Before writing a job posting, companies must consider what an ideal candidate looks like and what they have to offer them. The job market is not slowing down anytime soon, so employers and job seekers can be particular about what they’re looking for and what they can offer in return.
Once you solidify your wants and needs, it’s time to consider attracting top talent. Job seekers have more leverage now than ever, and many other companies post similar jobs daily. To improve the recruitment process and stand out against the competition, companies must understand how to write an effective job posting and make it pop.
What is a job posting?
A job posting includes a job description, but it goes much further than that. Like a job description, job postings explain the responsibilities, requirements, qualifications, and how to apply for the job. The key difference between a description and a posting is that a job posting also tries to sell job seekers on the opportunity. Because job postings get featured on a company careers page, job boards, and staffing agency websites, they must hook applicants and be able to stand on their own, no matter where they are.
Highlighting training and development opportunities, skills required, benefits and compensation, and a reason for the opening helps job seekers understand a company’s culture. Clear, creative, and informative posts help companies attract more qualified applicants in a shorter amount of time. From there, it should be easy to attract top talent and make sure they apply.
Why is writing an effective job posting important?
A key strategy to attract top talent, job postings effectively introduce your company and team to job seekers. Think of it as a public advertisement and first impression for your company – how would you like to introduce your brand to future employees?
Creating the perfect job post for an open position helps companies reach their goals faster. An effective job posting can improve the recruitment process, brand reputation, company culture, and performance. These benefits help companies focus on the future instead of wasting money on a mediocre recruitment process.
12 Tips for writing a job posting
Curious about how to write a job posting? Here, we highlight the twelve best tips for writing an effective job posting. When followed correctly, these tips help companies recruit top talent, cut costs, and brand themselves as employers of choice.
1. Write an engaging lead
Applicants are busy, so you must hook them quickly with an engaging lead. The first sentence or two of an effective job posting features a powerful slogan about the position and company culture. Including one to three benefits about the position and the official job title piques job seekers’ interest and encourages them to keep reading more. Remember to be clear, direct, and specific.
2. Describe and sell the job opportunity
It may seem obvious, but an effective job posting needs information about the open position. Help job seekers visualize themselves in the role by outlining daily responsibilities, goals, and required skills (including soft and hard skills). But don’t list every skill and responsibility. Instead, choose a few enticing features that summarize the role well.
3. Highlight company culture
At Top Workplaces, we love talking about company culture. The backbone of employee engagement, a great company culture, helps organizations attract and retain top talent more authentically. Effective job postings include information about culture, company vision, and values. Highlighting metrics like employee absenteeism, diversity, engagement, well-being, and turnover helps companies stand out and celebrate their unique workforce.
4. Describe the application process
When writing a job posting, it’s essential to outline the application process from start to finish. Emphasizing all job requirements and the hiring team’s timeline ensures that the applicant and the company are on the same page. Most people want a shorter interview process. Highlighting a faster, straight-to-the-point approach will attract job seekers who prioritize time management.
5. Include traditional job titles
Even if your company has unique titles for certain positions, it’s best to stick with traditional names. Otherwise, you might miss out on candidates unfamiliar with niche names who would still be a great fit. Plus, using standard job titles increases your reach and search engine results.
6. Avoid biased language
The words you choose say a lot about company culture and hidden biases. Using a diverse audience to review job posting content helps companies avoid biased language. Most biases are unconscious, so it’s essential to screen all job postings, even if you think they look good. If your hiring team needs help in this area, there are plenty of outsourcing options.
7. Highlight company benefits
Great job postings highlight company benefits, especially ones unique to the organization. We recommend including information about compensation, parental leave, training and development, vacation, and well-being programs. Mentioning these benefits (or whatever your company has to offer) persuades job seekers and helps them imagine life at your company.
8. Focus on skills, not degrees
It’s common for people to find jobs outside of their degree. Everyone has a unique career path, and sometimes the person without a formal degree is the most qualified. Requiring certain degrees or experience can deter those talented people from applying for the job. Instead, focus on a handful of skills that would help someone succeed in the role.
9. Include diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts
Most people want to work for a company that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces value different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. This leads to higher creativity, innovation, and problem-solving levels, which is very attractive to job seekers.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace also ensure that all employees feel heard, respected, and valued. This is crucial to employee engagement, company culture, and talent retention. Job seekers are more likely to apply to an open position if the company values DEI and its many benefits.
10. Include location details
Is the position remote, hybrid, or in-person at a specific location? Especially today, it’s essential to include location details in your job posting. Mentioning these details, as well as any options for relocation assistance, helps attract suitable candidates and improves job search accuracy.
11. Ask for feedback
When writing a job posting, it’s common to make mistakes or overlook something that’s important to job seekers. Providing opportunities for feedback within your job posting helps companies uncover bottlenecks and solve more significant recruitment problems. You can also ask current employees for feedback from their hiring process – chances are they will provide higher quality feedback than the average job seeker.
12. Make the job posting mobile friendly
The last tip for how to write a great job posting is to make it mobile-friendly. More job seekers are using their cell phones to submit applications than you might think. That means your mobile version must also be effective and easy to navigate. Overlooking this step could cause top talent to skip your job posting and apply to a company that makes it easier to submit a mobile application.
Improve recruitment with Top Workplaces recognition
Credibility is essential to job seekers. Top Workplaces awards are an authentic way to showcase your people-first company culture, hire top talent faster, and reduce costs. Nominate your organization today to get the recognition tools necessary to stand out in today’s competitive hiring market!
