With more than 49 million people using LinkedIn to search for jobs every week, it’s more important than ever for employers to find ways to stand out.
But how can you ensure you’re attracting the right people?
While it’s critical to find the right people in terms of experience, core values also play an important role in candidate selection. Your employees must understand your business and align with its culture and goals.
Read below to find out how to create a job listing designed to attract—and retain—the ideal candidate for your business.
1. Be Descriptive Yet Concise.
It may seem obvious, but make sure your job description is, well, descriptive. This doesn’t mean it needs to include every single detail about the job. Knowing the average person will spend 14 seconds deciding whether or not to apply, start with an eye-catching, attention-grabbing sentence. Then, pull out the most essential aspects of the job and your company and include those in the listing.
The candidate can likely learn smaller-scale tasks on the fly, but it’ll be important to ensure they can handle the more significant, dynamic, and industry-specific duties from the start.
2. Use Bullet Points.
Bullet points help improve readability by organizing your job description into digestible, bite-sized pieces. As mentioned above, keep your bullet points concise. Often, they’re used to list a position’s responsibilities, but they can also be used to list a position’s required qualifications or company information.
3. Prioritize Culture.
Did you know that companies with a strong culture have up to a 72% higher employee engagement rate? Or that 24% of employees are likelier to quit if they dislike their company’s culture? This is why it’s imperative to share your core values and company culture in your job description. To do so, put yourself in the candidate's shoes and ask yourself what you would want to know about a job opening.
Some questions that can dictate the details you share include:
- What are your core values and mission statement?
- What kind of office environment do you have? Is the position remote, in-office, or hybrid?
- How do your team members get to know each other? Do you host company outings or regular happy hours?
- Are there opportunities for growth, learning, and professional development?
- Do you reward teams for meeting goals? If so, how?
Sharing these facets can help you find candidates that align with and want to uphold your values.
4. Showcase Your Personality.
Is your company known for being fun? Flexible? Creative?
No matter how you best describe your company, showcase that personality. The tone you use in your job description can help attract people with similar characteristics and demeanors. This can help you create a team of like-minded, goal-oriented individuals.
5. Divulge Company Perks.
Not only is your job listing designed to explain the job itself, but it’s a way to brag about your company's perks. Don’t be afraid to share the advantages your employees value most. Ask your employees what their favorite parts of the job are and include a section in your job listing about them. Some perks you can highlight include:
- Holiday, PTO, and sabbaticals.
- Parental leave policies.
- Insurance benefits.
- Retirement plans.
- Fitness or mental health stipends.
While you need to identify the right candidates in terms of value, personality, and qualifications, it’s also key to sell your business to those candidates. Otherwise, they may not apply, even if they have the right skill sets.
6. Share Compensation.
Believe it or not, 61% of job candidates say salary range is the most crucial part of the description, and 85% of upcoming and recent grads will only apply for jobs that include salary in the listing.
This transparency may feel uncomfortable for some companies, and while it’s not required, including salary range in your job listing can offer a few benefits, such as:
- Finding candidates who are willing to work for that salary range.
- Saving you time and resources in the interview process.
- Helping facilitate negotiations.
Plus, some U.S. states already require employers to disclose salary ranges. For example, the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act requires employers in Colorado to announce the pay range for job openings. This law doesn’t apply to all U.S. states, but it helps to be prepared in case anything changes in your state.
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