7 Steps for Writing Effective Job Ad

when unemployment is low you may find yourself having trouble attracting top candidates to open positions at your organization if you're a hiring manager in this situation your first step is to ensure that the job salary benefits work environment and potential for advancement are all competitive as possible for your industry and location with those items in place there's another piece to the puzzle that can make a huge difference in reaching your ideal candidate a great job ad welcome to HR over coffee a video series from the experts at HR 360 where you will learn how to effectively hire manage and terminate employees [Music] all too often the job ad is not given proper consideration in fact it's an essential component of your recruitment and marketing efforts and worthy of your full attention your employees are your most important investment and you want to reach a strong applicant pool in an efficient manner in a tight labor market you're both buyer seeking to hire a qualified candidate and seller looking to promote your business as a great place to work a well-written job ad will serve both purposes and save you from wasting valuable time on candidates who simply don't fit the bill begin with the job title and make it talk you have a tiny window of opportunity to capture the attention of a candidate viewing dozens of postings at a time a descriptive title will help you stand out from the crowd build in critical information to the job title for example instead of simply saying Java developer opted for something more informative such as senior Java developer for high-growth company in New York City this title delivers a considerable amount of information and can motivate potential applicants to read further next showcase your brand your organization's image market position values and culture major contributors to your brand include being specialists in a particular industry or service area company size and location awards or recognition or unique aspects of your corporate culture third describe the job and the qualities you're seeking and applicants include an overview of responsibilities as well as requirements for the position such as skills and experience education or special certifications remember to add details such as whether the position is full-time or part-time where it's located and salary information it is acceptable to use a phrase such as salary commensurate with experience instead of quoting actual figures in order to complete this step you'll need to refer to a well-developed job description if you haven't yet developed one consider using a job description builder such as the interactive app available online at HR three-sixty calm next provide clear precise directions on how to apply outline specific steps such as emailing a resume calling a phone number or linking to your website's recruitment portal be explicit as to what the candidate should include such as a resume portfolio a completed application form or verification of professional certifications a candidate's ability to follow your instructions is your first screening tool and if you're looking for a detail-oriented applicant here's a tip within your job posting include instructions to copy and paste a specific line such as attention to detail is a very important part of the job in a cover letter or email if the candidate includes this sentence when applying you know they actually have paid attention to detail if they omit it well you can wheat them out instantly your next task proofread and when you've done it do it again and then ask a colleague to take a look you don't want to post a job with inaccurate information or spelling or grammatical errors it won't reflect well on you or your company also keep your ad legal and ethical observe all Equal Opportunity laws for example you can't state that you want to hire a person of a specific gender or race likewise avoid language like looking for recent grads that might run afoul of laws against age discrimination and employment be realistic and honest don't make promises you can't keep it may wind up serving as the basis for a lawsuit for example if you promote that you have very little turnover and most people stay with the company for many years you may have inadvertently created a situation which could interfere with your rights under employment ad will to terminate the employee lastly post for maximum efficient response use the standard job sites such as Monster Careerbuilder and indeed specialized industry publications and websites and even Craigslist and local media outlets if appropriate evaluate each outlet on the audience it reaches relative to your target applicant pool and be sure to categorize the position correctly when posting also leverage your personal industry connections by distributing the job ad through your own personal network thank you for joining us today to discuss how to put together an effective job ad to learn more about recruitment hiring and employee management visit us online at HR 360 com