If you want to attract a large and diverse pool of talented people to your open roles, it all begins with the job advertisement. (Not to be confused with a job description)!
First things first, we know that hiring someone new can be a lengthy and stressful process. In any workplace there is rarely a shortage of things to do, and you’d be forgiven for being tempted to simply use an old template from your archives, or even search for similar job descriptions online.
The problem is, although this approach might save you some time upfront, the same old methods are not likely to bring you the pool of talent you’re looking for in today's job market.
Traditional ‘job descriptions’ tend to over emphasise the candidate’s experience and education rather than skills. And it’s not uncommon to see a job advert with a long list of prerequisites that are either too vague or mean nothing to someone outside of the organisation. There is often very little space or effort put into selling the organisation and benefits to the job seeker.
Ultimately your job description needs to provide job seekers with a clear idea of what would be expected of them to succeed in this role, and leave them feeling energised and excited to apply. And it needs to do this fast. First impressions count, and it has been recorded that job seekers spend only 7-8 seconds viewing a job advert before deciding whether they want to read more or move on. (Source: Applied)
Once you start to think about your job advertisement as a piece of marketing content, and jobseekers as the audience you’re trying to engage, you’re well on your way to creating a job ad that really stands out.
<aside> 💡 Women tend to apply for jobs when they meet 90% of the criteria, but men will apply when they meet 60%
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In addition to ‘selling’ the role, it’s also important to consider debiasing your job ad. This might include being mindful of using gendered language, and ensuring you clearly communicate what flexibility or remote options might be available.
If you’re looking to learn more on how the words you use have an impact on who applies to your role, our friends at Applied have explained the science behind this, as well as creating many more resources to help you write better job advertisements here.
You might also be interested in checking out our suggested job advertisement template for mission-driven organisations.
Mission-led job advertisment template.pdf
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