#Human Resources #Recruitment & Hiring #Employer

The Problem with Today's Job Ads

Danial
by Danial
May 16, 2019 at 12:33 PM

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It's obvious, nothing is more important in the hiring process than a job ad. After all, it's the first step in acquiring candidates.

But there's one problem you can't ignore: Job advertisements can be very, very boring to create. It's a pain!

Job candidates will find these job advertisements so boring, that they'd just scroll over because it's not worth their time. When you're not able to acquire these candidates, your applicant pool will look more like a 'puddle'.

 

What's the issue?

Do you know the number one factor in why top applicants apply in the first place? 

It's the company culture. Boring job ads will only attract boring job candidates. You need active and passionate job candidates.

These are the 3 reasons why your job ad is boring and how you can fix it ASAP.

 

1. Your Job Ad looks like a Thesis

With all those years in the university and college, we've mastered the art of academic writing. Too bad, the real world isn't fascinated by it.

We're no longer writing for academicians, we're writing for regular joes and joans. These people have likely gone through dozens of different job ads before yours. They are looking, hoping, and praying for that one company that they'll enjoy working for.

People nowadays value company culture more than ever. They want to work at a place where they can enjoy their work and brand.

No matter how serious the position is, there is always room for personality. Add some personality and flair to your job ad. If you're having trouble setting the tone, tools like Grammarly can help you choose the tone, style and audience measures to help you write an attractive job ad.

Inject life into your listing and you’ll notice the difference in both applicant quantity and quality. 

 

2. Your Job Ad has TOO MUCH DETAIL

Is there such a thing as too much detail in a job ad? 

Yes! In fact, it's actually a very common issue!

If your job ad takes more than 1-2 minutes to read, understand, and fully digest the responsibilities and benefits, you should take it down a notch.

When online, people prefer to skim through what they read. More than 50% stop reading after just 15 seconds. Fifteen. Seconds. That’s all you’ve got. 

You should not show these items frequently

  • Salary / compensation

  • Detailed benefits beyond generalisations

  • Complex details of what is required


This is the best platform for your hiring needs.

You should only talk about these items on the surface level because too much can drive potentially top candidates away. Instead, discuss this information on the phone with them so you can understand their personality and potential value.

For example, if you upfront wrote the job pays RMX,XXX amount, you will quickly disqualify potentially great candidates who feel they deserve more but are willing to negotiate on benefits.

You should only make these decisions after connecting with potential hires, after communicating back and forth and building trust.

Your job ad should cover these points in 1-2 sentences maximum, in this order: 

  • Your company background and culture

  • What the job is and what it requires

  • What you expect from applicants

  • Next steps and a call to action

If you wish to attract the best candidates, withhold enough information that attracts curiosity. Don't show everything and don't overdo it. 

 

3. Location, location, location

Facebook is the third most visited website in the world. But that doesn't mean it's the best site to advertise your job, especially when you want to attract the right people.

The popularity of a platform doesn't mean it will bring you success. On busy and generic job sites, you can list your job for cheap, but you're going to collect mostly irrelevant candidates and likely force yourself to sift through the irrelevant applications.

You need job boards that target your niche, something that is related to your industry. 

For example, AJobThing.com is perfect for hiring junior and non-executive roles. 

Target the right audience when promoting your job ad and you’ll spend less money to acquire better candidates.

 

A solution for you

Hiring is not an easy process, but it is a critical one. Your job ad is the bread to your company's butter and important in attracting top talent with the prospect of working at your company. 

But what if you don't have the time and resources to do all these things? What if your HR isn't properly equipped for this?

Here's a deal. We can help you with that. Many job sites offer you a certain amount of resumes and CVs, but not many of them actually consider the relevance of these resumes and CVs.

At AJobThing, we don't only provide you with a perfect platform, we also provide ACTUAL RELEVANT JOB APPLICANTS for you. Based on your choice, be it Maukerja or Ricebowl, you will receive up to 30 applicants for every job ad you post with us. 

Location? We'll take care of that. Your job ad will hit many other job ad sites, such as Ricebowl, Maukerja, LinkedIn, and Jora, which will attract so many great candidates.

Hire the best. Hire with us.

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