A job ad is key to capturing the attention of talented jobseekers to your company. We gather the top 5 things you should note when you are crafting your job ads.
In the third quarter of 2014 alone, there were 67,000 job vacancies in Singapore – this means that candidates can afford to have their pick when it comes to applying for a job. Given the tight labout market, Singapore companies often find themselves mired in the fight for the most talented.
And when candidates – most of whom are graduates – are in the midst of exploring job opportunities, an effective job ad is key in capturing their attention to your company. What, then, makes an effective job ad?
1. The title
The title is the most important aspect of a job ad as jobseekers plough through hundreds in search of their favoured ones. Your title has to be concise yet attention-grabbing and it will make wise sense to spend more than a mere three seconds to think about its effectiveness.
2. Ensure that the ad is comprehensible
Nobody likes to read long sentences or huge chunks of words. According to “Not Quite the Average: An Empirical Study of Web Use”, the average attention span of a human being in 2013 was a mere 8 seconds.
We dug deeper and found that out of the average 593 words on a webpage, only 28 per cent will be effectively read, and for web pages with 111 words or less, only 49 per cent of it will be absorbed. This implies that you should structure your ad in a manner that is easy to digest and comprehend – make use of subheaders and bullet points, and remember to be succinct!
3. Be clear about the job scope
While it is important for your ad to be succinct, it should also swiftly encompass all the necessary requirements of the job. Offer mention of locations that prospective employees can look forward to going if the job in question requires travelling. Or explain why prospective employees are required to work out of the office a lot if the job is not desk-bound.
By offering prospective employees an adequate understanding of the job scope, they will be able to make a more informed decision about taking the next step forward. A cleverly-structured, descriptive job ad thus saves both your time and your applicants’ as only genuinely-interested applicants will walk through your interview door.
4. Promote your company
New-age job seekers are not only interested in what is required of them as employees – they want to know what the company is like. Share your company’s values and culture in the job ad and include how employees would benefit from joining your company.
This is important because in a recent candidate experience survey by Software Advice, a Gartner associated technology research firm, 50 per cent of respondents agreed that a lack of job and company information negatively affected their application process. Companies should thus consider including videos or imagery that showcase a regular employee’s life in the office or their participation in company activities.
5. Utilise your social media assets
Apart from the traditional newspaper job listing section and online job portals, job ads should also be placed on your company’s website and social media platforms. There are benefits aplenty to doing this because networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow employers to engage with potential candidates. This also makes it easy and convenient for individuals to share your job ads with their friends in their social media network.
Once your job ad has been put out, make an effort to acknowledge candidates who do apply. This makes applicants feel valued and positions your company’s brand positively. Companies should also pay heed to how a talent pool creation can successfully benefit the company in the long run.
A talent pool is crucial to the success of future recruitment efforts because hiring managers will be able to have ready access to top talent. You never know – a particular individual within your talent pool may rise to become an incredibly important figure one day, if not the CEO of a multi-million corporation.
