A well-crafted job posting has always been a crucial part of the recruiting process. With more and more companies shifting job postings from print to the Web, the need for quality job postings is even more critical. To effectively advertise an open position, you must include more than three lines that just cover the nuts and bolts of the position; you need to dive into the details and sell the position to candidates.
Online job seekers expect more information out of a job posting. The space constraints of a printed ad do not apply to online ads. You need to think like a candidate when writing a job posting, so make sure to include all related keywords and answer necessary questions. If you post an ad created for print online, your online posting will look weak and unpersuasive when compared to other postings. In addition, it could also bring about questions as to the legitimacy of your company and the posting.
Below are some tips to follow each time you write and post a job online-no matter if the posting is on your company's website, a client's website, or an online job board. These tips will help improve your postings so you can attract more of the right candidates to apply for your open job requisitions.
Add Keywords
Job seekers primarily search for job postings by keyword. This means it is important to enter the right keywords in the job title, description, and requirement sections. By adding the applicable keywords, your job posting will appear in the most relevant searches, which will help you attract quality candidates. If you are looking for a call center representative, some potential keywords to consider include: call center, customer service, inbound, outbound, problem solving, representative, and bilingual.
Choose Job Titles Carefully
Make sure your job titles are clear and succinct. This is your first chance to tell candidates about the job, so ensure they understand the job title the first time they read it. Titles such as "Make More Money Now" do not work because job seekers think jobs with these titles are not legitimate. Think like a job seeker: Use a title you would search for if you were looking for that type of position. Spell out the title completely to be sure it is simple and easy to find in a search. If you name a job posting "assistant to the vice president," one job seeker may think this job is for the person in charge after the vice president while another candidate might think it is an administrative assistant position. This is a big difference, which is why clear titles are so important.
Use Abbreviations Properly
Add value to your job posting by including an abbreviated title within the posting to complement your spelled out title. This is recommended only if you are using titles that have widely recognized and frequently used abbreviations. Some job seekers will use the acronym or abbreviation to search for a job. If your job posting includes a common abbreviation for a key duty or the title of the position, it will help with the frequency with which your job will appear in relevant searches. If you are searching for someone to do computer-aided design, you want to include the acronym CAD in your posting at some point, for example.
Watch Punctuation Usage
Conventional punctuation rules do not always apply in job postings. Depending on where and how candidates are searching for jobs, your posting may not appear in a search if you enter punctuation that is unfriendly to certain search engines and tools. For example, most search technology ignores commas, semicolons, periods, questions marks, and other common punctuation symbols. However, some systems will not ignore slashes, dashes, or even parentheses. So if you want to enter a keyword or title such as Human Resources (HR) Administrator, make sure you enter a space after and before each parenthesis. Otherwise, if a candidate searches for HR, his or her search results may not include your posting because the search technology does not recognize the parentheses as part of the word. If you use a hyphen or slash in a posting, you should also include a space before and after these symbols.
Add Compensation
Add pay or compensation to a job posting to increase applications. If you have a client that does not want you to disclose the annual salary or hourly pay, ask if you can at least give a pay range. If the client does not want to give a pay range in the posting, develop a strong benefits statement. This lets the candidate know what to expect. Adding compensation is especially recommended when the salary you are offering is higher than the industry's average salary.
Structure Your Posting for Easy Reading
Job seekers have limited time to spend reading job postings. An easy-to-read job posting directs the job seeker through the posting quickly and effectively. Using HTML, bullet points, italics, underlines, paragraph breaks, centering and other formatting features will help create postings that are reader-friendly and highlight the most important points of the job. Including your logo, photos, or even colored text, when possible, will also persuade more people to read your posting. Remember, this is an advertisement that not only has to grab the attention of a candidate but also keep the candidate's attention throughout the posting.
Michelle Spellerberg is a Marketing Manager at CareerBuilder.com. She can be contacted at 773.527.3630, or by email at michelle.spellerberg@careerbuilder.com.
