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Tips on Writing Your Job Ad

How to write a great job ad

A well-written job ad will help you to attract great talent, promote your company’s brand, and build strong talent pools.

The search results

The search results are the first thing candidates see when they find your job ad.

Job title

The most important part of your job ad.

Avoid using jargon or internal titles. Job ads that use industry standard titles are more likely to be seen by candidates.

Key selling points

The best things about the job

StandOut job ads let you include three bullet points to showcase the best things about the role.

  • What will the candidate do?

  • What’s a company highlight?

  • What’s a benefit that your target candidate would care about?

Job summary

The essential information

The job summary should make your perfect candidate think "yes, this sounds like me!"

  • Be specific

  • Use short sentences

  • Use ‘action words’ like manage, own, create, build

Salary information

Candidates prefer to know the salary

You must include salary information for your role, but you can choose not to display it to candidates.

Job ads that display salary information usually receive more applications than ones that don’t.

If a candidate filters their search results by salary range, the filter will use your ad’s salary information whether you have chosen to display it or not.

Location

The more specific, the better

You must include a location for your role, but you can choose how specific the location is.

When a candidate searches for a specific suburb or town, job ads that provide this information have priority over job ads with a more general location.

If you specify a suburb, your job ad will still be visible to candidates who search for neighbouring or broader areas.

Writing to attract candidates

Using simple language and a clear structure will help candidates to understand your role.

Job details

What candidates want to know about the role

About the company

Candidates want to know who you are

This is your chance to ‘sell’ your company to candidates as a great place to work. Highlight the achievements and reputation of your company:

  • Is your company local, national, or international?

  • How many people work for your company?

  • What is your company known for?

About the role

Candidates want to know what makes the role special

Provide a high-level summary of the company’s goals, and explain how the role supports them:

  • What are the reporting lines?

  • Who are the stakeholders?

  • How will this role contribute to the success of the company?

Duties

Candidates want to know what they’ll do day-to-day

Make a list of the duties the candidate would be required to perform. Being specific about tasks helps candidates to work out whether or not they should apply for the role.

You should only list core duties - four or five are usually enough. Bullet points are an effective way of listing duties.

Skills and experience

Candidates want to know what will get them the job

List the skills and experience a candidates would need to succeed in the role:

  • Are there any qualifications that applicants must have?

  • How much experience (if any) do applicants need?

Culture

Candidates want to know if you share their values

Company culture is increasingly important for candidates when assessing whether they are a good fit for a company.

A video is a great way to introduce candidates to your company’s culture:

  • Why do people enjoy working at your company?

  • What kind of people thrive at your company?

  • What is the work/life balance like at your company?

Benefits

Candidates want to know what’s in it for them

There’s more to remuneration than just salary.

List the key benefits your ideal candidates would value most:

  • Learning and development programs

  • Flexible work policies

  • Share options

  • Mentoring.

Ready to get started?