How to make your job advert unmissable

1 - Where to advertise jobs
2 - What is the Job Board Marketplace?
3 - Creating and optimising your job advert
4 - The number one rule for a good job advert
5 - Length and content of the ideal job advert
6 - What to consider when writing a job advert

Finding and attracting the perfect hire is difficult – but could you be making it even harder by not challenging where you advertise and what your adverts look like?

For most job seekers, their first port of call to job search is online on the multitude of job boards available. So making sure you advertise where your target candidates are and with the best advert is crucial. In this article we'll explain how to find the best job boards to advertise on relevant to the job and our top tips on creating and optimising a job advert.

Watch our video ☝️ - see the Job Board Marketplace in action.

Where to advertise jobs

Getting your job advert in front of the talent you want to attract is easier said than it is done!

Whilst there are several free advertising channels available like LinkedIn, other social media platforms and your corporate careers website, most organisations also need to resort to paid advertising to promote their job vacancies. However, determining where to invest your advertising budget can be challenging, especially considering the job role and requirements. It can be a tedious and repetitive exercise too, hindering your ability to focus on hiring the best candidates.

As a Talent Acquisition Manager, you’ll understand the feeling of endless hours jumping from one site to another, juggling media contracts, and the tedium of tracking invoices whilst also trying to ensure you’re getting value for money from your advertising budget. That’s all while you dream of focusing on what really matters most - hiring the best candidates quickly.

At Jobtrain, we’ve introduced the Job Board Marketplace for our clients. It gives organisations the control and confidence to know they have chosen and invested well in the most appropriate job boards relevant to the job.

What is the Job Board Marketplace?

The Job Board Marketplace gives our clients access to 5,000 media partners and includes major job boards, niche sites, forums and social media platforms. It is a recommendation engine that highlights the most relevant job boards to advertise on based on the role type and location – and for our clients, it’s integral to our ATS platform.

From within our ATS, clients create their job advert to market on their careers site, they then have the opportunity to use the Job Board Marketplace to really stretch the advert’s reach.

The Job Board Marketplace strategically recommends the most suitable job boards for your job advert based on the advert, role type and location. With transparent pricing and all managed within our ATS, it's hassle-free advertising without any messy contracts. It allows you to get your advert seen by talented individuals who matter, effortlessly!

Knowing your advertising channels are taken care of, here are some more handy tips to make your job advert unmissable:

Creating and optimising your job advert 

First impressions really count and with job adverts sometimes the first point of contact between a candidate and your organisation, doing them well is crucial. They play a critical role in not only shaping the candidate experience but also in terms of advert visibility, cutting through the noise of competing adverts by capturing interest and ensuring that quality candidates apply!

The number one rule for a good job advert 

Even though you’re starting to write lots of information to arm candidates with the knowledge to show off their best selves, there’s a pitfall you might trip into (and so many people get this wrong!)

That pitfall is treating a job advert like a job description.

The two are very different! A job advert is salesy, it’s trying to bring people in. A job description is where the disclaimers should be, where the full list of responsibilities live.

A job advert should have images and videos – which increases candidate applications by up to 42%! A job description should have all the necessary information about your workplace, such as the address with a postcode etc.

Make your job titles shorter. Shortening from 7 words to 3 yields 48% more candidates. Think like a job seeker and use titles people actually search for and avoid symbols and special characters.

Length and content of the ideal job advert 

A well-written job advert could increase your candidate reach by up to 200%!

Make your job titles shorter. Shortening from seven words to three yields 48% more candidates. Think like a job seeker and use titles people actually search for and avoid symbols and special characters.

Two (or three) sentence job specifications aren’t going to peak anybody’s interest, but that doesn’t mean you should over-stuff your ad and waffle! You need to educate your internal team on what a great job advert looks like so you can increase your clickthrough rate – thinking about recruitment the same way a marketeer would think about writing for a website.

Research by Talent.com showed that the click-through rate from a poorly written advert to a good one can be as significant as 79 clicks to 2,488! 

An advert between 300 and 800 words is the sweet spot. If your job advert is less than 100 words, it looks like you don’t care. If it’s over 1000 words, your apply rate will be cut in half!

And finally -  adding two benefits to the job advert can increase applications by 55%!

Download our Ultimate Guide to Candidate Experience

What to consider when writing job adverts 

Use clear and concise language in ads 

Avoid using jargon or buzzwords, as they can make the job advert confusing or off-putting. Instead, use simple, direct language that accurately communicates the responsibilities and requirements.

Focus on the candidate's perspective 

Highlight the benefits and opportunities the role offers to candidates, such as career growth, professional development, and work-life balance. A LinkedIn study found that 75% of job seekers consider these factors important when evaluating a job offer.

Be transparent about job requirements and responsibilities 

Clearly outline the key responsibilities, qualifications, and skills required for the role. A study by Indeed found that 77% of job seekers prioritise clear job descriptions when searching for a job.

Include information on company culture and benefits 

Provide an overview of your company's culture, values, and mission. Discuss the benefits offered, such as flexible work arrangements, health insurance, and holidays. A Glassdoor survey found that 57% of job seekers consider company culture a crucial factor when applying for a job.

Use inclusive language 

Avoid using gender-biased language or discriminatory terms in your job advert. A study by ZipRecruiter found that gender-neutral job adverts receive 42% more applications than those that use gender-biased language. 

Optimise for search engines and mobile devices 

Use relevant keywords and phrases to improve search engine visibility on job boards and the wider internet. Always ensure that your job advert is mobile-friendly.