Stop missing out on the best talent by making some thoughtful tweaks to your job adverts.

Your job adverts usually only appeal to those who are actively looking. However, that doesn't give you access to the best talent. The best talent is uber fussy when it comes to applying for work, in most cases, they get approached rather than reach out.

So how do you get their attention when everyone else is striving for it?

You can start with a decent job advert...

I've had to write hundreds of job adverts over the years and used various mix-ups of the usual template like everyone else. Title with location, company description, role, key skills, desirable skills and apply here.

I found writing these not only boring but ineffective, attracting the wrong candidates and creating a giant admin task of decline emails. So, headhunting was my main go-to, sometimes I wouldn't even write an advert as I found them so time-consuming and counterproductive.

I then started to experiment and found a process which attracted 100% more applicants and a 30% rise in passive quality talent who had the right culture fit.

Job adverts can sound a bit like a lecture. You must have this and that and you will do this and we, we, we, no you, or what the candidate may get out of giving most of their week to you. Most just click apply and don't read it at all. Why? Because it's BORING and self-absorbed!

I rarely see passion, expression or any charisma in a job advert. If you want the best passive talent, you need to grasp someone's attention and sway them to become curious. In a very distracting world, that's difficult, but it's still possible.

So, grab a pen and think of a job you would like to recruit for and let's spruce it up!

Before we start, let's keep each paragraph short, informative, punchy and focus on what the person gets from working for you. Make sure to use the word YOU more than We. Like a date, you pay interest in them and what they want, you don't just drone on about yourself.

Create advert structure once and you will just be able to edit for future job adverts.

Let's start with the facts.

The job title

Use a recognisable title, like graphic designer rather than "Head of Crayons" (I actually saw this recently) and add a selling point after the job title. Example:

Azure Solution Architect - 100% remote working with a startup offering a fast track career progression.

The pay bracket. Add it!!!

This has been proven to increase applications by 100% in itself and will save you and them time. Afraid your competitors will find out what you are paying? It's 2020, the information is likely already on Glassdoor and is easy to find out. You don't want your loyal long-standing staff to know how much you pay new talent? You probably wouldn't have to keep replacing them if you paid them properly in the first place... Another excuse is “people will ask for the top range”. Well, let them. If you underpay them, they will only leave you for a better paying role later down the line anyway. So cut to the chase and list the salary range.

Location

Solid office location? What are the selling points of this location? Do you offer sponsorship or a relocation package for the right candidate? Is it remote? If so, how remote? Country-based or worldwide? 2 days a week or 100% full-time remote?

If you do offer remote working either countrywide or worldwide this will increase applications by 80%, so it's worth noting. Flexible working is one of the top sought after benefits of 2020. Thanks to C-19, it's finally available with most companies.

The benefits

These are your key selling points. Do you have free parking? Flexi-benefits? Your birthday off? Training fund? Flexible working? Remote work? Private health? A team bonus? Commission? Equity? An office dog? Charity days off? Are your offices in a traffic-free countryside location? Do you invest in yearly team building or team trips?

Love them or hate them, these are what start to paint a picture of your team culture and what is important to you. It's one of the first steps to attracting and detracting the right culture fit.

About us - The vision!

Don’t talk about where your company has been, you can mention your business outcomes of course, but focus on where your company is going. What is the vision they will become a part of? Are you small or global? Forward-thinking or traditional? What are your unique selling points? Why should they apply to work for you?

You can also add your company core values in this section to show what the core fundamentals are at the heart of your business.

The role

Now tell them how they will impact the companies future vision, how did the role come about? What sort of personality traits and previous experience will help them succeed? What types of challenges will they be helping you to overcome? People like to be a part of something, they like to find solutions to challenges and play their part.

Their experience.

DO NOT CREATE A WISH/SHOPPING LIST OF 20 - 30 BULLET POINTS.

Rather than experienced in, and desirable skills. How about:

You're confident at: List 4 to 6 absolute must-have skills maximum!

You know the basics of: List 3-4 skills maximum.

You will be trained up in: List skills they will learn on the job. Another selling point, even the most senior hires like to hear about progression and investment in growth ;)

Role progression

Where can this role lead them in your company? Are you growing? Is there a clear training fund? Will there be a career ladder they can climb? If yes, where? Most people leave jobs due to lack of growth, they feel they have 'hit a ceiling'. Make it clear you will invest in their progression.

The direct team you will be a part of

So what type of culture will they be joining? Now's your time to make the team shine. Don't be afraid to get quirky. Bunch of Xbox players? You love beer, you are all sporty? You love to learn and have a creative mixed team? Maybe add a mix of flavours. What do the people in their immediate team enjoy doing? Joe the guitar player? Karen the foody and next applicant to MasterChef? It’s nice to get an insight into what you will be discussing around the coffee machine or on skype and to know you will have something in common to talk about.

The application process

Make it clear what they will need to do from application to hire. How many interviews? How many tests? If it’s an 8 stage interview, please give them the heads up as they may not want to apply in the first place. So again, this alongside the salary is another time-saving piece of information.

Here's a quick summary of your key headings. Try to fit it onto one page if you can.

• Job Title with 1-2 selling points
• Location if there is one
• Salary and equity/ bonus/ commission structure
• Benefits
• About us - The Vision
• The role
• Their experience (MUST HAVE skills including what they will learn)
• The progression opportunities
• The direct team quirks and culture
• The application process

Remember, make them short and punchy. You could add links to your Company Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn company page or Glassdoor if you utilise them to give some more behind the scenes. You could even add a quick 1-minute video of the team saying what they enjoy most about working there. This shows the culture, projects and workspace. It can be as simple as splicing short 10-second clips from each member taken on their m

Where to advertise:

• For a smaller business, ask team members to share the job advert on whichever social media pages they use
• Use your LinkedIn company page and make sure to share yourself, people prefer adverts coming from people rather than brands
• I highly recommend paying for a job slot on Linkedin - I have personally found them the most effective but this depends on your industry. Think about where your candidates hang out. If it's TikTok, you may need to get a little more creative ;)
• Job adverts on Glassdoor are very effective and competitively priced, you can also really shout out about your culture and have transparency there
• If you need to use job boards, you can use Candidate Source to advertise across 300 job boards including the mainstream boards for £79. You will get a lot of automated applications sadly, but it can really jump start your hiring process. If you go directly to job boards, make sure to research the most relevant and negotiate!
• Make sure to give any external recruiters you partner with a copy, they will likely have access to more job boards and LinkedIn slots as well as a CRM system they can message out to. If you do have a retained recruiter like myself, ask them to represent your brand name directly. Every little helps!
• A tip when it comes to asking a recruiter to represent you directly - use one who has an online presence and the right network of followers. Check their content to get an idea if they are right to represent you or not.

Other ideas... set up a decent Linkedin company page, get your team to become brand ambassadors (not just your marketing department), set up a decent finders fee program, get a paid Glassdoor profile, create culture behind the scene 1-minute videos. Get friendly with the media. The more exposure, the more people will get to know you and want to work for you. Take away the headache from recruitment and create an organic recruitment strategy. I'm always happy to discuss ideas!

Do you have any other suggestions?

Please let me know how you get along with this. I'm happy to give feedback on job adverts and to help share them.

Happy hunting all!

Laura :)