Why do job ads suck?
If you’re in recruitment or HR, chances are you’ve been churning out poor ads for years. You probably don’t believe they really work. You’ve been taught to do it a certain way, following a playbook that’s been passed down since the internet’s early days.
When job boards dish out that advice, they’ve got a very clear, self-serving goal. Get loads of people hitting apply. That juicy traffic pays the bills for them. But for you, more applicants means the more unsuitable folks you have to shift through and reject, which only distracts from finding the people you want to hire.
So why is your job ad failing to reach the right people?
Information overload.
You’re presenting candidates with a ransom note of demands. You’ve stuffed in every keyword the job board recommends, hoping to top the search results.
The problem is, that list is so boring and convoluted, even you won’t read it to the end. So why would your applicants bother?
Instead, they skim. They see a job and think, “Yeah, I did a bit of project management that one time. I can get to that location. I need to pay my bills. I’ll apply.”
And just like that, you’ve got a flood of unsuitable applicants.
Your job ad’s job is to sell. So why not try it?
Imagine if a coffee shop sold their latte the way most recruiters advertise jobs:
“Now serving – INCREDIBLE latte. Must have taste buds capable of distinguishing complex flavor profiles. Must possess ability to hold hot beverages without spillage. Must have sufficient funds for purchase. Must be able to transport self to our location during operating hours.”
Are you sold?
For an industry so focused on sales, we’ve really lost sight of what it means.
So, here’s what you do instead:
- Grab their attention with a strong headline. Make it stand out from the endless scroll of “seeking motivated self-starters”.
- Build interest by speaking directly to what candidates want and need. Use this to qualify the right people (and disqualify the wrong ones).
- Create desire by clearly showing what’s in it for them. Be specific. Stick to facts.
- Make it easy to take action. Encourage the right people to apply.
Don’t try to cram every detail of the job description into your ad. That’s not its job. Save that for later, when you’re sending out JDs to your shortlist.
Will this completely stop irrelevant applications? No.
But it will make it more likely that the right person applies. And they’ll do it sooner.
That means more placements. More efficiency. Music to any recruiter’s ears, whether you’re agency or in-house.
And if you still get those off-base applications?
Take the time to reject properly. Give useful feedback. It might just save you (and them) time in the future.
If you’re ready to post job ads that actually work, hit us up. Because your next great hire is out there, and they deserve better than another regurgitated job description which hasn’t been updated since 2002.