How to Write Job Adverts that Candidates Love

The clue is in the name: job advertisements. When it comes to promoting a client’s vacancy, the key is advertising it. This might seem self-explanatory, but time after time, job adverts are written with the sole purpose of communicating what the client wants from a new hire. Simply put, they’re job descriptions, more fit for internal use, than candidate directed marketing.

So, it's important to think like marketers. You must create job adverts that stand out, that cut through the noise and aren’t easily ignored. Always keep in mind that a job ad is an advert designed with the purpose of selling a candidate on a vacancy. Let’s explore how you go about crafting exceptional job adverts that candidates will love…

You’re Selling Something

When putting together a recruitment advert, ask yourself: ‘Does my job advert sell this vacancy to my ideal candidate?’ That’s the difference between a job advert and a job description. It promotes the aspirational aspects of a job, it makes the candidate want to work for your client, and it can draw in even passive candidates because the content paints the job in an attractive light.

Think of job adverts in a similar light to advertising and selling a product. Every part of the process, from advertising to getting your hands on the product itself, is delightful and thoughtfully created. Think of your client's job in the same way. The job advert is part of a process, a piece of bigger picture, a stepping stone for a candidate. 

So, when creating job adverts, use joined up thinking. The candidate's application experience is all part and parcel of how they’ll feel about the job itself. Make every part of it count.

It's in How You Say It

If you’re sold on creating job advertisements, then let’s consider how you go about it. What’s your most valuable commodity? Words. They’re the building blocks that affect candidates emotionally. It’s not just a job or a means to pay the bills. It’s a promise of more, it’s a lifestyle change, it’s an upgrade, and it’s better than their current working arrangement. That’s how your advert should make your ideal candidates feel.

So, when putting together your next job advert ask yourself the following questions:

• Why would my ideal candidate want this job?
• What would they gain from working for my client?
• What does my client offer them in exchange for their time and hard work?
• How can I communicate all of this effectively?

The Nuts and Bolts

When it comes to crafting your job advert, you need to focus on who your ideal candidate is. Write for them and make it clear what this job offers them. This makes your writing far more targeted and tailor made for the candidates you hope to attract. It also lets you think about your tone of voice, tailoring the way you speak towards the candidates you’re advertising to.

Then focus on creating job adverts with simplicity in mind. So, use one word instead of two, and focus on clarity in terms of the layout too. Make it skimmable, easily read, and use images if you can. Whatever makes the job advert look attractive and not the same as all the rest.

Finally, use simple benefits based sentences. Make it clear to candidates why each sentence in your job advert relates to them alongside how it benefits them. And one final tip – use ‘you’ when writing to candidates. Second only to their first name, ‘you’ is the most powerful way to create a personal, relatable tone.

Now, I don’t mean to say it should be all about the candidate, of course the client needs things too. But it should be a meeting of needs and not one sided. Candidates need to want the vacancy your client is offering. It’s your job to write an advertisement that sells candidates on why.