Don’t Copywrong, copywrite!

It can be a struggle getting the right people to apply on your job ads. Sometimes this can be a market factor, but a lot of the time it can come down to how your job advert is written.

Believe it or not, focussing on what you need for the role may actually put people off applying for your ad. To attract job seekers you need to start thinking like one. The more requirements or essential attributes puts up more psychological barriers between potential applicants and the position you are wanting them to apply for.

Not sure where to start? Check out these top tips about how to write a job ad that attracts the right people to your role.

1.Use Job titles that are keyword specific

When it comes to job titles, people searching on Google, Indeed or job boards will search for jobs with exact keywords – so this is a place where you should temper your creativeness. Forget “Ninja”, or “Guru”, you will probably get lost. Being too creative or unspecific about the job may limit your chances of coming up in search results.

Be literal about the job. Once the person see the ad you are then in the positon to capture their attention, and keep them interested.

2.Begin your ad with 3 top reasons why someone would want to work with you.

These could be things such as positive points about the location, the remuneration or salary package, culture and other unique benefits. These will help you to standout and give potential applicants a reason to apply with you and not someone else.

I.e.

Competitive Remuneration
Skip the traffic in our West Auckland Location
Career Progression Opportunities

3.Summary that is positive and structured

This is the meat of the ad where you list what the person will be doing, where they fit in the organisation and some essential skills or experience they need to be appropriate for the role. You can be more detailed here, but be careful not to waffle on.

The point of this section is to sell that position, and make the candidate think “yes, this sounds like me”.

A good way of doing this quickly is structuring this information into bullet points and sections. For example if you are listing the functions of the role, bullet point them. This makes your message clear, and makes the ad easier to read.

4.Finish your ad on a positive note

Many job ads finish on a requirement of applying or with the generic line such as “only shortlisted candidates will be contacted”. If you’re a business trying to encourage applications from as many people as possible, using this format is a big mistake.

Finish your ad with one more point detailing why someone would want to work with you, then invite them to apply.

I.e. “We are a growing business with opportunities for you to earn a competitive salary as well as take your career to the next level with training opportunities. If this sounds like an opportunity you’d be interested in send us your application today.”

Don’t forget that you need to explicitly tell people looking at your ad how you want them to apply. I.e. Apply now via our careers site, or provide a specific email address with instructions detailing what information and documents they need to supply.

If this still sounds like a lot of work, why not get in touch with Big Splash. Our team of expert recruitment copywriters can assist with tailoring you a great job ad that gets the right candidates.

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