When candidates start looking for work often times the first place they will begin is on the Internet. Online job descriptions created by human resource and recruitment teams are generally how candidates find out about the qualifications and requirements of each job type. Sometimes job descriptions are included as part of job advertisements themselves or they may just be found on the company career portal.
Writing Better Online Job Descriptions
In either case, job descriptions must accomplish the following factors in order to be effective at attracting top talent. They should:
- Have compelling and accurate job titles that stand out from other similar jobs advertised.
- Make sense given the duties and responsibilities of each assignment and the scope of the company.
- Include enough information to help candidates make an informed decision whether to apply or not.
- Add value by shedding light on the company culture, compensation, and objectives of the company.
Getting online job descriptions right can take extra research and practice, but over time the HR team should have a fairly good idea of how to write them well. Here are some steps for optimizing your online job descriptions so they can become a powerful recruitment tool.
Step 1 – Know the job goals well.
Before you launch into the writing of an online job description, it’s time to understand that the job has specific goals. Look over the history of the job previous employees, and what has worked and not worked for this job. Re-write the description based on the duties that are aligned with company objectives.
Step 2 – Understand what kind of candidate you want.
It is impossible to write a job description without knowing what kind of candidates you’d like to attract and eventually hire for the position. Create a candidate avatar, with the qualities you are looking for. This will help you to determine how to write the job description to accurately reflect your recruitment focus.
Step 3 – Write for the search engines.
Today all recruiters must be up to speed with candidate job search behaviors, which includes looking for career opportunities using keywords typed into search engines. Include industry keywords in your job descriptions, referring to the US Department of Labor and O*Net descriptions of job types.
Step 4 – Avoid writing too much, but not enough.
Your online job descriptions need to include a good amount of information, but not so much that it becomes tedious to write and publish. Limit the first paragraph which describes the basic job details, the company, and how to apply. Include a short bulleted list of job requirements, including skills and educational level. Wrap it up with EECO information and a link to the career application center.
Step 5 – Include great incentives to attract candidates.
Your job descriptions are not only a basic listing of the kinds of work your company offers, but also a sneak peek into why people work for you. Include information about the company compensation and benefit program educational incentives, and corporate culture perks.
Use the above tips to write online job descriptions and advertisements that will attract the best candidates. For help with evaluating your job descriptions, reach out to Advance Staffing Resources a knowledgeable employment agency in Michigan and Ohio to talk with one of our recruitment pros.
