Writing an Effective Online Recruitment Advert - As published by JVP on Recruiter.co.uk

October 2014 saw the number of advertised jobs overtaking the number of jobseekers for the first time since the recession. For many jobseekers your online advert will be the first interaction they have with your company and brand, so it needs to be a positive one. It was estimated a total of 936,596 adverts were published online in October 2014 alone, according to Recruiter.co.uk. So when writing and publishing your advert it needs to be well written and appealing to stand out from the crowd. 

- Inform and attract relevant talent

- Discourage irrelevant candidates

- Increase recruitment efficiency 

- Promote your employer brand

To attract the best talent it is imperative that your job adverts are well written, here are a few points to consider when advertising online;

Each advert should connect with your target audience through the type of language, expression and motivation you use. The tone and style of the advert should effectively communicate with your target audience. 

Avoid using internal or vague job titles. Stick to job titles that jobseekers are likely to be familiar with and therefore search for. Job boards partly work on a keyword relevancy basis and having an appropriate job title is key to making sure your job is easily found by desired talent. Being specific and keeping it relevant saves time for both job seekers and hiring personnel.

In order to attract the best talent, choosing the right content is crucial. Your advert is your product, the readers of your advert are your potential customers. The aim of the job advert is to attract interest, communicate quickly and clearly the essential (appealing and relevant) points of the role and requirements, highlight the rewards and benefits, and to provide a clear response process and mechanism. There are 3 key areas to consider here; 

- Provide a good overview about your company and the culture; consider the reasons somebody would want to work for your business. Limit to short clear sentences, avoiding industry jargon. 

- Include an overview of the role, the description may be as simple as a few sentences or a list of bullet points (preferred for ease of reading). Jobseekers should be able to gain a general understanding of the day to day duties by reviewing the list (avoiding assumptions based on job titles). Begin the list with the most important responsibilities and duties.

- Identify the most important and essential experience, qualifications, skills and attributes required and place these in order, again ideally as a bullet point list and under a requirements header.

As previously mentioned, job boards work on a keyword relevancy basis so think of the terms your ideal applicant is likely to use when looking for such a position and be sure to use these throughout the advert. 

Include a salary wherever possible. Candidates are more likely to apply for a position if they know the salary guide; it provides reassurance that they can afford to take the risk of leaving their current role for yours. If the salary is uncertain or negotiable provide a salary band and state ‘negotiable dependent on level of experience’. Failing to provide a salary guide will affect the search ability of your advert online and response quality. Also, don’t to forget to mention other benefits offered such as any bonus scheme, annual leave entitlement, free onsite parking, contributory pension, life insurance, flexi-time, regular social events organised etc.  

If you’re unsure of the legal dos and don’ts when writing an advert make sure you take the time to look them up or seek professional advice. As an employer it’s your responsibility to ensure your advert is not discriminatory. Even simple phrases such as ‘requires a minimum of 2 year previous experience’ could have implications under ‘Age Discrimination Laws’. For more information refer to the Equality Act 2010: guidance

Be clear and concise; avoid jargon, acronyms, internal phrases and symbols (these can translate poorly online), don’t make it too long or too short, use bullet points and headers for ease when reading.  Remember to include key responsibilities and requirements for the role but don’t just copy and paste the job description and person specification!

Be clear how applicants are to apply, provide an email address for submitting CV’s and cover letters. List a phone number if you prefer to be contacted over the phone. 

Published by: Cath Harrison, JVP Group

Published Date: 25th February 2015