A job announcement is truly the gatekeeper to top talent, and many organizations inadvertently keep highly qualified candidates out by not investing time into creating a great one. The next time you have a position open up, instead of recycling the same announcement that’s been circulating in your organization, use these tips to write an announcement that wows and inspires someone to apply because they simply can’t miss out on this opportunity.
Nail the title: A title is often one of the most overlooked yet important aspects of a job announcement. Before someone even opens the job announcement, they are scanning titles to make a split-second decision if the position is what they are looking for. It’s worth it to do extensive research on the experience you’re looking for and current titles held by your target candidates.
Focus on what’s in it for them: There is a business acronym that you may or may not be familiar with, WIIFM, that stands for “What’s in it for me?” that is helpful to use as a filter when writing your announcement. Keep the focus on inspiring candidates to apply because of the ways you are going to better their career and talk about what is in it for them: the impact they will make in this new role, how it will propel their career forward and the collaborative opportunities that are waiting for them at your company.
Be engaging: You have about five seconds, perhaps even less, to capture the attention of a potential candidate so that they are intrigued to learn more about your company and open position. Write a unique introduction that hits on what they are missing in their current position and/or career to pique their interest, whether they’re looking to make a move or not. Don’t be afraid to take a more casual approach here, but remember to maintain a professional tone. It’s all about balance.
Get to the meat quickly: In an employee-driven market, job announcements are a dime a dozen and that means candidates are reading a ton of them. Everything starts to sound the same. Don’t waste their time by packing fluff in the announcement and instead hit on the most important parts: what capabilities and skillsets are needed, responsibilities of the job and, most importantly, the way this position will better their career. This means giving extra attention to benefits, compensation and company culture.
Keep it simple: You may think that packing your job announcement with buzzwords and jargon makes your position sound extra appealing to qualified candidates, but the reality is that this could have the opposite effect. Job seekers are savvier than ever and can typically see right through wordy announcements that don’t say a whole lot. Worst of all, they may not even take the time to navigate through a complexly worded announcements. Keep things simple.
Be precise: The more specific you can be about what the job entails and who you are looking to hire, the better your search is going to go. Sure, you may eliminate some candidates by getting down to the nitty-gritty, but this will save you both time by only bringing in highly qualified talent that fits your needs.
If Avanti can assist with your job search or help you hire high-impact talent, please drop me a line! [email protected]
