How to write a job ad that gets results

The new year is underway and thousands of employers are now flooding job boards and social media with job opportunities. If you’re one of them, you need an effective advert that stands out from the competition and entices the best candidates to apply to you.

In this blog, we look at the basics of writing a great job advert.

Ready to get started?

1. The candidate is the Hero

Your marketing team will tell you that buyers listen to ‘Radio WIFM’: What’s in it for me?’ Nowhere is that more relevant than in the current job market and ads that get applications through the door these days are candidate-centric. Think less ‘situation vacant’ and more ‘Uncle Sam wants you!’

2. Write a headline that sells the sizzle

When faced with dozens of responses to their online search query, the job title/headline needs to impress the reader with a sense of immediacy and sell the position and/or company in a few short words. Make them want to click!

When using social media, such as Facebook, you have 125 visible characters (truncated after that) in the post description to go beyond the job title itself, so make them count! What will make a ‘passive jobseeker’ (someone who isn’t actively searching for a role) want to find out more when they see your advert on their feed?

And remember to do your research when it comes to which job titles you’re advertising under. Most sites are now keyword activated so it’s critical to use words that people are commonly searching for. Using internal jargon will result in your advert not being found by candidates. (If you’re not sure what the common search terms are, your friendly Big Splash account manager can help. Click here to call.)

Here are some examples:

For a Factory Store person/Operator

Not a morning person? We have a fantastic opportunity to join our afternoon crew.

For a Window Tinter

Make the move to a company that's going places. Permanent, full-time role with excellent $$ and company car.

3. Write body copy that your ideal candidate will find irresistible

A recruitment ad usually has 4 sections and these will vary in length depending on the media you are using. A full advert on your website or a job board will use more words than a short LinkedIn or Facebook post, and if someone is seeing this advert on your company page, information about who you are and what you stand for should already be there. However, these are the things candidates want to see and remember, we are giving them what they want!

Who we are – Fun fact: response rate to ‘blind’ adverts and bland ‘our client is…’ recruitment agency adverts are rarely as high as those listed by the employer themselves. That’s because candidates usually care about the values of the firm they work for and search for work where they are aligned.

Sell yourself! Tell them what you do, what you stand for and where you’re going. But keep it short, remember THE CANDIDATE IS THE HERO. This process needs to be is less about you, and more about why THEY want to be with you.

Who you are – Make it clear who you are looking for in a new employee. What experience, education and personal qualities would be a good fit?

Hint: If your ideal candidate reads this section and thinks: ‘Yes! I’d be a hero in this role', then you’ve got it right.

What you will be doing with us – Give an overview of the job purpose and list a couple of key tasks. Don’t do long list of bullet points with every last detail. Remember this is an advert to entice, not a position description.

Hint: if your advert says… ‘and other duties as required by management from time to time’, you’ve gone too far.

What you can expect from us – candidates love to see the remuneration package (in fact, that is the number 1 thing they want to see), but other aspects such as growth, travel, promotion and work atmosphere count too. Put this up the top, front and centre. If you can weave some ‘WIFM’ into every second paragraph, even better.

Examples:

“We reward your hard work with excellent bonuses”

“As part of our valued team, you’ll enjoy 6 weeks leave a year and staff discounts”

“Above Award rates + training + rosters to suit you”

Now you’re ready to craft your advert, feel free to check out our other employer resources.

Or, why not ask one of our team of skilled copywriters to weave magic for you? For just $95+gst, we can take your position description or an old, unsuccessful advert and turn it into gold. Click here to find out more.

Back