First impressions matter, we mean it. In your never-ending talent hunt for your organization, creating captivating job postings is one skill you as a recruiter must be adept with.
A job posting is an invitation for your future employee. The job description and other details that you sprinkle in it serve as the candidate’s first interaction with the company. The talent pool in the market estimates your company culture and assesses their interest to apply for the opening by taking a glimpse of a job posting. Thus, writing impression-making job postings that stand out is a crucial skill every recruiter should master.
The length, tone, and details when you write a job posting matter, and they will determine whether the candidate clicks “Apply” or “Back”. This article will guide recruiters on how to write a job posting that stands out.
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Strategies to write a job description
A job posting should be clear and precise. It should neither be too long nor too short, neither too quick nor too boring. Here are some crucial aspects that you need to consider while preparing a job post.
Focus on Job Description
Similar to how recruiters look for applicants that best fit their company’s needs, candidates, too, judge their candidacy through the job description to see whether they can try applying or not. Standard, detailed job descriptions are 500 to 800 words in length. Keep in mind that applicants will use mobile screens too for reading job postings.
Tip: Break the job description into small paras and include many sub-headings and bullet points for enhanced readability.
How to write a job description?
Explain these in the job description:
- What is the job about?
- What will the candidate be doing on a day-to-day basis?
- What kind of responsibilities will they be handling?
Tip: Go beyond a list of skills and explain precisely what they may need to perform with that skill.
Some other questions which you should incorporate in the job description are:
What does the company stand for?
Candidates who are hearing about your company for the first time will need to see this to get some perspective. When you write a job posting, you may include a brief history of the company, the major clients or projects, and what the company’s goals are, or in which direction it is moving.
Tip: Keep it short and crisp, around 3-4 lines.
What does the position include?
This section will talk about the position and their fit in the company: What is the position about, and what are the responsibilities of its holder?
What will the person be doing in their 9-to-5 work routine?
How will they support the company in its goals?
Tip: For example, if the job posting is for a communications manager, then this section will include information about the role that a communications manager plays in the company.
What value does your company adds to the employee?
More often than not, candidates do not apply only for the money. Many applicants seek a flexible, respected, and comfortable working environment in addition to opportunities to learn and grow.
Tip: Mention how your company will help employees grow in their professional terms too. This will attract enthusiastic candidates who want to create a positive impact on the company that is signing their pay check.
How it feels like working in the role?
Laying this part out for the employees helps them envision themselves at their company and put their best foot forward in the application.
Tip: Include testimonials from past employees who worked in this role.
Other details
This section includes compensation, contact details, and steps to apply.
- Some companies do not wish to reveal their salary range, and that’s fine. However, giving a suitable range of your budget will help in narrowing down the applicant’s number.
- If the company has a dedicated link to an application portal, here is where you should mention the link when you write a job posting.
Tip: Some job descriptions also contain the contact information of the hiring manager. That would work as well.
Also Read: Virtual Onboarding Best Practices
Additional strategies for writing effective job postings
Include specific keywords
Job postings might be on a job search platform will be many in number. Candidates will only notice your job posting if it lands in their feed. By adding precise and relevant keywords to the job posting, the likeliness of your job posting being viewed by targeted candidates will be more.
Tip: Include specific keywords and expectations. Mention “Software developer with 2 years of experience” rather than “Software Developer”.
Add catchy phrases in job postings
Job postings with catchy phrases create a striking impression on the job seeker.
For instance, candidates are more likely to notice a job posting that mentions, “This job helps you build what you are good at” rather than “we are hiring” (which may sound too cliché!!)
You can try other catchy phrases for job postings as given below:
- “Work in a place where your team values you.”
- “Love challenges? Then we love you.”
- “We are not looking for job seekers. We want change makers!”
- “We never force you to think out of the box, because we don’t believe in the concept of box in the first place.”
- “Come join us in reshaping the future”
Sample job postings
Ex: Job posting for Software Developer
Who we are?
____ is a private company that offers a range of software solutions to clients worldwide. We take pride in creating solutions that are optimal and effective. Our team of 50+ developers is diverse and welcoming. By the way, our staff loves the healthy lunch that we provide in our office!
Who you are?
You are a dedicated, hard-working software developer who loves to code. You enjoy puzzles and figuring out the best solution to a problem.
About the position
This job posting is for a software developer Stage 1 position at the ____ company at its headquarters in Maine. The position is remote for now but may shift to being in-person depending on public health regulations.
We would prefer candidates who are in the area or are willing to move to this state for work, but if you feel you are a good fit for us, then please feel free to reach out. We are willing to accommodate your needs.
What will you do in this role?
- Interact with clients to understand their requirements and deadlines
- Initiate the programming workflow
- Perform data analysis with Python.
- Communicate with team members on the deadlines and necessary daily routine
- Keep in constant touch with the clients to ensure timely deliveries
Minimum qualifications
- Bachelors in Computer Science or Information Technology from an accredited university or a foreign degree or equivalent credentials.
- At least two years full-time working experience as a software developer in a medium or large firm.
- Proven experience of coding in Python. R is a plus.
- Excellent communication skills.
If you feel you are the right person for this job, please share your CV or Resume with Geff Nkloy at gnloy@ourcompany.com.
Also Read: Recruitment trends 2021
Job posting examples for social media
Facebook job posting example
A job posting for Facebook needs not to be as descriptive as the one we shared above. Facebook job postings often contain a link to a more detailed description on the company’s website or other job portals.
Thus, when you write a job posting on Facebook, here is what you should include: a catchy headline, a short description, and a call-to-action link.
Example
Are you a communications graduate looking to make a direct impact on your community? If yes, our job posting may be of interest to you.
____ is hiring an assistant communications manager at its Maine office. The position is full-time, for a contract of 24 months with possible renewal if it is of interest to both parties. The position pays $65,000 per annum including benefits and sick leave. We prefer local candidates, but anyone with the right skills and attitude is welcome to apply.
We look forward to hearing from you! Please click on this link to apply to this position on our portal: [include a link here]
LinkedIn job posting example
When you write a job posting for LinkedIn, it can be a detailed description as we shared earlier in this article. You may or may not include a call-to-action as LinkedIn provides “Easy Apply” or “Apply” button based on your settings.
Tip: To ease the application process, include the “Easy Apply” option through which the candidates can directly apply on LinkedIn without navigating to a different portal.
If you want to have all the applications in one place, include a detailed job description and the name and details of the point of contact.
In the end, include a link to the job posting where the candidates can apply on one interface. You may choose from any of the two types of postings given earlier in this article.
Sample Job Posting for Twitter and Instagram
Twitter has a limited set of characters, so the job postings must be short and crisp.
Instagram is known for images; so, a catchy, inclusive image is a must along with the job posting. Also, include a short post about the job within the limited set of words in the description.
Most companies that are hiring include the link to job descriptions in their bio as well. This helps candidates to navigate to the applications page.
This link must be present in the bio since Instagram does not allow clickable links in the post description. Many companies also share job openings in their stories and statuses to increase reach.
Example 1
Want to work as a communications manager in a small but growing team? Apply now!
You can also make your job posting more straightforward noting the character limit. Include a one-line description and the deadline for submission of job applications.
Example 2
_____ is hiring a communications manager in its Maine office. Applicants must submit their profiles by September 5.
So, what’s your strategy to write a perfect job posting? Share your comments on our social media.
Who are we?
Cloudely Inc. is a trusted staffing partner for global technology and healthcare companies. With our knack to handpick candidates that suit business needs, we have a proven expertise in catering to your staffing solutions. To know more about how we can fill your staffing needs, please get in touch with us hello@cloudely.com. Follow us on Social Media: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, to receive updates.
