April 23 2024

Getting the most from your job ad!

Is your ad getting views but little to no applications?

Are you getting irrelevant applicants for your role?

Follow our best practice guide to increase the views & conversion to application. Improve content to increase relevancy of candidates that view & apply for your ad.

A job advert with helpful instructions.

TOP 10 TIPS FOR POSTING AN ADVERT

  1. Always include salary (not ‘competitive’ or ‘up to’), working hours and location. Include any benefits no matter how small they seem and present these towards the top of the ad
  2. Make the ad visual and easy to digest (bullets, colour, bold, images)
  3. Use video, especially interviews with current employees
  4. Use an upbeat and informal tone
  5. Keep it short and simple – no jargon, ‘fancy words’ or ‘walls of text’
  6. Include a (brief) typical day at work / day in the life (especially for internships)
  7. Include career progression opportunities
  8. Explain how you support work/life balance and mental wellbeing
  9. Include your brand values – aspirational brands are innovative, ethical, fun, relevant and care about their employees
  10. Post job openings on social media (Instagram and YouTube are the most-used platforms, followed by Facebook and Snapchat)

Qualifications

  • Only list qualifications where these are essential to performing the role.
  • Keep requirements concise: summarise skills, the more requirements, the more the candidate may be put off or feel they are not relevant. Stick to the essentials.

How to structure your ad

Standing out in the competition for talent starts with the ad. Research suggests jobseekers consider more than 30 employers during their job search. So, see the ad as your sales pitch to the candidate. Educating and engaging them is key to converting them.

A colourful diagram about how to structure a job ad.

Customer Success Tips

1. Emphasise your Unique Selling Points

By adding a USP you will help candidates distinguish the difference between you and your competitor. It also allows candidates to buy into your culture.

Many students do not know what they want to do, or what roles are out there that they could do! Educating them is a great way to open their minds to your opportunities and convert to application.

An image showing a formula for success with job ads.

2. Use gender-neutral language

By using positive, gender-neutral language & removing jargon you can increase the number of applications by appealing to a broader candidate pool.

Use the Gender Bias Decoder to see if your ads have subtle gender bias – https://gender-decoder.katmatfield.com/

3. Add in Screening Questions

Reduce rejecting irrelevant candidates by adding screening questions which help improve the relevancy of applications you receive.

Tick boxes at the bottom of a job listing.

4. Become the candidate & check out the competition

Searching for your ad on e4s is a great way to understand the journey a candidate will take. It will also help to know the competition and how you position compared to other brands.

Questions to ask about your job advert.

5. Upgrade your role to a Featured Listing to instantly stand out from the crowd

If your ad is not being seen, or there is vast competition, featuring an ad will ensure you’re at the top of search every time! You can upgrade online, or by contacting your Customer Success Manager.