, then your job advert may not be getting the applications that it needs.
Job candidates form their first impression of your company from your job adverts. Research by CV-Library states that: “… (20%) job hunters revealing that they’d be put off applying to a role with an unclear job description”. This is why you have to put in the effort to make sure your job ad is clear and easy to understand.
In this article, we are going to show you how to write a good job advert that will ensure you receive only relevant applications for your position(s).
When you have a job vacancy that you would like to fill, most times you already have a picture of the kind of employee you want to hire for that particular position. It is not enough to have an idea about your ideal candidate, it is about knowing what your ideal candidate wants.
Just like a salesperson, you have to study your target audience to know how to reach them with your product/service. As an employer, you have to learn everything you can learn about your target candidate. You should know:
These questions will help you get some information about things that your target candidate will love to hear from their dream employer, and most importantly how you can show your target candidates that your job advert is one they should be looking at.
Researching your target candidate will help you write a good job description that will sell both the position and your company and at the same time to ensure you attract candidates that will be a great fit for your company.
Just like you find different contents online, your job adverts should be easily found in search result by candidates looking for that kind of job.
You can research the queries that your potential candidates will be using when searching for a job like yours online, then tailor your job title accordingly. You can increase the visibility of your job advert by including the right keywords in your job titles.
The truth is that every day, the level of unemployment especially in Nigeria leads millions of people to search for jobs online using loads of keywords (different keywords based on the result they want to get). This is why you need to write search-friendly job titles especially if you want to advertise your job online.
In trying to make your advert(s) attractive, be careful not to overdo it and get unnecessarily creative with your job titles. Avoid describing your positions with words like Ninja, bender, etc.
For example, you have an open position for a graphic designer, don’t call your graphic design position “image bender”, “manipulator”, etc.
Always make your job title reflect what exactly you are looking for. You should also know that the experience level of candidates could influence the keyword they use when they are searching for jobs online.
For example, if you are hiring for a mid-level graphic designer, you can consider using words like; specialist, experts, etc. Therefore, your job title can be something like graphic design specialist, graphic design expert, etc.
If you are hiring for a more advanced position, you could consider using words like director, coordinator, etc. So your job title can be something like creative director, creative coordinator.
Ensure your job titles are keyword-friendly as that is what candidates will be searching for.
It is good your job advert opens with your company summary. This should not be more than one paragraph that gives the candidate more information about your company. When we talk about adding a company summary to your job advert, we are not talking about adding your “about us” to your job listing.
Your company summary should give vital information about your company that your target candidate will be happy to see and at the same time help your target candidate see why the company needs him/her on board.
If you run a recruitment company, you should not just write your company name, maybe when the company was founded, the kind of services that you offer, your location, etc. These are not the kind of information that will attract a candidate (maybe it can work for a client). Candidates want to know about the kind of team that they would likely be a part of.
See this example of a company summary for a recruitment company that is looking for a content developer to join their team:
Myjobmag.com is a Nigerian based online job listing and recruitment platform that puts today’s most pressing unemployment and candidate sourcing challenges in Africa at the center of its operations. We provide verified job adverts to millions of people in Africa searching for employment as well as helping both small and large businesses find great talents for their open positions. We have provided solutions for our client for more than a decade, and now we need someone to help us develop contents that matter most to our customers.
Writing your company summary like this will help your target candidate resonate with your company. It will also help the candidate understand the values of the company and how they can be a part of it.
Your job advert should start with an overview of the job role. The overview of the job role should be short and straight to the point. You should quickly explain the benefits of the job and let your target candidate see how they can fit into the big picture.
People always want to feel like they are valuable and that they are a big part of the company’s success by making them know the impact of their work.
If you are hiring a content developer, explain the effect that what he does will have on other people and your customers in general. What will the position do?
Example
As the content developer for myjobmag.com, you will create HR and job search-related articles, infographics, and eBooks that build audience engagement. Your goal will be to provide our reader with useful content and at the same time promote our product and services. Your success will expand myjobmag.com reach _helping millions of unemployed people in Africa land the job of their dreams and helping millions of organizations find great talents – while simultaneously helping you develop your brand as a specialist in our space.
Make sure your benefit is as simple and clear as possible
Now that you have gotten your target candidates attention, you can go ahead to the section that most job candidates search for “benefits package”.
As much as job candidates look forward to reading the benefits segments, you should also make sure you represent your benefits the right way. Craft your benefits in a way that the candidate imagines the benefits and it is not just something written on your job adverts.
For example, instead of having something like this;
“Free lunch”
You phrase it this way:
Developing content for myjobmag.com can be exhausting sometimes, thanks for the free lunch and tea breaks.
Example
At MyJobMag, the top-notch services that we provide to our customers require our employees to put in a lot, this is why we give so much in return. In addition to your competitive salary, we offer you some benefits:
Outfits: You can wear anything you want to the office (so far it is clean and smart) and feel as comfortable as you would love to be.
Work flexibility: 3 times in a week, feel free to skip the commute while you hit and surpass your target from home.
Location: On the days that you need to be in the office, you will get to the office without stress, all thanks to the accessible location of our office space.
The job requirement section is one section that mostly scares job candidates, ensure your requirements are clear and realistic. Make sure you keep it short so you don’t scare potential candidates and ensure you give the needed information so you don’t attract unqualified candidates.
Looking at the sensitivity of this section, you should consider putting this section in the middle of your job adverts so that the candidates’ see other sections like benefits, company summary, etc.
Example
You don’t need to have all the experience in content development to be considered for this position, you need to have the following:
Experience: At least 2 years experience in a similar role. (preferably a background in HR and recruitment)
Education: A bachelor’s degree in English, communications or similar fields.
Skills: You must be a good writer, someone who knows how to create a clear, concise, and compelling message. You must understand the basics of an easy job search process and value-adding HR solutions.
Characteristics: You should be able to work independently, be self-motived and self-sufficient. This role is a creative role, which requires that you keep an open mind to receive criticism and feedback about your work.
The job responsibilities section of your job advert is “the job” itself, the day-to-task that the target candidate will do. As much as this section shows the nitty-gritty of the role, it can also spring up excitement in a passionate candidate if it is well written.
Using strong and fitting verbs to describe each responsibility will make these responsibilities appealing to your target candidate.
Example
As MyJobMag’s content developer, you’ll meet the needs of our customers by experimenting, researching and learning on the journey as you go on. On your journey to grow MyJobMag’s reach, you’ll be responsible for:
Crafting informative articles that our audience can’t wait to read.
Designing beautiful infographics that are informative and sharable.
Producing value-adding Ebook that our customers can download.
Creating the perfect job advert may not be easy, but with these tips, we know it will be a breeze for you. Now let us look at a sample job adverts.
POSITION: CONTENT DEVELOPER
Myjobmag.com is a Nigerian based online job listing and recruitment platform that puts today’s most pressing unemployment and candidate sourcing challenges in Africa at the centre of its operations. We provide verified job adverts to millions of people in Africa searching for employment as well as helping both small and large businesses find great talents for their open positions. We have provided solutions for our client for more than a decade, and now we need someone to help us develop contents that matter most to our customers.
OVERVIEW
As the content developer for myjobmag.com, you will create HR and job search-related articles, infographics, and eBooks that build audience engagement. Your goal will be to provide our reader with useful content and at the same time promote our product and services. Your success will expand myjobmag.com reach _helping millions of unemployed people in Africa land the job of their dreams and helping millions of organizations find great talents – while simultaneously helping you develop your brand as a specialist in our space.
BENEFITS
At MyJobMag, the top-notch services that we provide to our customers require our employees to put in a lot, this is why we give so much in return. In addition to your competitive salary, we offer you some benefits:
Outfits: You can wear anything you want to the office (so far it is clean and smart) and feel as comfortable as you would love to be.
Work flexibility: 3 times in a week, feel free to skip the commute while you hit and surpass your target from home.
Location: On the days that you need to be in the office, you will get to the office without stress, all thanks to the accessible location of our office space.
REQUIREMENTS
You don’t need to have all the experience in content development to be considered for this position, you need to have the following:
Experience: At least 2 years experience in a similar role. (preferably a background in HR and recruitment)
Education: A bachelor’s degree in English, communications or similar fields.
Skills: You must be a good writer, someone who knows how to create a clear, concise, and compelling message. You must understand the basics of an easy job search process and value-adding HR solutions.
Characteristics: You should be able to work independently, be self-motived and self-sufficient. This role is a creative role, which requires that you keep an open mind to receive criticism and feedback about your work.
RESPONSIBILITIES
As MyJobMag’s content developer, you’ll meet the needs of our customers by experimenting, researching and learning on the journey as you go on. On your journey to grow MyJobMag’s reach, you’ll be responsible for:
Crafting informative articles that our audience can’t wait to read.
Designing beautiful infographics that are informative and sharable.
Producing value-adding Ebook that customers can download.