How to Write a Job Advert – A Guide to Attracting Your Dream Candidate

Crafting Effective Job Adverts that Attract Your Ideal Candidates | The Revise Way

Australia’s recruitment landscape is evolving rapidly, and attracting the right people for your vacancies has never been more difficult. A well-crafted job advert is a powerful tool in the recruitment process that enhances your company’s brand and when done right, will appeal to your ideal candidate. It shouldn’t be left as a low priority item in your hiring process. In this blog, we’ll guide you through the best practices in writing an effective job advert that will help you find that ‘needle in a haystack’ candidate.

Understanding Job Adverts

The first step in writing an effective job advert is understanding its role and how it differs from a job description. A job description is an internal document outlining the day-to-day responsibilities, it will include technical terms and jargon that only you may understand, whereas a job advert is a public advertisement designed to clearly promote the job and attract candidates that match the skills you’re looking for. The job advert should give a great overview of the role and highlight why someone should work for your organisation.

The Essential Elements of a Job Advert in Recruitment

Job Title: Using simple language and industry standard titles, without jargon or internal titles, ensures your job advert appeals to job seekers on a variety of platforms including Seek, Indeed, Google and  LinkedIn. It’s essential to think about what job title your target candidate would be searching for as their dream role.

Selling Points: Highlight what makes your organisation a great place to work. This could include your company’s culture, employee value proposition (EVP), the dynamic team they’ll be joining, or growth opportunities within the role. This is where you can really shine a light on your organisation and what an amazing opportunity this is.

Job Summary: Write a paragraph that succinctly gives key information about the role. Use short sentences and verbs that convey action to give an accurate depiction of the position. Keep it intriguing, true, and straight to the point.

Salary: Always provide the salary where you can, if not the exact amount a remuneration range will help to attract applicants with your budget. A study by LinkedIn showed that 70% of professionals will want to hear about salary in the first message from a recruiter. In addition to this, another LinkedIn survey found that 91% of candidates stated that the inclusion of a salary range would impact their decision to apply, so give the people what they want!

Location: Be specific about the job’s location. Also, mention if there’s a remote work option. It’s a no brainer, in the new era of work this transparency can attract potential stellar applicants from a wider geographical area.

Job Details: Use bullet points to outline the responsibilities, qualifications needed, and potential for progression. This transparency helps potential candidates determine if they are a good fit for the role.

Taking Your Job Advert to the Next Level – Beyond the Basics

Aesthetic Appeal: Consider the visual presentation of your job ad. Use of colours, infographics, or even appropriate emojis can make your ad stand out in a sea of text-heavy postings. Remember, your job advert should not only be informative but also attractive and engaging.

Brand Personality: Inject your company’s personality into your job ad. This can help you resonate with candidates that align with your values and culture. Use language that reflects your company’s ethos and vibe. Are you a fun, energetic startup? A serious, mission-driven corporation? Reflect this in your writing style and choice of words.

Use of Imagery and Multimedia: Including images, videos or even virtual tours of the workplace can offer a rich, engaging and informative experience. These visual elements can help to create a vivid picture of what it’s like to work at your company, and it can make your job ad more memorable. This is especially important in an era where job seekers are increasingly demanding more transparency about working conditions and company culture.

Employee Testimonials: Providing testimonials or quotes from current employees can offer authenticity and credibility to your job advert. It allows potential candidates to hear directly from people who are already in similar roles, offering them a glimpse of what their future could look like at your organisation.

Interactive Elements: Consider using interactive elements in your job ad, such as clickable links, Q&A sections, or even short quizzes that can give potential candidates more insight into the role and company. This interactive approach not only enhances engagement but also allows candidates to self-assess their fit for the role.

By incorporating these additional elements into your job advert, you can elevate its effectiveness and appeal, resulting in a more diverse and qualified pool of applicants.

Contextualising Your Job Advert

Add context to your job ad to attract the right candidate. Provide an overview of why you’re hiring for this role. Is it due to organisational growth, or are you filling a skills gap? This information gives job seekers insight into your organisation and can influence their decision to apply.

Transparency in Job Adverts

Transparent job adverts that contain no fluff are key to attracting passive candidates who might not be actively seeking a new job but are open to great opportunities. Describe a ‘day in the life’ of this role, give measurable objectives for success, and assert why a highly skilled candidate would want this job. This allows the candidate to imagine themselves in the role, and decide if the shoe fits.

The Role of Employee Benefits and Remuneration

In today’s competitive job market, highlighting the benefits of working for your organisation (also known as your Employee Value Proposition EVP) is crucial. Are there training programs, flexible work options, or an impressive suite of benefits? Showcasing these employee benefits can entice prospective candidates and make your job advert stand out from the crowd.

Take, for example, a standout benefits package in Australia that might include:

1. Career development initiatives like training programs, mentorship opportunities, and regular performance reviews for professional growth.
2. Flexible work options, such as the opportunity to work remotely, flexible working hours to maintain a work-life balance, or ‘compressed hours’ which allow longer days but fewer of them.
3. Superannuation contributions above the standard 10% requirement, providing employees with a greater financial security in retirement.
4. Additional annual leave allowances, such as an extra day off for birthdays or ‘volunteering days’ to participate in community service.
5. Family-friendly policies like paid parental leave, childcare support, or ‘family days’ where employees can bring their children to work.
6. Comprehensive health and wellness programs that offer gym memberships, mental health support, and regular health check-ups.

Nowadays, leading companies are offering much more than just a competitive salary. Showcasing these employee benefits in your job advert can entice prospective candidates and make your organisation stand out in a crowded job market.

How Do I Identify My Ideal Candidate?

Outlining the qualifications and character traits of your ideal candidate will help you to attract the right people. Create an ideal candidate persona, considering the qualifications, skills, and personal attributes that your dream candidate would embody. Consider the following candidate persona for the role of an Events Coordinator:

Candidate Persona: Dynamic Events Specialist

Demographics

Location: Sydney or willing to relocate

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Event Management or a related field

Professional Background

Experience: 2-3 years in corporate event planning or coordination

Skills: Excellent multitasking and organisational abilities, strong communication skills, ability to thrive under pressure, adept at building relationships with diverse stakeholders

Preferred Industries: Non-profit, Public Relations, Marketing, Events

Psychographics

Values: Professional growth, industry standards, ethical practices, diversity and inclusion

Motivations: Passion for event planning, interest in professional development opportunities, desire to work in a non-profit setting and contribute to industry standards

Challenges: Maintaining high-quality service under pressure, coordinating national events, balancing various tasks simultaneously

Behaviours

Job Search Channels: Seek, LinkedIn, industry-specific job boards, referrals from professional network

Decision Influences: Opportunity for career advancement, flexible working options, company culture, opportunity to travel and manage events on a national scale

By creating a candidate persona like this, you can tailor your job advertisement to appeal directly to this ideal candidate, making it easier to attract and recruit the right people for your vacancies.

Crafting an Effective Call to Action

Conclude your job advert with a clear call to action and how you want them to apply. Encourage potential applicants to “Apply Now” and provide an email address or phone number for those who want to reach out directly for more information. Include if you are interviewing immediately and if there is a closing date.

How to Write a Job Advert – The Revise Recruitment Way

To illustrate these points, consider our job ad for a National Events Coordinator position. This ad avoids jargon, uses simple, industry-standard language. The ad highlights the organisation’s collaborative culture and the role’s potential for career progression. It details the day-to-day activities, skills required, and the attractive remuneration package. It also includes bullet points outlining the responsibilities and necessary skills and qualifications for clarity and easy reading. Aesthetically, this ad is appealing, eye-catching and on brand. We would then share this ad on platforms like LinkedIn and Seek with further details on the company and opportunity in the caption to target our ideal candidate persona.

Allow Revise Recruitment to Take the Hiring Stress Away

Crafting an effective job advert requires a mix of transparency, concise details, and appealing factors about the company and the role, so don’t be afraid to inject some personality into the advert that reflects your company’s values and mission. To attract great candidates, keep your language simple, and be clear about the requirements and benefits.

If you’re looking to recruit, use these guidelines to enhance the quality of the candidates that apply to your role. And, if you need any support along the way, or would like to hand your recruitment process over to an expert, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today!