How to get your job posting to draw in top talent

Job posts are more than just a starting point for finding your next employee. If done right, they’ll draw in only the most qualified and experienced applicants.

This means a higher quality pool of candidates to choose from and without the stress or frustration of having to weed through countless submissions that either aren’t what you’re looking for or wouldn’t be a good fit for your company. Creating this type of job post requires employing a few optimization techniques, as well as following some best practices.

How to optimize your job posting

Approximately four in five job searches occur online. To help these searchers better find your posting, it’s important to use the right keywords. Think of keywords like porch lights. They help someone find the position with greater ease.

The first keyword you want to use is the title of the role. To reach more job seekers, include other titles that they may be using in their search. For example, if you are hiring a manufacturing operator, other potential job titles include machine operator and production operator. Placing these somewhere in the job post tells search engines that it is a similar role.

Also include the geographical location of the position. Many job seekers search based on location, such as looking for “distribution jobs in Fort Worth.” Having your city and state in the post helps make this connection.

If you want to make your job post stand out even more, video is one way to do this. While the average time spent on a text job ad is 55 seconds, the average time spent on a video job ad is almost 3 minutes. Plus, search engines like video. This improves your ability to rank higher in the job searcher’s results.

Job posting best practices

In addition to optimizing your job post so it can be found, you also want to craft it in a way that draws in the best candidates. Following these best practice tips can help:

• Be clear about minimum qualifications. If you require a certain amount of education or experience, say it in the post. The same is true for certifications, licenses or training. This helps job candidates know upfront whether they are qualified to apply. 
• Be original. Remember that someone searching for a job is likely reading a lot of postings in one sitting. Find a way to stand out so yours is noticed. For instance, instead of starting with what the person would do, start with a short blurb on why you’re hiring (“Our longtime warehouse supervisor has decided to hang up their work boots, so we’re looking for someone to take their place”) or even your company’s mission (“Our goal is to be the best in the industry and we’re looking for a distribution team lead who wants that too!”). 
• Give insight into the company’s culture. Along with being original, craft your job post so it shows your company’s culture. This helps the candidate know whether they would be a good fit. If you have a high-energy environment, for instance, the job seeker should feel this when reading the posting. You can do this by incorporating certain words, such as saying that you’re seeking an “energetic leader” or a leader who is comfortable in a “high-speed environment.” Including your mission and vision also helps the candidate know what type of culture you have created and/or are working toward.
• Put the job posting on your website. Posting on sites like Indeed and LinkedIn is great because many people use them. At the same time, having a career page on your company’s website draws candidates to the one place they can learn more about who you are and what you do. Almost two-thirds of job seekers will research a company that they’re interested in online. If they go to your site and see a dedicated career page, it tells them that you are serious about the people that you hire. Don’t forget to share this page on your social media to let interested applicants know that it’s there.
• Include a call to action. It may seem kind of silly to tell the candidate to apply but doing this helps remind them to take the next step. Encourage them to submit an application if they are qualified and a good fit. You can do this by ending your job posting with “Apply Now” or “Join Our Team Today.” If you have a hiring deadline, this can create a bit of urgency. Tell them when the position will be filled so they know that they need to act sooner rather than later.

Not sure if your job postings are effective?

Our RPS team has the industry research and expertise to optimize postings to get the best people for your unique staffing needs. 

Want to learn more about RPS? Click here to learn more about this unique solution or get in touch with our team below.

About the Author

Ray Seidel is a Senior Program Manager for Recruitment & Placement Solutions (RPS). He has been in the staffing industry for 19 years. He has worked his way up on the RPS team from recruiter to project manager to his current role. He loves helping put people to work. Outside of work, he enjoys golfing (no matter what his score), practicing as an amateur baseball announcer or watching the newest season of Ozark.

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