When writing a good job posting, there are several things to keep in mind. In this article we run you through all you need to know!

Let’s face it, you cannot hire the best people unless you can attract them to apply for the position in the first place. This means nailing your job posting (aka, your job ad).

The truth is that this may be your ideal candidate’s first impression of your company. So, make it one that job seekers don’t immediately skip past. It’s a key part of the hiring process.

Writing a good job posting to attract the best people for your company

Remember that some of the elements of good job postings were outlined in our article on the characteristics of a good employee. In other words, you must clarify your job objectives, key results, and key attributes within your job posting.

Don’t skip this crucial first step, otherwise you may end up with a bad hire. As you may know, bad hires can be very costly for your business. Not only can they cost you a lot of money, but they can also negatively affect company culture and morale among current employees.

After understanding this, it is time to prepare your awesome job posting, which can then be published on your company website and online job boards for many candidates to see.

Here are the steps to follow to ensure your effective job posting has the best chance of attracting the A-Players you want:

Step 1: Craft a clear job title

As tempting as it can be in this era – especially if you want to make your job stand out – don’t try to be cute when writing the job title for your posting!

To be blunt, you are not hiring an ‘Aspiring Novelist‘ or a ‘Chief People Pleaser‘. You are hiring a ‘Copywriter‘ or a ‘Head of HR‘.

Be sure to create a clear industry-standard job title. Doing this, you are more likely to attract the prospective candidates that you want.

Remember that potential employees use search engines when looking for a job. They will therefore be thinking and searching for what they actually want to do (Brand Manager), not something witty (Brand Warrior). If you want your job to appear in search results, stick to a clear job title.

Also, keep your title between 5 and 80 characters, and avoid using special characters when possible.

Step 2: Be clear about your company

You know your company inside out – but applicants may not have any idea what you are about when searching for a job opportunity.

Your job posting must give the job seeker a flavor of what your company is achieving and why they may want to work for you. This lays foundations for your future employee to engage with your company culture and goals.

When writing an effective job posting, consider the following bullet points:

• What does your company do?
• Why are you the best at doing it?
• Why are you passionate about your job?
• What is your company’s mission?
• Why should your ideal candidate leap out of bed and get to the office every morning?

Be sure to weave the answers to these questions into your job post.

Step 3: Include the job description

Of course, in addition to conveying your company’s culture and other key points, it is obviously important to write job descriptions within the posting. Listing these essential duties and day-to-day tasks will ensure that the right candidates know what they are expected to do on a daily basis.

This will include the key results and key attributes we highlighted in our article on the characteristics of a good employee. Be sure to read and digest that article.

Step 4: Write job postings in the second person

A small but essential tip: when writing your job posting, be sure to use the second person.

Using the word ‘you’ is an important part of effective job postings. This will allow you to build a relationship with the potential employee and give them the chance to imagine themselves in the job.

Step 5: Give job seekers a reason to apply

The best candidates that you want to attract are likely to be in demand. Therefore, they will have tons of options when it comes to employment opportunities.

This means you can’t simply offer them ‘a job’. You have to offer an experience, an adventure, an opportunity. One that is worthy of them turning up every day.

Sure, a healthy compensation package or the ability to work remotely is important – but not as important as the opportunity to learn and grow from people who are more experienced than them.

Good potential candidates want a challenge and accountability. They want job stability and life balance. But they also want fun!

Whether you have a small business or a larger company, they want to join a company with a positive mission, doing something good for the world, and be surrounded by other people who align with their values.

There is more on this in our article on selling the sh*t out of your company to make your company stand out, but make these elements apply to your job posting too.

Step 6: End your job listing with a call to action

End your job posting with a compelling call to action (CTA) to encourage more applications and create a sense of urgency.

It could be as simple as ‘Apply now’ or something like ‘Join our family’.

Also, be sure to tell your potential hires how to contact you regarding the open position. You would be surprised at how many employers fail to do this!

When possible, always use a real contact with a personalized email address as opposed to the generic: ‘applications@boringcompany.com’.

Some final words of advice for writing a good job posting!

Before you write your job post, check out the job boards of some of the top companies in the world for inspiration.

For example, I always take a look at the job boards at ClickUp for inspiration but check out what your favorite companies are doing.

These companies have been successful because they know how to attract candidates that will crush the job. It therefore makes sense to see what they are doing on their job boards for a better understanding of the hiring process.

Next in this seven-step series on attracting and hiring great candidates, we will move onto Step #3. Here, we look at posting your job and where to do it for maximum effectiveness.