How to Write a Kickass Job Posting
Let’s be honest – job postings suck. They’re often too long with a lot of buzzwords that have lost all meaning. Has there ever been a phrase blander and more over-used than “think outside the box”? Has anyone ever admitted to not being results-oriented? Who out there would describe themselves as not being a team-player? And what does it mean to be dynamic anyway?
If you haven’t looked for a job recently, take a moment to scroll through some of the job postings that companies put online. They come in two flavors – either they’re so generic that they read like every other job posting, or they’re so bogged down with details that reading them is like reading a wall of text. And a lot of job postings are BOTH bland AND wordy. Either way, they aren’t an effective way of advertising for a job or a company.
If you want your job postings to really stand out to readers, you need to write them well. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to create job postings that tell your company’s story as well as convey the details of the job you’re trying to fill without boring your readers. Creating a well-written job posting does take some effort, but it will be well worth your time.
What is a job description? How is it different from a job posting?
A job description is a formal, internal document that states the duties and qualifications of each individual job title. It’s a record of what’s expected for each job description. It’s meant to be an internal document that should describe what’s involved in a typical day, week, month, and year of anyone with that job title. A formal job description is very helpful when you’re working with your talent acquisition partner because it will give them exactly the kind of information they need to help you fill the position more quickly. A formal job description is also very useful when you receive a request for accommodation, during performance reviews when responding to an unemployment or a workplace injury claim, and any other time when a solid, definitive job definition is needed. Although a job description is an internal document, it’s not necessarily confidential – it’s just that it’s written for someone already familiar with your company, as opposed to a potential job candidate.
When you’re reviewing a job description you should interview the people who are already in the position and their managers, even if your company already has a formal job description for the position. Technology changes at a faster rate every year, and with it, so do business practices and job duties. It’s a good idea to re-visit your job descriptions periodically and keep them up-to-date. Ten minutes spent every year or two may save you a lot of time later.
A job posting, as opposed to a job description, is meant to be read by people who are considering coming to work for your company. A job posting needs to be accurate, but it doesn’t have to be bogged down by all of the details that need to be included in a formal job description. You should provide the formal job description when you’re ready to hire a candidate so they know exactly what their expectations and duties will be. But when you’re looking for someone to fill a job opening, you should focus on the most important duties and qualifications first.
Why can’t you use a job description for a job posting?
A job posting describes the position, including the duties and the background required for the job. So why don’t you just use the job description to post a job opening online?
It’s no secret that people have limited attention spans. Most people will scan over a document before deciding if they need to read it in-depth, even when they’re considering a possible job change. Anyone who has ever worked with or studied marketing can tell you the importance of grabbing (and holding) your audience’s attention. And that’s pretty much the exact opposite of what a formal job description should do.
Using a formal job description to post your job online is a great way to discourage people from actually reading it. Often, a formal job description will have jargon, acronyms, and other stuff that won’t mean anything to someone who hasn’t worked for your company. This information probably isn’t confidential but including it can be confusing and irritating, which is not the impression you want to give a potential employee. More than that, though, it wastes a job seeker’s time and energy. Posting a formal job description isn’t an effective use of time, money, or candidate focus. Just posting the job description may seem like a time-saver, but the time you think you’re saving is really wasted.
Fortunately, creating a good job posting is easier than you might think.
How to write a good job posting
When a job posting is well-written, it can make the talent acquisition process easier and faster. A well-written job posting will attract candidates who are a better fit for the position, shortening the time to fill by helping your talent acquisition specialists to find the right people. It can also help you cast a wider net because people will forward job listings that they think might be a good fit for their friends and colleagues.
A well-written job posting should have these qualities:
Focus
A job posting should lay out what’s involved in a job on a day-to-day basis. It should also list the major qualifications of the job, ideally, divided into “must-haves” and “nice to haves”. You want anyone reading the job posting to have a pretty good idea about what they’ll be expected to do if they take the job, and whether or not they have the background for it.
Your job posting should focus on the main duties of the position. When you list everything that’s involved in a job, as you would in a formal job description, you risk creating the dreaded “wall of text” that most people won’t bother to read in detail. Keep the job description short and focused on the essentials, i.e., the most important aspects of the job and the most important experience the candidate needs. You can provide the formal job description further in the hiring process.
Write for your audience
Remember what we said about not using too much in-house, company speak in your job posting? This is good advice, but remember that each career specialty has its own vocabulary and in-jokes. For example, this is a joke that will appeal to computer programmers: Do you know why Python developers need glasses? Because they don’t C#.
Both Python and C# are computer languages. The joke is that C# is pronounced “c sharp”, like the music note. It’s a corny joke, and if you don’t get it, that’s okay – the point is, the people that will get this joke are the ones who would be the target of the ad. By using insider references and vocabulary, you increase the appeal your job posting has to the people you most want to attract.
You won’t know all of the insider jokes for each position, and that’s okay. Don’t be afraid to talk to your employees who are already in the department. They’ll appreciate being included in the search for their next teammate.
A job posting is company marketing – So brag a little!
At the end of the day, a job posting is an ad for your position and for working at your company, so treat it like marketing content – because that’s what it is. Your job posting should attract attention and be easy, even fun, to read. It should tell people why the job is a great opportunity and why your company is a good place to work. Now is your opportunity to really sell your company, not only to the people who might be a fit for this opening but for anyone that might be interested in your company in the future. Always be building your pipeline!
What do you offer?
One thing that most job descriptions have in common is that they focus on what the company wants, not what they can offer to the candidate. And yet, that’s what the candidate is looking for – a reason to go to work for your company.
Telling candidates what your company offers is a great way to catch and hold their interest, and you don’t have to limit it to the benefits section of the job posting (although you should provide some information on your benefits). Write about your employee wellness plans. Talk about your bonus structure and your employee training and development plans. Link to any articles and blog postings about your company’s community projects and events. Remember that you’re looking for people, not just machines, and people have ambitions and desires. Many times, the little things about a company are what attract and keep employees.
Creating job postings that are easy and fun to read is a great way to make your company stand out. When you treat your job postings as part of your company’s marketing efforts, you make them more effective and increase your employer brand visibility.
