What to Include in A Job Advertisement
In our world today, there are millions of job applicants and the first step to getting the right job applicant is by crafting an appropriate job advertisement. Crafting a good job advertisement can help you get a talented candidate for the job. Advertising a vacancy wrongly can lead to a lot of future disasters and also irrelevant applications. Getting it right should be your utmost priority as an employer. This article will explore what to include in a job advertisement to get the eligible candidate.
What is a Job Advertisement?
A job advertisement is an informative write-up or announcement that describes a job position or vacancy to convince the most qualified candidate to apply for the job. A job advertisement is written in an engaging tone. Job Advertisement has a lot of synonyms, that is to say, people call it by different names and such names are:
- Job Ad
- Job Posting
- Job Advert
- Job Vacancy
- Employment Ad
- Recruitment Ad
Where to Place Job Advertisement
- Career sites like LinkedIn, Indeed
- Online Job board
- Social Media like Facebook
- Local Media like Newspapers, Magazines, Radio
- Paid ads
Structure Your Job Advertisement
There is a particular pattern or structure to follow to write an engaging job advertisement. Getting the structure right is very essential for writing a strong job advert. This will help you have a strong layout and only include vital information. Here is the format to follow to craft a good job advertisement:
- Job title
- Salary and Job Location
- Introduction/ Preamble
- Job responsibilities
- Job requirements
- Company and Benefits
- Applying Instructions
Job Title
This is the most important aspect of a job advertisement; you need to define appropriately the job position. Some employers may love to be creative or use stylish titles to attract job candidates, but this can give the wrong impression to job applicants. Advertise a job title that is very vivid even to the lazy man’s understanding.
Job hunters use search engines like Google to search for job vacancies and if your job title is not well-defined; it can be hard for them to see your job vacancies.
Do not beat around the bush but be plain as possible. If the job advert is for an Assistant Marketing Executive, be plain as possible; separate junior job positions from senior job positions for clarity. Your ultimate priority at this juncture should be clarity.
Salary and Job Location
This may not be mandatory, but it is very paramount. State the salary range or bracket in the job advertisement. This will save you from future disasters like your employees walking away or quitting their job because they are not satisfied with the salary bracket.
In addition, state the job location to help you attract candidates living locally. Stating the job position will discourage candidates living afar from applying. Using the right job title, salary and benefits your vacancies have a chance to appear in Google’s job index search.
Introduction/ Preamble
Give a small intro about your company in a few sentences and the role you are advertising for. State the kind of industry you belong to, and what your industry does in a few sentences. This will give the candidate a glimpse of information about your company and it will help them decide if they can fit into this company or not. This is a marketing strategy that will attract talented candidates. State the duration of the job; some job positions are temporal while others are permanent. Some job placements are full-time o while others are part-time; it is very important to state it.
Example
David & Co Media (Company name) specializes in content and copywriting (industry or niche) and has an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Copywriter to join our incredible team. This temporary position is for an individual that wants to build his career in copywriting and gain experience that will diversify his career.
Job Responsibilities
Outline what the job responsibilities are by using bullet points. Break it up into smaller paragraphs for clarity. This will make it easier for a job candidate to understand.
This will help the job candidate to know the task at the company or perhaps the workload of the company. No one want’s a boring task neither does anyone want a very stressful task. The job candidate needs to know what he is signing up for.
Example
- Writing a range of B2B and B2C Content
- Managing daily blogs and posting SEO- focused content
- Generating content for Company social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
- Promoting Company products on social media platforms
- Creating exciting content for external and internal communications.
Requirement
State or outline the requirement of the job; ensure you state the vital requirement. The requirement must correlate with the job position. Use bullet points, so that candidates can easily digest them.
State the necessary qualifications and skills the role requires. Be specific on the Degree Certificate, A-Levels, and Diploma Certificate the role requires. Be very vivid if the certificate is a prerequisite or an added advantage.
Outline the necessary skills the job position requires and the level of experience the job position requires. You may require a candidate that has a background in the industry.
Example
- Degree in Mass Communication, Law, Marketing or its equivalent (Minimum of Second Class Upper)
- 2-3 experience in copywriting or a similar role
- Masters Degree in a relevant field will be an added advantage
- Proficient in Microsoft program
- Must have a Grammarly Account
- Must possess a laptop
- Good writing and communication skills
- Plagiarism is not allowed
Company Benefits
You should outline the great benefits or perks that the candidate would receive while working with your company. Employees want to feel valued at work. Workplace benefits or perks are treasured by most professionals; include them in your job advertisement to attract the best candidate.
Applying Instructions
Some job advertisement requires candidates to apply online or offline; it is important to state the guidelines for applying to your company vacancy in your job advertisement. If you want a hard copy application; state the location of your office where candidates can apply. If you want an online application; candidates can apply to your email address. State the documents you want candidates to submit; it can be only their resume or additional documents like Degree Certificates, A-Level, and many more.
Mistakes to Avoid
Spelling and Grammatical Errors
Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in your job advert is very unprofessional and will give job candidates the wrong impression about you. Proofread your job advertisement several times and give it to a professional to proofread it for you. Be a very good example to job applicants.
Avoid Wordiness or Clichés
Use clear and concise words to communicate effectively. You may want to be very detailed to hit the nail on the head, but it can lead to wordiness. Do not beat around the bush but be concise to pass on the right information.
Ignoring the Structure
Do not use another pattern to craft your job advert but follow the globally acceptable structure. Ignoring the structure can make your job advertisement hard to read and it will deter eligible candidates from applying.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, structuring your job advertisement correctly will save you money, and resources. Your hiring process starts with our job advert, failure to get it right at the beginning can damage subsequent processes ahead. Follow the tips accentuated above to get the best candidate to apply for the job.
