Most job adverts are judged on the applications they get. But by the time the advert goes live, most of the decisions that shape those applications have already been made.
Follow this checklist to get them right up front and increase your chances of hiring.
1. Agree who you are actually hiring
First things first, who is it you are trying to hire? What does the role need to deliver, what are the skills that are non-negotiable and which are nice to have? What does good look like six months time?
Make sure all the key people involved in the hiring process agree on this up front, write it down as a scorecard and measure applications against that. This sets up the rest of the process, ensuring you use the right title, the right advert and you can quickly score the candidates.
2. Ask the people already doing the job
Your current team is the closest thing you have to the candidate you want, so ask them. What was their job title before this one, what other roles were they considering when they were looking for this one?
This helps you properly benchmark the role against your true competition. Not just your competitor, but the roles you’re competing against for talent. You can then work out the salary, title and benefits you’re competing against.
3. Benchmark the job title
The biggest single factor in suitable candidates finding your role is the job title.
Job boards make candidates search by job title. Nearly half the candidates that completed our survey said they found their last job through a job board or a Google search, both are search boxes where they will input a title.
Using a simple title that people will actually search for will get you the best response. Avoid internal labels or overly creative ones. Keep it short, CV-Library’s research shows shorter titles perform better. Check the title against the market, paste your advert without a title into an AI tool with live web search and ask what similar roles are being advertised and what titles they use.
4. Benchmark the salary and put it on the advert
No salary is the fastest way to lose people. 34% of the candidates we surveyed said a missing salary has stopped them applying for a job. That is a third of your potential applicants deciding not to bother before they have read a word.
Finding out the right salary and benefits can take 10 minutes. Firstly Glassdoor’s salary checker gives you the average salary by title and location. Then ask an AI tool with live web search for the three adverts your job will be competing with, with links and the salaries they show. Cross-check the two and you have a sensible benchmark.
Don’t advertise a “competitive” salary. That is the fastest way to put off good candidates.
5. Write the advert for the candidate, not for you
The worst adverts are not even adverts, just a copy of the job description. But the majority of adverts are completely focused on what the company is looking for. A long list of requirements or skills.
The best adverts are written as adverts, trying to attract ideal candidates by focusing on who the right people are and what is in it for them.
Lead with what the job offers, what the day looks like, why someone would want it, then what you need from them.
If you need some help with this you can always use our advert generator.
6. Sort out where it goes before you post
Our best performing job board is Indeed, with 40% of our clients hires’ coming from there. But only 40% so posting to a single job board means you’re reducing your chance of hiring by 60%.
Are you just relying on job boards? Will the role be listed on your careers site. Do you have a shareable post on LinkedIn your employees and network can share for you?
Put the advert across multiple job boards and different advertising channels so more of the right people get the chance to see it, which is what a Get Staffed campaign does in one go.
7. Line up your search for the people who are not applying
The best person for the role might not be looking at all. So decide now that you will go and find them, not only wait for applications. Job boards give you the active candidates. CV databases give you everyone else.
You already have most of what you need for this. Search the databases using the different job titles identified by your existing employees. Unlike advertising here you can be more selective with industry experience or particular skills to help you narrow down the database.
Get a short messaging sequence for emails and calls set up so you or the team can get in touch with all the applications you find.
This is included as standard in the Get Staffed Branded and Branded Pro packages.
8. Agree the process before you post, so you can move fast
Speed is your biggest advantage, and most employers give it away by working the process out as they go. 63% of the candidates we surveyed expect an offer within two weeks. Just over half of the candidates said they have applied for 11 or more jobs.
So don’t waste time when you have spoken to candidates agreeing the process or hiring criteria. Settle it before the advert is live, who makes the final call, who sits in on the interviews, when those slots are, blocked out in the diary now. How fast feedback comes back after each stage. Agree it once and the process runs at the speed the good candidates expect.
None of this is expensive. But requires organisation and discipline. It will make a huge impact on who, or if, you end up hiring.
Get your job in front of the right people
If you want help with your next campaign speak with one of our account managers. We can run a completely free trial for new clients and you can decide if this is the solution for you.
