How to optimise your job adverts

5 top tips to help you secure top talent with outstanding job adverts

When advertising to attract new talent, it is vital that you have a steady flow of applicants viewing your job adverts, to maximise your chance of securing the perfect candidate. There are a number of ways in which you can ensure job seekers come across your adverts and firstly, you need to get into the mind frame of the job seeker to make sure your job adverts are seen. From initial ideas, to writing and posting job adverts, you need to keep your audience front of mind, continually asking, what can I do to turn a job seeker into a candidate? We have compiled our 5 Tops tips to boost the number of candidates who see your job adverts

Provide core information

Job seekers provided with core information can make a decision quickly if the job role is suitable. Without this information potential candidates may avoid applying or have to get in contact to ask for this information which prolongs the recruitment process. Core information also increases your exposure to candidates by increasing the number of job alerts your advert fits into. We suggest you provide your candidates with this core information: Job Title: Check your job title is something your candidates would search for - What is your role more commonly known as? Brief description: Clear and concise description of the role and responsibilities Include a salary: Using a salary can increase visibility of your job advert Hours: Include numbers of hours and contract type; Job seekers include or exclude vacancies from their search based on number of hours and whether it is full or part time Location: Use a centralised location; you want to reach a wider bracket for further exposure to candidates and allows candidates to work out their commute distance

Catch their attention

A great way to make your job advertisements stand out is to catch the attention of job seekers. This could be through an appealing job title, the list of benefits or creative copy-crafting throughout the advertisement. During a job search, job seekers will come across many different job vacancies from a variety of companies, therefore it is crucial to set your vacancy apart from the rest of the job pool. However, job titles do need to be relevant and easily understood. “Human Resources Ninja” might sound like a cool job title, but your candidates will not be searching for this online. You need to think what the job seeker would search and find appealing when looking for your role.

It’s time to go mobile

Did you know over 60% of jobseekers search and apply for jobs on their mobile devices? Optimisation is key to ensure you don’t miss out on those candidates applying through a mobile device. Mobile friendly content is ranked higher in search engines and on some job boards, so it is essential to have a fully functioning, mobile optimised careers site. Also, let’s not forget posting on social media to catch these tech-savvy job seekers.

Culture, Culture, Culture

You are not only selling the role to the job seekers but the employer brand too. Consider the reasons you applied for your role and incorporate into your advert, if relevant. Get creative and use visuals to get candidates staying longer on your advert learning more about the role, your business and importantly your cultural values. Try not to focus on the corporate blurb… job seekers can find this out for themselves.

Put yourself in the candidates shoes

Job descriptions should be more than a list of required qualifications and requirements. Candidates want instant gratification when reading a job advertisement. Consider the reasons you applied for your role, was it the chance to work with a national brand, the free breakfast on a morning or the growing team in your department. Think about what extra information you can share to stand out. A very common phrase used in job adverts is “competitive salary and great benefits”, which could be looked over by potential candidates, especially when they have read the same thing on every advert they have viewed. Instead of this: Competitive salary and great benefits Try this: We offer a first-class salary and superior benefits package; - Bonus scheme - Flexible working hours - Childcare vouchers - Employee discounts The second job description sends a better message across to the job seeker, which is more appealing and provides more information to entice a job seeker to apply for your role. When you follow these tips, more job-seekers will discover and consider your jobs roles. With an increase in the right candidates, you will have an increasing talent pool to choose from to help grow your business. Check out our IRIS networx products for more information and guidance about maximising your vacancy performance.