What Qualifies as a "Good" Job Advertisement?

What Qualifies as a "Good" Job Advertisement?

Writing a job posting that attracts top-talent for your industry can be daunting, to say the least. Even the most seasoned Human Resources Manager is strained to write an engaging job advertisement that not only lists the responsibilities of the position, but elicits a sincere interest from a well-qualified candidate. Twenty First Century, job seekers are not only interested in what a position pays (though that is still a mitigating factor), they're sizing you up to your competitor.

Company culture, benefits (especially medical insurance), growth opportunities, a company's ethics, and flexibility are just a few of the key features a candidate looks at when considering applying for employment with an organization. As competition for talent grows ever-increasing among employers, benefits such as those mentioned above are not only important to for companies to offer their employees, but they become critical factors when looking to hire employees. And, if your organization is like most, you're not only looking to hire an employee, you want to hire an exceptional employee.

So once a company has gone to the effort to implement enticing benefits to encourage "rock star" applicants to consider employment with their company, what then? Should companies sit back and anticipate a flood of phenomenal resumes, all so perfect that they are unsure of whom they will chose? Unless you're Google, don't count on it. Most companies are relegated to employing the use of job boards and print advertising to garner interest in their organization.

How then can a company stand out among the sea of job postings on the likes of Linkedin, Career Builder and Monster and gain interest from the highly sought-after candidates before their competition? For starters, an excellent job posting-not only does it do a good job at gaining intrigue on behalf of the candidate, it also posits your organization to reap the benefits of a great job posting versus a mediocre one based upon the caliber of candidates who apply.

The primary difference between a great job posting, and, let's face it, a boring one is the level of creativity used in communicating the requirements, qualifications and benefits of the job. Just as candidates work to separate themselves from the rest of the crowd, so too should employers.

When writing a job posting, it is important to keep in mind that aside from working to write an alluring ad, it should also be succinct. Most candidates are not interested in reading a literary masterpiece, they're only concerned with identifying (quickly) whether or not they have the qualifications for the position and if the company sounds like an environment where they would like to work.

Ultimately, when writing a job posting, employers should work to keep it simple, use bullet points, sell the organization, be engaging, capture the essentials of the position, clearly state the available benefits, and ensure that contact information is listed. Taking the time to write a solid job.

Robert Boroff is the Managing Director at Reaction Search International Recognized Globally by multiple renowned publications as a Preeminent Executive Talent Scout; Robert has conducted numerous executive search assignments across multiple industries throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia on behalf of FORTUNE 1000 companies, as well as small- to mid-sized organizations.