If you typed the role, you are looking for into a search engine, you’re probably going to find thousands of similar roles advertised, offering the same as you. So, how do you stand out? What’s going to make a candidate apply for your role, instead of the other hundred similar ads on the page? It all starts with the advert so take time to get it right.

Job adverts are a vital part of the recruitment funnel. However, if your adverts aren’t hitting the mark, they can seriously impact your overall percentage of hires which will have a serious impact on the bottom line. Losing money on ineffective job adverts is literally throwing money out of the window, so, nailing your adverts is something you can’t ignore. 

In this article and video, we’ve included the top five tips all recruiters need to know before writing a single job description. Keep reading to memorise these tips and improve your hiring process for good. Let’s dive in. 

1. Keep Your Word Count Small

When looking for the ideal candidate, writing more rather than less can be tempting. After all, if you want a perfect match, shouldn’t you explain every detail to ensure they know what you’re looking for?

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case!

It’s better to keep your word count to a minimum. A short and sweet advert reduces confusion and helps candidates look for keywords. 

By keeping it concise, it also encourages candidates to open up a conversation with you face-to-face,

To help you keep it brief, imagine you have to pay for every word you use. You’d have to scrutinise every word to make sure it conveys exactly what you want and isn’t just fluffy filler. The less, the better!

2. Focus On ‘You’

Recruiters write about “us” rather than “you” on job adverts. This is another super easy mistake to make, but it can cost you views and applicants in the long run.

When applicants read a job advert with “you” rather than “us,” it instantly changes their perception of your company and the role. It puts them in a position of power and helps them imagine being in the job role. This leads to better engagement and a personal connection before they even apply.

3. Don’t Be Afraid To Be Different

Every job is different. So, why are most job adverts so similar? 

Again, it’s easy to fall into the trap of providing a cookie-cutter job advert and job description. Many recruiters are even guilty of basing their adverts on their competitors rather than creating something unique that truly represents the brand and role.

You can shake this mindset off by thinking of job descriptions as a window or snapshot into life in the role and at your company.

Don’t make it look dull like the others. Take the chance to show off your dynamic atmosphere and why it’s so exciting. 

Doing something different also makes it more likely to catch the attention of passive candidates who don’t know what they want. An out-of-the-box advert catches their eye and shows them what you’ve been searching for. 

4. Do Your Market Research

Market research is fundamental to all job adverts, as it guarantees your job advert targets the correct audience.

For example, your market research should look at where the job role is positioned and what your competitors are doing. 

Sometimes, market research can highlight that competitors or your audience even have a different name for the job role. Without the research, you’d never know this and miss out on being seen by top talent. 

Doing your research can also reveal that for the particular role you’re trying to fill there is a concentration of specialists in a particular location. Knowing this information can help you write job adverts with location-based keywords to attract people outside of your standard area, and then you can help them consider relocating for the role or explore commuting. 

So, take a few hours and check out the market and competitors. 

5. Advertise Your USPs

Every role has USPs (unique selling points) that make it unique. But sometimes, job adverts fail to show these off. And if you’re not showing off the highlights of the role, how will potential hires see how excellent it is?

Maybe you have training programmes to help hires expand their skills. Perhaps you have amazing progressional opportunities in place. If it benefits your hires and will make your job stand out, it needs to go in the advert.

Show your candidates what their future could look like with you. 

Bonus Tips: 

Take A Copywriting Course

Did you know expert copywriters offer quick courses just to help recruiters create effective job adverts? 

That’s right. These brief courses supercharge your writing skills and help you understand the formulas that create successful adverts every time.

With practical examples, new thought processes, and professional feedback, copywriting courses provide recruiters with skills they can use throughout their careers. 

Free Advertising Tools

Don’t forget to utilise free job advertising platforms that you might have overlooked. Leveraging platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn and blog posts  for job advertising can help reach a wider audience and attract potential candidates. 

Using these platforms creatively can also make your job listings more engaging and appealing as you have far more freedom to design them.

The Conclusion: Don’t Focus On Yourself – Sell To Them

In a sea of hundreds of boring adverts, you need to pivot your message and sell yourself to them. Show how your company is different, provide an intriguing snapshot of company life, and ensure you include the job’s perks. 

Remember, the potential candidates have scrolled through hundreds of adverts saying, “We’re a leading specialist in…” 

Stop writing the job advert based on yourself. Flip the script and focus on the candidates to revolutionise your results. You want them to see a personal future with your company.

Tune into our Job Adverts video to hear more about the job advert process. 

Or skip to our Knowledge Hub and continue learning about recruitment strategies.

Easy Tech provides bespoke end-to-end temporary recruitment software to help you optimise the hiring process. We take control of the recruitment process with a CRM module, ATS, bookings and T/S, payroll, accounting, and credit control, allowing you to focus on providing excellent services while saving time and resources. We specialise in a variety of industries, with our healthcare recruitment software, manufacturing recruitment CRM, teaching agency recruitment software and more.