Job advertising is critical in any recruitment process. Without an engaging job ad posted in the right place, you likely won’t attract many candidates to apply. That’s why it’s so important to do it well.

What is Job Advertising?

Job advertising is the process a hiring manager goes through when they need to fill a vacant position. It includes writing and posting a job ad. It used to be that people would post these in newspapers, but that method has fallen out of favour with the rise of the internet. Instead, you might post job openings on job boards, your careers site, or other job sites.

10 Ways to Improve Your Job Advertising Strategy

So, let’s get into how you can improve your job advertising strategy. Many hiring managers don’t really sit down and create a strategy for advertising vacant positions. However, if you want to get the best applicants possible, you should take the time to do this. Here are some ways that you can improve your job advertising strategy.

Write A Fantastic Job Description

The first thing that you can do before you even write the job ad, is to write a great job description. It is often the description which will make or break whether someone applies. The more specific you can be about what you’re looking for, the better. Many people won’t apply if they don’t think they have what you’re looking for, so give them certainty.

Use A Job Ad Template

It’s never a bad idea to use a template when you’re creating a job ad. You can make each ad different through what you write, but this will ensure that you don’t forget an essential component. Details that you should add to your job advert include:

• Job title

• Requirements

• Company

• Location

• Benefits

• Responsibilities

• How to apply

Research Other Job Ads

If you’re stuck when writing the job ad, check out some ads from other companies. These may provide inspiration and insight into what a good (or bad!) job ad looks like. To stand out from the crowd, you need to know what everyone else is doing and then do it better.

Use Machine Learning for Writing the Job Ad

Believe it or not, you can leverage machine learning to help you write your job advertisements. There is software out there which analyses the language used in successful job ads. Then this software can find patterns to suggest which types of ads work better than others.

Finally, this type of software will tell you how you should phrase your ad to attract the type of candidates you want.

Programmatic Job Advertising

Programmatic job advertising is probably one of the easiest ways to do recruitment. It refers to a type of recruiting software that will publish and optimise your job ads online. The ads get distributed across different web pages to target the type of candidates you want.

Simply enter the demographic details for applicants you’re seeking, and the programmatic recruitment software will show these types of people your job ad – simple! This is often pay-per-click, so you can just set a budget and get underway!

Optimise the Candidate Experience

To get more applicants, you need to optimise the candidate experience. This means simplifying the application process. If it is too difficult or frustrating, you will find that many people decide not to apply. For example, have you ever uploaded a resume only to be asked in the application form to list your experience? This need to add information more than once can turn many people off applying for your position. Make the experience as seamless as possible for applicants.

Work on Your Employer Brand

Having a positive and engaging employer brand is another way to get incredible candidates applying for your open job postings. An employer brand is all about what the public thinks you are like to work for as a company. For example, Google is seen as fun and innovative because of its employee perks such as nap rooms and free massages.

Consider what can you do to promote what your company is like to work for. One option is to create a great workplace culture. Opinions about companies often spread faster through word of mouth than anything, so it’s all about how happy your current employees are.

Website Visibility

When people see a position open that they are interested in, the first thing they will likely do is Google the company. If you are not easy to find, these people may not even apply. So, make sure that your company website comes up early on search results and is easily accessible. This also includes great user experience on the site, so you can talk to your tech team about that.

Consider Alternative Advertising Channels

Don’t be afraid to try new ways of advertising an open position! It may not always work, but you will learn, and you just might find something that helps you get plenty of excellent applications. For example, you could try using:

• Social media

• Events

• Referrals from current employees

• YouTube videos

Use Data to Analyse Outcomes

Your company is absolutely bursting with [recruitment data](https://resources.workable.com/stories-and-insights/data-driven-recruiting-101#:~:text=What is data-driven recruiting,costs and improve their hiring.), you may just not realise it! If you’ve advertised other positions in the past few years, you can use this to find patterns. For example, do most people apply for roles at your company through the website or on a job board? This gives you a way of targeting your job advertising strategy to how people prefer to engage with job opportunities your company.

You should also look at your turnover when you do this. Is there a trend of people hired through certain sources who leave roles quickly? If this is the case, you may want to avoid advertising roles through those mediums.

By implementing a job advertising strategy made up of some of the above points, you can surely find fantastic people to fill your vacant roles. Plus, when you get strategic about recruitment, it becomes easier and easier to do because you already know what works. You will have some tried and true methods when you need to recruit next time.