Are you making the most of your job advert?
Is your job advert not receiving the response you were expecting? If so, there may be some ways to improve your advert and increase applications…
Your job advert is the first impression jobseekers will have of your business and of what it will be like to work for you, so it’s important that you get it right. Use the 6 questions below as a checklist when creating your advert… Don’t hold back – sell the role, sell your company and sell the opportunities to make those jobseekers apply!
- Is your job title one word?
Don’t just make your job title one worded! Add as much information in the job title as possible, this will grab jobseekers attention and also help Google index your job listing. What does the job tile, ‘Cleaner’ mean to you? Help generate more applications by expanding on the title ‘Part time cleaner required in Shoreham-by-sea’ – remember, the job title is the first thing they see!
- Skipped the Salary?
Not mentioning the salary on your advert can lead to a lower overall response rate; a lot of jobseekers like to know what they could potentially be earning before making the decision to apply for a role. A competitive salary can also act as an attraction factor and could lead to a larger number of jobseekers applying for your role.
- Are you being too specific?
Including a long list of must have skills can often be off putting to jobseekers. There is a great statistic regarding behaviour of men and women when applying for a vacancy. Men are likely to apply for a job when they meet 60% of the requirements but women only apply if they meet 100% of them, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Following this, if you are getting a lower response to a job advert than you were expecting, try removing some skills or expectations. If you can teach these things on the job, you could see the applications for the vacancy increasing.
- Is your advert boring?
Job adverts that are one long paragraph of information can be boring to potential jobseekers. Use short, to the point paragraphs and bullet pointed lists to make your advert more appealing. Have you added a company logo to your advert? Putting your logo onto your advert will make it stand out from other vacancies amongst the job board. If you have a meet the team page on your website, you could always add a link to your advert to give jobseekers a look at their potential work mates!
- Are you using keywords in your advert?
Make sure you are using keywords and including the job title and location in your job advert. Not only will keywords make your vacancy sound more exciting, they will also increase your likelihood of your vacancy getting a better ranking in Google and other search engines when jobseekers are searching for a job.
- Are you confusing your jobseekers?
Are you using language that would only make sense to internal/experienced staff? Using specific language can often alienate jobseekers from applying for a job they may well be qualified to do. Also think about how you are selling your company – Is it clear what you do? Giving the jobseeker a clear idea of what your company is makes it easier for them to picture themselves working for you.
