Recruiting personnel is an essential part of being an HR manager—a responsibility that includes writing and/or placing jobs ads. If you’re looking for the right fit for a position at your company, it’s important that you advertise for the role effectively. This goes beyond including a job title and general description. You need to accurately represent and advocate for your company just as much as job candidates advocate for themselves. Why? Because it’s not about simply filling an opening at your organization, but rather finding the best fit possible.
There are many things you should—and should not—do when crafting a job ad. Though each ad should be specific to the role it is meant to represent, there are certain elements ads should always include. There are also best practices you should employ that are not dependent upon the role you are advertising for. Below, we outline some of the best tips for creating a job ad that works.
Tell them a little about the company.
Job seekers not only look for a position that suits them but also an organization that is the right fit. It’s important to start a job ad by introducing the hiring company. By leading with a detailed and thoughtful description of the company and its culture, you are creating a more holistic job posting likely to attract the attention of the best-qualified candidates.
Be clear and concise.
The best-performing job descriptions are brief. While it’s important to offer enough information about the position your human resources management team is hiring for, descriptions that are concise and use straightforward language tend to attract more talent. Measured by click-to-apply rates, descriptions containing roughly 300–800 words garner the most attention.1 A greater or lesser word count results in a drastically reduced click rate.
Always include the basics.
There are certain elements that should always be included in any job ad, such as a description of the role and its responsibilities, required skills, and company benefits. Though these items may seem like a no-brainer to include, all too often job postings fail to incorporate information that is pertinent to both the company and the candidate. Remember, you are selling the company and the role as much as candidates are selling their skills and experience.
Leave a simple instruction in the middle of the ad.
More and more, people are leveraging online job boards and sites to blanket-apply for positions based solely on title. But there’s much more that goes into finding the right fit than a candidate who simply seeks the title you are hiring for. HR managers can narrow the field by adding a direction to the middle of the ad. This can be something as small as telling candidates to include a specific sentence or phrase when they apply. For instance, if you add the instruction “Include the phrase ‘red pandas’ at the beginning of your cover letter,” you will be able to weed out anyone who did not follow this direction—likely the candidates who did not read your full ad. This enables you to spend your time reviewing the qualifications of those who cared to review the post more thoughtfully before applying.
Include a salary range.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), putting the applicable salary range in your job ad may give you an advantage when it comes to attracting candidates. This is because most job seekers look for salary and benefits first when reviewing a job ad, followed by required qualifications and duties.2 People want concrete motivators to help drive their job change; information like salary and benefits attract the most applicants. Candidates expect this information and are less likely to apply when it is not included.
Gain the Skills That Can Make a Difference in Your HR Career at Walden University
Employment of HR managers is expected to grow 9% from 2016 to 2026.3 And as the field of human resource management evolves, so should your skills. When you earn your master’s in human resource management, you position yourself for a variety of opportunities in HR as well as other areas of business. In Walden’s MS in Human Resource Management program, you’ll have access to the practical learning experiences and SHRM-aligned coursework that can give you the advanced skills you need to make a difference as an HR manager.
At Walden, an accredited university, you can earn your degree online while you continue to work full time. That means you don’t have to put your HR career on hold while you further your skills and competencies. With online learning, there’s no need to completely rearrange your schedule or commute to campus—you can take classes at whatever time of day works best for you as you work to earn your master’s degree and advance your HR career.
Walden University is an accredited institution offering an MS in Human Resource Management degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree using a convenient, flexible learning platform that fits your busy life.
1Source: https://appcast.io/recruitment-ads-examples-quality-candidates
2Source: www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/salary-most-important-part-job-ad.aspx
3Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/management/human-resources-managers.htm
Walden’s MS in Human Resource Management program fully aligns with the Society for Human Resource Management’s HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates, which helps define HR education standards and helps business schools develop degree programs that follow these standards.
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.