Whether it is an employer market or candidate market, the number one priority is to attract the right candidates to your job vacancy. Being too broad in the description could see you receiving droves of non-related applications whilst presenting uninspiring, boring descriptions of roles and ideal candidates may give you nothing.

Writing a professional add is best left with professionals, however there are a few basic rules to make your advert attract good candidates. Using the WIIFM method (What Is It For Me) is simple and will give a better than average chance to capture the right candidate.

Who is your target – Identify who is the right candidate to fit your vacancy not just by the skills you are searching for but also the culture they need to fit into. Use language that your ideal candidate uses. For example if you wanted to make sure to reach Generation Y, you could include SMS abbreviations. Probably no one else will understand it, but that’s exactly the point!

Innovating Headline – You need to have a catchy headline, people look at job vacancies that will stand out from the rest. By displaying the right catch-line you will have people wanting to read more. Most online job boards also include a teaser text. A job position is not always enticing hence a few more innovative words could catch people’s attention

Interest and desire – Emphasize what’s unique about the position/company. People want to work for great employers and are generally not motivated to get employed with ordinary and boring organisations. All job seeker wants to know “what is in it for me”. This is the time to shine and let them know of the rewards, benefits and the culture they will have by joining your company.  Consider saying ‘imagine yourself’…. However, make sure your statements are credible. Positions that sound too good to be true will only attract dreamers.

Forth Coming – Make it an urgent call to action so people apply to your vacancy before they apply somewhere else. After building information in an interesting way and creating Desire, you must prompt an urgent call to action. Your job advert should follow this step by step format to be effective. Consider saying, ‘Apply now before your dream job disappears’. ‘Call or SMS now for more info’  ‘Go to our website and apply now’. Also consider making it easy for jobseekers using a phrase like, ‘All you need to do’
If you don’t have a sense of urgency, why should they?

Move to your target audience –Place your vacancy where you are going to attract your audience. Imagine yourself being the candidate. For example, if you’re running an ad for a sales manager for an IT company, your audience may look under ’sales’ not IT. Also think on what job boards you would be most likely to find your ideal candidate and utilise other way of advertising such as local papers and social media.

So think before you advertise and place your add where your audience is.

Author: Vlasta Eriksson