Three common mistakes to avoid when writing a job advert - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

Three common mistakes to avoid when writing a job advert - Viewpoint - careers advice blog The time has come for you to hire for a new position within your department, and you are keen to attract the best talent possible. You have a clear image of the ideal recruit from their industry experience and expertise; to their personality, professional conduct and cultural fit. Whilst you can use these ideals as deciding factors during the interview stage, how can you make sure you get right calibre of candidates through the door in the first place? It all boils down to your job advert. The job advert is the first and maybe last impression job seekers will have of your vacancy. This is the point where they will decide to either start working on their application, or close the tab and move onto the next one. Unfortunately, many hiring managers fall at the first hurdle.   Although they may have the assistance of HR or a recruiting expert to help draft the job advert, only the hiring manager has the inside knowledge on what type of candidate is needed for the team, plus the selling points they can mention to position the company as an employer of choice. So, where are hiring managers going wrong when writing a job advert and what can you learn from their mistakes? Mistake #1: The job title is misleading Think about the function and seniority of the role, and use these for your job title, for example Junior Brand Executive. The suitable applicants will be searching for these key words, and this is the only way to ensure that your advert comes up in their search. This simple trick will drive more relevant visitors to your advert. Yes, this sounds obvious however some organisations will advertise elusive or misleading job titles like “Brand Architect”. Whilst this organisation is looking for somebody junior to help manage the brands within their organisation, they might attract someone too senior who is used to directing a brand strategy, or even some architects typing in this keyword. Another example could include somebody advertising the role of “Account Manager”.   Again, whilst this organisation is actually looking for a Junior Sales Executive, this listing will come up in the Accountant’s or Manager’s job search. There are some companies that take it one step further and come up with wackiest title possible with the hope of catching the candidate’s attention. Once again, job titles which aren’t not clear on function and seniority, i.e. “Social Media Superstar” or “Website Wizard”, will cause the advert to rank beneath and therefore gain less traction than ads for a “Junior Social Media Executive” or “Senior Web Analyst”. In all of these examples, the recruiter runs the risk of driving irrelevant traffic and possibly even applications to their advert, meanwhile the relevant job seekers are viewing the ones which use simpler, clearer language. In short, if you want your job advert to appear in the early search results of your desired applicant- keep the title simple, keyword rich and reflective of function and seniority. Mistake #2 â€" Your company doesn’t sound compelling When describing your organisation, it is easy to just include the core aspects like location, company history, services and products and so on. Although  this information is essential, you also need to think about the factors which make you the employer of choice. Any talented, well suited job seeker will quite likely have a number of options in front of them. Why should they come and work for your company? Remember to include the below, in order to give your organisation a competitive edge. Industry standing: Are you leaders in your field? Do industry bodies come to you for expert advice? Are there any PR highlights or accolades that set you apart? Direction of the company: What’s next for your organisation? Do you have any strategic objectives? Are you growing financially and geographically? Benefits: Are there any great benefits that come with working for you? Do you offer employee shares schemes? Corporate discounts? Private healthcare? Pension schemes? This sort of information can be a deciding factor for jobseekers choosing between you and your competitors. Don’t lose out because you have undersold your company. Mistake #3: The job specification sounds uninspiring A brilliant organisation will certainly help attract the right type of job seeker; however, the role itself is what they will truly seal the deal. A savvy jobseeker will want to be able to picture their day to day life at your company and answer the most simple but important question of all -“will this move make me happy and fulfilled?” You can answer this question by including the below information. A typical working day: Whilst you can outline the core roles and responsibilities bring the job specification to life by describing a typical working in day in the role. Which processes and workflows will the employee follow? What is the line of reporting?   If possible, talk to the current person doing this job and ask what they think are the best or most vital aspects to include. Their team: Who will they be working with and how would you describe the culture of your team? Are they friendly, sociable, supportive, fast paced? This is particularly important describing the workplace culture will help you to attract applicants who would integrate and collaborate well with your team. Their purpose: How does their role fit into the wider objectives of your business? It is important that the job seeker is able to understand what the purpose of this role is on a larger scale. This can really spark their enthusiasm for the opportunity to make a difference somewhere. Progression opportunities: Any high calibre job seeker will also be considering how this role will enhance their career. What are the training opportunities here? Will you help them to manage their progression and objectives?     Is there the possibility to travel or work overseas? In today’s global job market, many employees say they would want to work abroad at some point during their career, so this could be make or break for some jobseekers. Happiness and fulfilment is essential for both the job seeker and you, as the hiring manager. If the job seeker accepts a role where they feel unhappy and stagnant in their career, this will affect both their performance, wider team morale, plus their loyalty to the company. Therefore, by including the above, you are deterring this type of job seeker and attracting the right ones. In conclusion there are some common errors that hiring managers make when writing a job advert, from creating a misleading job title, to omitting important information about the benefits, company and the role.   By following the above advice, you will not only avoid these mistakes, you can also ensure that you only attract high calibre-well suited job seekers to your advert and hopefully, the interview room. I hope you found this blog useful.  Here is some related content which you may enjoy: How to ensure your candidate enjoys their interview How to recruit a purple squirrel (and other hard-to-find creatures) 8 hiring mistakes that could cost you big Prioritising personality in your hiring process How to get the most out of psychometric testing To promote internally or to hire externally? Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em Share this blog: