Written by Leigh Foster

Writing a good job advert should be the foundation of your hiring process.  It doesn’t matter how many job boards or social media platforms you post on – If you can’t attract candidates and tell them why they should apply, you will not get the quality or quantity of applications you’d hope for…

Below are a few tips on how to write a good job advert that will attract great candidates who are relevant for the role.

Before you even attempt to write an advert it’s important that you have held a detailed briefing call, asking as many relevant questions as possible to paint a picture and ultimately sell the role to your candidates.  It’s also key not to get too many stakeholders involved as everyone has their own agenda on what the perfect hire looks like – It’s ideal to get input from a team fit, culture and values perspective and then another from a technical/skills requirement.

• The job title – Today, job titles can be strange. Think about what candidates will be searching online.  It’s all about the SEO-optimisation in the advert to ensure it shows up in the right searches.  You may not get it right the first time, there’s no harm in trying different variations.
• Introduction to the business - Applying for a job is an instinctively aspirational thing, so ensure you inspire them as to why they should work for your company.  What is exciting about your company?  What makes it a great opportunity?  Every company is different, tell them what is different about yours.
• Role and responsibilities – For me, one of the most important parts of the advert. Before applying for any job a candidate will want to see whether they are the right fit for the job or not, but also is it going to develop them?  Will it be challenging?
• Qualifications and skills – Go back to the notes you wrote down from the briefing call… If there are absolute deal-breakers don’t be afraid to put that in the advert. You want to ensure you are getting the right calibre of candidate that is a good fit for the role.  Don’t be ambiguous!

Hopefully the above gives a good foundation of how to write that job advert which attracts your potentially perfect candidates, but if you would like Pertemps Managed Solutions to assist feel free to contact us on 01189500580 or hello@pertempsmanagedsolutions.co.uk.