Writing Effective Online Job Adverts

Job adverts come in many shapes and sizes, but it’s important to remember that writing online job adverts is slightly different. The opportunity to attract the right candidates is a lot bigger as nearly every candidate looks for jobs on the internet first. Not only is it cheaper to advertise online, but there is also a greater opportunity to find the perfect candidate. As many job seekers will search solely online it is extremely important to remember to ensure your ad is search engine friendly and this means ‘keywords’ are included wherever possible.

What are Keywords?

Keywords are words that the candidate will use to search for the advertised role. Strong keywords will appear in several areas including the job title and job advert. It is best to think like a job seeker, for example, if your role was a Corporate role, try and use this keyword as often as possible within the main body of the advert. The most important keyword is the job title so it is best to use this in the main body of the text.

For writing successful online job adverts we have compiled a few simple rules that every advert should follow to ensure it attracts the candidates who are right for the job.

Job Title

This will be the first thing a job seeker will see and the primary search word. Keywords used in the title of your job ad are paramount in attracting the ideal candidate to apply. The better you facilitate accurate and relevant keywords in the title of your job advertisement, the more relevant the applications you will receive.

Location

As well as filling in the ‘Location' field, you can also add more specific information about where the job is based, for example if the role could be based in one of several offices we provide the facility to allow you to list all the areas in consideration.

Job Description

Although there is no set format to how you describe the job role, you should look to include the following elements:

• About the Company - This is an opportunity to provide candidates with a factual insight into your company. Ensure that it is appealing and positive: How long have you been established, what future growth plans do you have, why is it a good place to work?
  
  
• Person specification - List what skills, qualifications or attributes would the ideal applicant posses? Separate these into what is necessary and what would be an advantage. In order to receive high quality applicants then be very clear about the strict criteria they will have to meet.
  
  
• Role responsibilities - Provide candidates with a list of the main tasks the successful applicant will be expected to undertake and then relate these to a business objective so the applicants can envisage how the position fits into the organisations plans.
  
  
• Additional Information - If there are additional benefits such as working programmes / pension or child care options then include these in your advert.
  
  
• Next steps - If the candidate is interested in your vacancy it is important to explain how they can apply. At CompareLegalJobs we provide employers with a choice of how you wish to receive applications, either through the in-house Recruitment Consultant, Direct to your inbox or both. In order to give candidates complete control over their application it is recommended to allow both options.

Job Advert Checklist

We’ve provided you with a checklist of the items to include in an effective job advert.

1. Is the job title right? i.e. what individuals would search for? Is it too vague?
2. If the role is part of a team which team?
3. Who does the person report to?
4. What does the company do?
5. An outline of the job role and purpose
6. An outline of the ideal candidate profile
7. Where is the role? Would I apply for this job if I didn’t know where it was?
8. Could you sell the role more effectively than listing the job description?
9. Any corporate branding
10. Equal opportunities statement