 You’re a recruiter, not a writer. So when it comes to writing job advertisements, this is the part of your job that you tend to skim over, right? 1. Pick the right job titleSounds basic, right? Well, have you ever had one of those clients that picks really obscure and original titles for all their positions? So instead of Account Manager, they call it Client Engagement Facilitator! Well, that’s lovely and all, but it takes a special type of candidate to spontaneously whip Client Engagement Facilitator into a job search on CV Library! So, make sure you pick the most commonly used job title for that position so that it reaches more candidates. 💡TOP TIP If you're unsure which job titles are the most popular, you can contact your job board Account Manager to run a report on selected job titles. 2. Spell-checkIt pains me to say it... but even with the numerous spell-check tools available, job ads today are still littered with unforgivable typos. When you’re trying to attract top quality candidates to your job opportunity, you can’t expect top talent to apply when your typo-ridden job ad isn’t exactly exuding quality itself. Install the grammarly extension to stop any embarrassing typos from slipping through the net! 3. Don’t be genericWe’ve all read those job ads that talk about an exciting opportunity working for a prestigious client that has excelled in its industry etc etc… but candidates want to know what it’s really like to work there. Speak with your client and find out more about the day to day culture, values, company achievements, the specific training and development. What is the company known for? Where have they excelled? How? Take advantage of your opportunity to sell your client and make your job advertisement so irresistible that the best candidates are queuing up to work there! 4. Know your audienceWriting a job advert for graduates will be different to writing a job advert for a COO. The language and tone you use for graduates will likely be a lot more informal and casual than the language you’d use to target a COO. Equally, writing a job ad for computer science grads will be very different to writing a job ad for marketing grads. The two subjects tend to attract a different personality type. Computer science grads enjoy facts, figures, detail and technicalities. Whereas writing for marketing grads could be more artistic and playful. 5. Use headingsIt can be really off putting staring at a page full of block text. So make sure you break your text up with headings, and use bullet points to make it as easy to read as possible. An example of headings to include would be: 👉Summary 👉About the company 👉About the role 👉The perks 👉About you (the candidate) This makes it really easy for the candidate to find information and will encourage them to read the whole advert. 6. Include a salaryYou'd be surprised by the number of job ads that don't include a salary bracket. A survey by Adzuna showed that over 50% of job vacancies didn't include a salary, whilst a separate candidate survey rated 'Salaries & Benefits' as the most important factor when reviewing a job ad. The logic for omitting the salary is sometimes because you don't want to dissuade higher-salaried candidates from applying... so you think that writing 'competitive' in the salary range will leave the door open for all candidates. Wrong. A lack of information surrounding the salary often has the opposite effect on candidates. Subconsciously, it may indicate that the client is offering a very low package and therefore doesn't want to display the salary. It lacks transparency and therefore struggles to gain the candidates' interest and trust. Provide a salary bracket, and if the employer will pay above the odds, just point that out in the description. 7. Include a deadlineLast but not least, you need to create a sense of urgency with each advert to encourage candidates to apply. Don’t just assume the candidate will know they need to apply as soon as possible... spell it out to them: CLOSING DATE: Hurry! All applications must be submitted by the 23rd October. Any applications submitted after this time won’t be considered. ConclusionThere’s no doubt that writing a standout job advertisement has fallen to the bottom of the pile for most recruiters. But in a world where soo many job ads are generic, really taking the time to put a little more thought into your ads will save you time and increase your return tenfold as you attract more and more candidates that tick more and more boxes. I know what you're thinking... All of this sounds like it would take more time than you have, right?
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 We all know that in today's age people have an abundance of information right at their fingertips. As such, people will only read a blog for an average of 37 seconds (source). 👉Use emojis Using emojis helps to engage a younger audience In a recent survey, it was shown that 56% of brands who used emojis in their email subject lines received higher open rates; and in another survey 72% of young people said they’d rather use emojis instead of words when texting. In other words, emojis have become a popular part of our everyday lives. They've come to symbolise contemporary and trendy content. Using emojis is speaking the same language as your younger audience! 👉Use contractionsDon't panic, we haven’t just suddenly switched to discussing birthing techniques… a contraction is how you shorten words like do not and it is into don’t and it’s. This creates a less formal and more relatable tone to your writing. 👉Be colloquialColloquial language is one of the best techniques you can use to relate to your readers. This means making your language conversational. Which one of these sentences means more to you?
Obviously the second sentence is more relatable because it’s using everyday language. 👉Use images Using images helps capture your message Blogs that use images gain 94% more views. Young people are bombarded by visual content every minute of every day and have developed a subconscious pattern to form an opinion on their content through its use of images. That means you too need to use images to help convey your message in a quick and effective way. 👉Format your textYoung people are spoilt for choice when it comes to content. If you can’t deliver their information quick and fast in a blog post, chances are your competitor will. A great way to make your blog easier to read is by using these formatting techniques: 💥Break it up into sections and use headers (like this post) 💥Highlight key details in bold and italics 💥Ignore paragraph grammar rules - it’s okay to have 3 consecutive sentences take a separate line each! ConclusionThere you have it, folks! Writing for a younger audience is a different kettle of fish. You’re dealing with an extremely competitive blogging market so you need to own your brand voice if you’re going to keep your young’uns engaged. Try adapting these techniques consistently for 2 months and watch your post engagement levels increase.  |
VAnessa RamkissoonRecruitment content writer 
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