Job Ads are not always the easiest to navigate, we know, but they are vital in your process to score new hires.

The key is balance. They need to be equally as informative as they are engaging.

Being concise while still doing its job – selling the role and your employment brand.

If you are wanting to attract more candidates but perhaps are not having the best of look, make sure you are NOT making these five key mistakes.

Asking Too Much

Be realistic! Do not get too carried away when describing your ideal candidate. The likelihood is, they do not exist, and this will just put candidates off. Instead, think realistically about what a candidate may have at the level you are seeking. Then decide what are nice to have and what are must-haves. This will give both you and the candidate clarity. Some candidates might not tick all the boxes but tick the most important, making up for what they are lacking in other ways.

Being Discriminative

This again will put candidates off applying. Surprisingly though, the use of discriminatory language can easily be done. You may not openly discriminate against a particular race, sex, age, nationality, disability, or religion, but you may use language that is perceived that way if you are not careful. For example, seeking ‘young and energetic’ candidates may sound less favourable of someone older.

Badly Structured

Searching for a job is hardly fun, so do not make it any harder for the candidate by giving them long text that is draining to read. You also need to consider the device they are on. If it is on a mobile, the unbroken text will be even harder to digest, so make sure it is in an easy-to-read format with bullet points and paragraphs. After all, if a candidate’s CV was not formatted appropriately, the chances are, you would not read it.

Being Vague & Uninformative

Your ad should be concise yet informative, including everything from tasks and responsibilities to required skills, qualifications, and company benefits. It’s also worth stating the salary offer if you can do so, as two in three candidates prefer it. Also, remember to ensure your advertisement has a commonly used job title so it is searchable. Being too vague and adventurous with this can result in a loss of potential candidates.

Being Too Formal

Be conversational to give readers a positive, upbeat impression of your business. It will be much easier to sell your employment brand this way and open the opportunity to attract candidates who fit with your organisation’s culture, alongside making your job ad more interesting to read. You can still be informative and maintain a certain level of formality in your job ads without writing an essay.

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