A job posting could be the first time a candidate is introduced to a company in many instances. 

For the candidates, an excellent job posting does more than detail the advertised job. It also can paint a more vivid picture regarding the company's story, the work it does, the organization's culture and the values it wishes to trumpet.

Therefore, just like your products, efforts to improve candidate experience and marketing are vital to your reputation, your job postings are also critical in shaping the public's perception of your business. What candidates take from the job posting can determine whether they will choose to apply for a role at your company or not. If it is unprofessional, brief and error-strewn, will candidates want to work in such an environment? 

Your business needs excellent job postings. A well-written, detailed posting can be the difference between attracting the average or the best talent around. Which ultimately can impact a businesses ability to innovate, improve performance and revenue. 

This article will explore five steps you can utilize to improve your job posting and advertise your company better to prospective talent. These are:

• How prior preparation will help you to understand better what your organization needs in a new employee.
• How the language and tone of your job posting is key to conveying to candidates why this job may be for them.
• How being specific and highlighting the benefits of joining your company can attract candidates.
• Highlighting your business's values, history, and culture is an effective tool to attract the best candidates.
• In providing a clear outline of the application process within the job posting, you are preparing the candidates for what to expect.

You can find unique and engaging ways to grab the attention of job seekers. And help your job postings to stand out from the thousands of other businesses also competing for the same top-tier talent. 

Before you post…

The first step any business must undertake before they write a job posting is committing to thorough job analysis. Preparation is vital when writing an excellent job posting. 

Unfortunately, you cannot just wing it. 

A company needs to know what is required in a potential recruit. You need to consider:

1. What skills are essential. Does the position require excellent technical capabilities? Or is it a more outward-facing role, needing brilliant soft skills, excellent communication and an individual who is confident collaborating with different people. 
2. What kind of experience is required? Do you seek an individual with a wealth of knowledge or maybe someone fresh from school or university which you can train in your organization's methods? Which can have an impact on salary requirements for the position. 

Who can help me do this?

Your teams can provide the inside knowledge. 

They have the detail and understanding of what the job entails. In addition, they can explain the roles and responsibilities a new employee might undertake. And know what kind of individual would fit into the existing structure and what type of personality they wish to see in their team. They have the key to better understanding the role and what the group requires; thus, it would be amiss to dismiss their insight. 

Furthermore, through job analysis and active collaboration with your teams and departments, you can garner feedback on your postings. 

Your teams may find something you have missed or not mentioned, potentially better selling the opportunity to candidates. A job posting with errors or vague statements can deter applicants from applying, so your message must be clear.

The more specific a job posting, the more likely you are to attract the right candidate with the skills and experience to match the criteria you set out at the beginning of your search. 

So, with thorough analysis before posting, you can ensure your message to candidates is detailed and possessing the information they need to affect their decision making to apply or not.

What candidates should find in a job specification 

Simply put, the job specification should be easy to understand and concise. In addition, you aim to provide candidates with clear communication to portray what this position will entail and background on your company. 

Some believe you should aim to condense this message within 300 to 700 words to maintain the interest and attention of candidates, and it can be quite a challenge. It could be a good idea to focus on these two main areas:

The Language

There is no need for unnecessary words or confusing business jargon. Instead, your message to potential applicants should be to the point. 

Moreover, the use of proper job titles and industry-specific terms can also help. For example, when searching for an HR manager, you don't need to describe the job as a 'People Wizard'; a whimsical tone won't help your search. 

The use of the correct language can also ensure your search has a broader reach. The use of critical terms can aid search engine optimization, meaning your positions appear more frequently when potential candidates are searching online. Increasing attention and possible interest.

You should remember:

1. Hit the keywords
2. keep the language concise, your message to candidates to the point
3. write in an active, upbeat tone

And you can't go far wrong with that. 

The Detail

Candidates want detail, not grey areas or vagueness. 

They want to see the significant function of the job, how their day-to-day life would look if they worked for your organization. You can show your candidate their place within your business. This can help candidates envision what their future may look like and how they can, with their skills, impact the organization. 

Therefore, you must be explicit in what you require from a candidate when writing a job posting. By providing information on roles and responsibilities and what you can offer as a company, you answer many questions a candidate may have—potentially speeding up the recruitment process as a consequence. 

In addition, highlighting the exciting aspects of the job can drive positive interest among potential candidates. 

Moreover, you provide a clear and direct message to potential candidates that your company is professional, knows what it wants, and actively seeks a person with the following criteria who could fit this role. 

A detailed job description eliminates head-scratching and confusion. As a result, a candidate can better recognize their suitability for a position. This will help do three things:

1. The right candidate applies. Win-win!
2. It reduces the number of unqualified candidates applying, saving you time, effort and money, telling them that they were unsuccessful.
3. It can help facilitate employee retention. The candidates know their duties before they have even started. The candidates are under no illusion about the work and the job. They are not left shocked when they experience their first week. Thus, hopefully preventing costly employee turnover. And forcing you back to square one again!

This clear message conveyed through your job specification will help the right candidate find it. The qualifications, skills, experience are all laid out; the candidate knows what is expected of them and how they can succeed in this position. 

Sell the opportunity to work at your company. 

More than ever before, job seekers have all the cards. With so many job options, choices and potential mid-life career changes, businesses are now vying for the candidate's interest, not the other way around. It's a job-seekers market!

So, just like you review potentially hundreds or even thousands of CVs and cover letters, a potential candidate is possibly looking at a range of companies and job openings. Thus, to ensure you get the talent your company wants, you need to offer your candidates something compelling to blow your competition out of the water and choose your organization as their next workplace. 

61% of potential candidates want to see what benefits they would receive if they chose your company. You could show them the kind of perks they could obtain in your job posting if they worked for your company. Some of the benefits may include:

1. Medical benefits
2. A fantastic office environment, who can forget the legendary office parties
3. The latest technology is available for your employees to use
4. Social events. Sports teams, cake and wine nights
5. Cheaper transport or even a company car or bicycle.

Showcasing to your audience why not only the job is great but the environment where the employees will spend most of their weekdays is as well, can help persuade candidates to choose you. 

These types of perks create a buzz and excite candidates. It makes the candidates feel special and understand that this organization seeks to look after them and cater to their needs, creating a perfect environment for them to succeed.

You need to advertise your company in the best possible light. 76% of candidates want to know what makes your company an attractive place to work. When writing a job posting, you must remember; you are selling a product, your company. So all components must contribute to building a favorable impression of your company in the eyes of job-seekers. 

Remember, candidates may not apply, they may not be successful, but they will retain the memory of a favorable job posting from a friendly company for far longer. In addition, if they were in the market for a specific product or service, it could lead them to use your company, which means future sales! 

Showcase the company culture and its values

As we have mentioned, in some instances, the job posting will be the first time a candidate has heard of your company. Therefore, this is a perfect opportunity to express what organization you are to an engaged audience. Its values, history, and the culture on which your company is built. 

For candidates today, it is vital that their employees share their values. They desire to feel proud and satisfied that their employer is doing well globally and is ethically minded. So, detailing your company's mission and values within a job posting can result in positive interest from candidates towards your business.

Moreover, detailing your organization's story can also create interest. 

Learning about its history, where and when it started, and the direction it is traveling in can show candidates the journey it has undertaken to get to this point and how the candidate could shape its present and future. Building interest and desire to be involved in this journey. 

You could also provide links for candidates to learn more about your business. With the advent of social media and its importance on today's candidates for receiving information on companies and jobs, ensuring your online presence is up to date is vital. 

A move like this can help bring your message to a broader audience. As well as this, it can help to bridge the gap between you and your candidate. It provides the chance to show a more personal side to your organization. 

Candidates want to know what daily life is like; they want to see the everyday experiences, how your employees feel and what they do. So, including links to blogs, testimonials or social media pages can express this and help your job posting be a more rounded portrayal of work within your company. 

Explain the application process

Finally, you have provided your candidates with all the specifics of the role. In addition, you have provided the candidate with a background in the organization and what makes it an exciting place to be.

It is also essential to use your job posting to inform candidates on how the recruitment process will work if they decide to apply. For example, deadlines, the different stages they may undertake, timeframes and when they can expect to know if they have been successful or not. 

No one enjoys being left in the dark, especially when it comes to a potential new job. Refreshing emails, searching junk folders for news. Presenting a clear recruitment timeline can help prepare a candidate's expectations and highlight your control and professional attitude to your recruitment process. As well as indicate the respect you have for your candidate's time and efforts that you won't leave them waiting for news. 

Why is writing an excellent job posting so crucial for my business?

In a candidate-centric market, the job posting is a lighthouse. It can draw the attention of potential candidates and drive interest and engagement. And most importantly, what candidates take from the job posting can determine whether they will choose to apply or not.

An excellent job posting ensures outstanding talent wishes to work for your organization. It informs candidates why your organization is the right place to succeed and grow. If done correctly, a job posting is a perfect tool to promote your business. Candidates will remember the great first impression they had of your company, potentially leading them to apply for a position further down the line or wish to do business and buy your products.

To be an effective job posting, your company and teams should consider the following tips:

• Before posting, a thorough job analysis must understand best what your organization needs in a new employee.
• Make sure your tone and language are clear, concise and to the point.
• Provide information on the specifics of the role, the potential benefits of joining your company.
• Sell the company, the values, history and culture of which you are proud and wish others to become a part.
• Explain the application process. Candidates have full disclosure of what the recruitment process entails.

A well-crafted job posting that includes the aforementioned captures the imagination and minds of candidates. Who are intrigued by the prospect of working for an organization that is proud of its beginnings, teams, and where it will go next. Aspiration is a fantastic quality. And candidates want to feel a part of something where they will be challenged and can achieve something; this is the type of working environment you should aim to show within your job posting.