Tess Taylor 
A company is only as strong as its employees, and if you want the best employees, you need to write the best job postings. A posting tells potential employees exactly what they can expect from the job, including the benefits you offer workers and the skills you are looking for in the applicants. Writing compelling job postings is the key to finding the workers you need.
Before you even consider any type of recruiting, you need to look at the job with an objective eye. Writing a posting that only highlights the benefits of the job without even implying any of the negative aspects can lead to high turnover as employees leave once they learn what the job actually entails. The National Security Agency discovered how recruiting can go wrong when it met with students in Wisconsin. According to Bim Adewunmi, a student accused a recruiter of lying during the assembly. After discussing the issue and trying to change the subject, the recruiter finally ended the talk, claiming the student probably wasn’t interested in the position. The discussion, which the student recorded, went viral and led to complaints about the way the government recruits employees.
When you write your own job postings, you’ll need to write a headline or job title that explains what the position entails. Listing a position as an assistant or using one to two words to describe the position doesn’t tell applicants what the job is really about. After writing the headline, you’ll need to list the benefits of working for your company. This is the time to tell applicants about the sick days and vacation days they can accumulate and any other perks you offer, including tuition reimbursement or family leave.
Those working in human resources often see applications from people not suited for the job. The easiest way to weed out applicants is by listing the exact requirements they need for the job. This might include a specific number of years working in the field or the ability to use specific computer programs. Applicants who do not possess those requirements will then know that they shouldn’t apply for the job. You also need to clearly explain in the job posting how people should apply for the job, whether by using your company’s website or sending a cover letter and resume to the HR department. You may also choose to tell applicants not to contact you directly after applying in order to eliminate needless phone calls.
Thousands of job postings go live every day, and the only way you can get the best applicants is if you make your listing stand out. Encourage applicants to fill out an application or send in a resume by telling them more about the job and the requirements they need. When you write powerful job listings, you can get people excited about applying to work for your company.
About the Author: Nancy Anderson is the communities and article Editor for Beyond.com. Nancy has 10 years’ experience in the online job search business with Beyond. Nancy’s team produces dozens of articles every month for top internet sites. Follow Nancy and the Beyond team on https://twitter.com/BeyondJobs.
(Photo courtesy of Ambro/Freedigitalphotos.net)
