Job boards are booming. As unemployment stays low and workers seek the right fit for their skills and goals, many employers are scrambling to find the people they need to fill key roles.
Yet the employment situation isn’t the only reason some employers’ job postings get ignored. Three fatal flaws can cause a job posting to be overlooked – and three easy fixes can get your posting the attention it deserves.
Why Candidates Skip Your Job Posting
Candidates are more likely to scroll past or ignore your job postings if:
- The job is vaguely defined. The “Great Resignation” is more aptly titled the “Great Reorganization.” Candidates are more interested in work that builds their skills and opportunities to advance their careers. Vague descriptions of duties won’t convince candidates that working with you is better than staying where they are.
- The posting doesn’t answer the question “What’s in it for me?” Candidates, like all humans, prefer the familiar. Unless a job posting highlights compensation, learning, and advancement opportunities, candidates will prefer to stick with the familiar returns they get from their current work.
- The candidate has no idea who you are. When your job posting looks like every other, why should a candidate choose – or even remember – yours? Strong employer branding is a must for stand-out job postings.
A surprisingly large number of job postings fail at one or all three of these points. Yet the solutions are refreshingly simple.
How to Catch Candidates’ Attention
To make your job posting one candidates will notice, remember, and respond to:
- Define the role’s responsibilities in clear, direct terms. Give candidates a bullet-point “day in the life” snapshot of work in this role. Work with people who currently do or have done this job to create a clear, direct, and accurate list.
- Describe what the candidate gets from the work relationship. Compensation and benefits are only the first step. Talk about the learning and skill-building opportunities your organization offers. Share profiles of people who have moved from this role to other roles in your organization. Make it clear that the role isn’t just a to-do list: It’s a chance to build a solid career.
- Make the posting unmistakably yours. Use employee testimonials, a distinctive voice, and other employment brand tools to communicate that there’s a real culture, full of real people, behind the posting. This isn’t “just another job” – it’s a real place.
Clarity, support, and branding can help candidates see why they should apply to this job posting – and why your company isn’t a cookie-cutter experience.
Where to Turn for Help
Need help creating eye-catching job postings? Talk to the team at Employment Professionals Canada. We can help you find candidates who will love the role and your company’s culture. Contact us today to learn more.
