Recruitment Obstacles

“Creating an attractive job ad can be challenging, but knowing how to write a job advertisement is critical to attracting top talent to your organization,” according to Hire Success.

Recruiting campaigns usually start with the process of writing a job listing, also known as a job ad. This piece of writing should be different from the job description we have for internal use in most companies. A job ad has to be carefully written to attract the right candidates.

According to Recruiting.com these are the six steps you should follow to write an effective job ad:


  1. Describing the Position

    An effective job description typically contains two components: an overview of the role and the job responsibilities. You should only highlight the most significant information in these sections so that description is succinct and easy to digest.

  2. Summarize the Role

    The position overview is typically written in paragraph form and gives job seekers a general idea of what they’ll be doing day-to-day. Be sure to talk directly to the job seeker rather than saying “the incumbent" or "the right candidate." This will make the job ad feel more personal and encourage your potential candidates to actually envision themselves performing the job.

  3. List Job Responsibilities

    Highlight the five most essential job duties. It’s best to use bullet points when listing job responsibilities so that job seekers can quickly scan them. Start each responsibility with a "to be" verb rather than an "ing" verb to make your statements more powerful.

  4. Make it Easy to Read

    An effective job ad will have enough information to appear attractive and thorough, but will avoid highlighting tasks that are not essential functions of the job. A laundry list of skills that are extremely similar should be summarized to avoid tedious reading.

  5. Provide Qualifications and Skill Requirements

    Once a job seeker is excited about your job opportunity, they need to find out if they are qualified to apply. Again, use bullet points so that job seekers can quickly scan and assess their eligibility. Start out by listing the “required skills” for the job, and finish the list with your “preferred skills.”

  6. Share Organizational Values & Culture

    In addition to education and experience, cultural fit is extremely important when it comes to selecting the appropriate candidate for your open position. Use this section to highlight your company's mission, vision and values so that the candidates can gain insight into what your company is all about. Also include key attributes of your company culture and workplace to paint a picture of what it's like to work for you.

What elements do you think recruiters shouldn’t miss when writing a effective job ad? Tell us in the comments section below.  


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