More than 1.6 million results are rendered when you Google “how to write a job ad” – eluding to the fact that many people are unsure about how to approach it. 

Most job ads start with telling you boring stuff about the company and then move straight into everything you have to do, have to know and have to be so that you’re eligible for the role. This approach is far from optimal – it immediately disengages potential candidates and may even result in them bouncing from the job ad or simply skimming over it. 

You don’t want either of those things to happen. Instead, you want to engage high-performing potential candidates to apply for your role – so write the job ad accordingly! 

You want to be telling your applicants a story… Showing them you care about them and telling them why they may be interested in joining your company. Your job ad should extend far beyond the usual details like job title, location, an indication of daily tasks, KPIs and salary range. 

This is particularly important given that 48% of candidates have no prior knowledge of your business, empowering you to leave a great impression on them through the job advert you create. 

DO: 

• Describe the kind of person you’re looking for. 
• Provide an overview of what a day in the life of the person who takes on the role will look like. 

• Tell the truth about potential challenges associated with the role (without too much detail – whatever you say, be authentic). 
• Briefly introduce the company and talk about the journey it is on. 
• Give an indication of what kind of person the successful applicant will be reporting to and share more detail about the team and culture. 
• Explain to them why other team members have joined. 
• Highlight what makes your company unique 

DON’T:  

• Only talk about the business without sharing what’s in it for the candidate 
• Have a long list of requirements 
• Copy and paste previous ads without tailoring the advert to the specific role 

• Make the job ad too long  
• Forget to include a salary range 

To Sum Up  

Now that you’ve gone over the main steps of how to write a job ad, it’s always a good idea to step back and look at things again. Keep your ad succinct and direct with a clear message, so don’t go over 700 words. Make sure your job applicants get a response back by focusing on making this advertisement more of an advertisement than a description. You may attract excellent candidates and top talent with a decent job ad. It’s now entirely up to you.  If you would like more support with creating compelling Career pages, download our E-Book.