In today’s job market, not only do job seekers need to catch the employer’s attention, but the employer also has to make sure that their job posting is seen by the right candidates. Advertising for open positions in your company can be difficult. Here are 5 job posting mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Using deceptive or obscure job titles
The fastest way to stop the flow of applicants is by deception, confusion, getting too fancy or creative with the job title. “Director of First Impressions” is a glorified title for a Receptionist. I can guarantee that a job seeker looking for a Receptionist position won’t be searching for that job title and you’ll even attract candidates looking for director roles, who are over qualified for a receptionist position. You want to make sure your posting is seen by many candidates. You can try and glamorize a job with cute titles, but in reality, your goal is likely to fill a position quickly. By using “Receptionist” as the title in the job posting, you will receive many more qualified candidates than by using “Director of First Impressions.”
2. Too little or too much information
You don’t want to list too little or too much information regarding the job and its responsibilities. Candidates won’t apply for a job if they can’t get an idea of the work from the job description. If the job description is too long, the candidate will probably scan it for keywords instead of reading the entire description. Try to list the key responsibilities of the job. Keep it simple and list 10-15 responsibilities.
3. Deal breakers
Failing to put your deal breakers into the posting will not only waste the candidate’s time but yours as well. Are you looking to pay a Sales Representative on a commission-only basis? Are you offering salary-plus commission? Most salary discussions come at the end of the interview. Don’t waste 30 minutes talking just to get to the end and find out that the candidate is nowhere near your pay scale. Candidates want to have a rough idea of how much they’ll be paid.
4. Format and contact information
Most job applicants quickly skim through job postings without reading the entire job description the first time around. It’s important that you format the job description in a way that makes it easier for the applicant to review. One long paragraph isn’t going to work. Use bullet points to make it easier on the applicant. And please don’t forget your contact information. Don’t put a generic email address like resumes@companyname.com or humanresources@companyname.com. You may be trying to cut down on phone calls, and if that’s the case, put a sentence in the posting about how no phone calls will be accepted. At the very least, each posting should list a name and email address for the candidate to contact.
5. Tight deadlines
Don’t limit your results by placing a job posting for two business days. At a minimum, jobs should be posted for seven business days. You may get flooded with candidates, but in this case, more is better. If you ever have an employee leave, you can always go back to the applications you received to see if someone else is a fit and possibly still available.
BONUS!
Be sure to proofread your job description before posting it. Spelling mistakes or inaccurate information will not only make you and your company look bad, but it can possibly turn away candidates as well. By following this information, your next job posting just might result in the best hire you’ve ever made.