A job posting is not a job description. It is an advertisement, and, in many cases, it’s the first contact a potential candidate has with your company. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so here are some tips to write job postings that make good matches.
Key Components of a Job Posting
All good job postings include all the key information important to potential candidates. Experienced candidates review job postings with a critical eye, and missing information is a red flag. Every job posting should include:
- An accurate and specific description of the role. Remember that job titles can vary tremendously from company to company, country to country, and industry to industry. Terms like “product manager,” “QA specialist”, or “project Manager” may sound specific, but, in fact, they can describe extremely different roles. Be clear about leadership and supervisory responsibilities, daily activities and necessary skills, and how the position interacts with the rest of the organization.
- A description of the benefits. The benefits of working for your company are both tangible and intangible. Tangible benefits might be vacation packages, discounts and perks, schedule or location flexibility, etc. Intangible benefits might be meaningful work, opportunities for personal and professional growth, mentorship, culture, and other advantages of working at your company.
- Information about the job site and location. A 2019 survey showed that more than 50% of candidates consider a job’s location more important than the salary. This makes sense when you factor in the time and expense of a daily commute and all the quality of life issues involved in where work is located. While a good job posting does not need to cover this information in depth, it is essential to include it.
- A salary range. In the US, more and more states are passing laws that require salary transparency in job postings. In the EU, the Pay Transparency Act went into effect in 2022, and full implementation is scheduled for 2024. Disclosing salary ranges in job postings has several important effects:
- Sets expectations for high-level talent with specific salary requirements
- Discloses to current employees the rates being offered to new hires
- Improves fairness and equity in payment by reducing inequality based on previous salary, candidate expectations, or candidate’s negotiating tactics
- Organizational values. Hiring candidates who share your company’s core values is the best way to ensure a good match. Likewise, a study in London showed that 98% of employees wouldn’t work at a company that doesn’t share their values. Because values are so important, they need to be included in the job posting, to identify bad matches immediately.
Although you may habitually omit some information because it is not important or relevant to the position or for your company, your job posting should still specifically mention all these factors. Although they may not be a priority for you, they are a priority for candidates, and help your job posting connect with the right people.
Writing an Effective Job Posting
An effective job posting does more than simply list all the information above. When writing the post, here are the best practices to keep in mind:
- Write an effective headline. Your job posting headline should communicate more than just the job title, and capture the attention of your desired candidate. In most cases, this is the job title and a 2-4 descriptive words about the candidate and company (“experienced product manager for busy software startup” or “global automotive brand seeks development team lead”). A good headline will allow candidates to swiftly determine whether the role might be a fit for them, and include terms that are easily searchable.
- Provide clear application instructions. A job posting is a form of advertisement, and every good advertisement is clear about what the engaged reader should do. If the candidate needs to apply on a specific site or page, include a link to the page (instead of directing candidates to search your site), and make sure that your systems (auto-responders, etc) are functioning correctly.
- Proofread. Mistakes and typos are incredibly unprofessional, and may accidentally mislead candidates. It is always important to have your job postings read by another person before posting them. A second pair of eyes will catch errors that are difficult to see in your own writing and will help you put your best foot forward.
Today’s top companies know that it’s not enough to just create a good job posting and publish it, waiting for the right talent to come along. To recruit the top candidates, you need a recruiting partner who knows the industry and marketplace to actively seek the best matches for you. For more information about how to take your recruitment to the next level, contact grapefrute today.
