Contrary to a common misconception, recruitment managers do not have it easy in the Philippines, even if there are millions of people actively looking for a job. After all, their goal is not to receive hundreds of applications a day. What they want is to attract top talents that can contribute to the growth of their organization.
If you work in recruitment and find that the applications you receive don’t match with the quality of candidates that you are looking for, you may want to check the first thing that connects you with job seekers—your job postings. Perhaps you are using unclear or non-traditional job titles, which is why you are attracting the wrong people. Or maybe you do not include essential information like work location. For example, the openings are for jobs in Cebu, yet your job posts give the impression that you are looking for talents for your Manila head office.
To attract the best candidates, you must ensure that your job postings are well-thought-out, informative, and engaging. They should effectively communicate your message to your target audience. As you review and improve your job posts, you may want to consider the following tips:
Keep Your Job Posts Brief and to the Point
Do you like reading long resumes that look like a wall of text? Probably not. It is the same way with job posts—less is more. Top talents will probably skip job postings that are too long, especially if they have numerous options. If you want to capture their attention, your best bet is to keep things concise. Write shorter descriptions. Use bullets to keep the layout clean and readable. More importantly, keep your statements clear and direct to the point so that candidates can readily get the information they need.
Be Cautious of Using a Casual Tone
Although it is good to give your job posts a human touch, you should be careful not to go overboard. Using overly casual job descriptions can make your job postings appear unprofessional. Avoid confusing phrases, clichés, and expressions that could prevent competent and experienced professionals from taking your job posts seriously. Using terms such as “kickass marketing manager,” “data guru,” or “administrative wizard,” and silly hashtags like “#spreadsheets4life” can reflect poorly on your organization. Again, it is best to use shorter, clearer, and jargon-free descriptions to avoid confusion and give a more professional impression.
Provide the Information Applicants Are Looking For
- High-quality candidates may only spend a couple of seconds scanning your job posts. Be sure to catch their interest by providing the information they want to see. Details about how much they will earn, what the job will be like, and whether they meet the requirements to get the position are some of the things that matter most. That said, keep the following things in mind:
- Mention the salary and benefits. One of the most effective ways to attract talented applicants is to include the salary or pay range of the open position in your job postings. Mentioning specific perks and benefits that the candidate may enjoy if they get selected will also help. Ultimately, highlighting all the remarkable benefits of working in your company will surely motivate quality candidates to apply—even those who are still employed.
- Describe the tasks. Be sure that the job description clearly reflects the responsibilities and duties required of the position. Doing so will help applicants visualize a typical workday easily. If they know what to expect, they will have a better idea if they are a good fit for the role.
- Be reasonable with your requirements. You will most likely keep a lot of candidates from applying if you have overly high or unrealistic expectations. As such, you should learn to differentiate must-have from good-to-have skills and experiences when creating your job ad. Be reasonable when listing down requirements. They should be relevant and match the position and salary offered, at the very least.
Avoid Focusing on Your Company Too Much
While it is true that job applicants are interested in learning more about your organization, refrain from making your company the focus of your job postings. Instead of including several paragraphs discussing your company vision and culture, you can opt for a short overview. Add links to your company website and social media accounts as well. By doing so, you can keep your job postings readable and significant.
Do Not Forget to Proofread
Posting job ads with spelling and grammatical errors can ruin your brand and dissuade good candidates from applying. That is why you should always proofread your outputs a couple of times to ensure they are ready for posting. Better yet, have several members of the team review the ad and give their honest feedback. Who knows? Your colleagues may even offer valuable suggestions that can make the job posting so much better.
If you want to attract the best candidates, begin with great job postings. Remember that they can help you make a good first impression so that the best and the brightest applicants will be interested in pursuing a career in your organization. As you work to improve your job postings, consider the pointers mentioned above. Also, be sure to post them on the right online platforms to increase the chance of achieving your intended response.