8 Tips to Write Great Job Ads That Reach the Right People 

It’s time for you and your hiring team to produce a job ad. You may be brainstorming ways to craft a clever one that reaches individuals with talent and skills applicable to your job posting. These tips can help attract great candidates:

  1. Understand the target audience. Know what interests and drives your target audience, so you can tailor the ad to reach them best based off word choice, focus, and by appealing to their emotions. You’ll find candidates more invested in your company if they can understand your goals and values and see if they align with their professional goals and values.

  2. Introduce your company. I know from my own experience that often during job searches, we find ads from companies we don’t know much about or maybe even never heard of before. Share details about your company to introduce job seekers to what kind of team they’d be joining. We want to learn about you just as much as you want to learn about us.

  3. Keep the job requirements clear, concise, and short. This may be the most important one. So many job ads have a long list of what the job requirements are—so much so, most people probably don’t read them all. Be as concise and clear as possible when describing what you expect from the candidate should they be hired. This avoids recruiting average talent from great talent, as the candidate is less likely to be confused on what will be expected of them and will have a better understanding if they’re the right fit for the role.

  4. Describe the benefits of the job. People want to know what makes this job desirable. Tell them. How do your employees impact the lives of your customers? Are your employees participating in something bigger than themselves, something that’s working towards a common goal that will make the candidate feel professional fulfillment from the job?

  5. Share more about the salary range and benefits. Pay and benefit packages largely impact if people are interested in your job. Being more transparent with this information will attract the right candidates.

  6. Use keywords. Being thoughtful in choosing language that directly applies to the position your advertising will draw in people who are specifically looking to fill the role, based on matching skills, experience, and requirements the job demands. For instance, including a word like “editing” will attract someone who has had editing experience or is looking for work that includes editing skills. Someone without that experience or who does not desire to participate in that kind of work will be less likely to apply, increasing applicants who are talented at what you are looking for.

  7. Avoid bias. Try to utilize language that is inclusive of people from all different backgrounds and stray from phrases that may appeal to any of demographic of people more than the other (e.g. men, Americans, etc.). Talent is diverse and inclusive language will encourage talent from all different backgrounds to apply.

  8. Remind the candidate why they should apply. The candidate’s attention might be pulled in different directions after reading each part of the job posting. Quickly remind them why they should apply\.   

Job advertisements are wonderful in reaching new people for the job. Acquiring great talent from those you attract through the job posting is achievable by taking these tips into consideration!

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available are for general informational purposes only. 

Nexxt is a recruitment media company that uses today’s most effective marketing tactics to reach the full spectrum of talent – from active to passive, and everything in between. Learn more about hiring with Nexxt.

This article was written by Michaela Coll.
Michaela Coll is writer, editor, and consultant. During her free time, Michaela likes to write poetry, blog posts, and creative short stories, some of which you can find on her Linktree. When she’s not writing or reading, you can find her snuggled up with her cats or dogs.

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