Writing a Job Ad in 2022 can be challenging. It needs to be inclusive, searchable and empathetic. Unfortunately, far too many Job Ads fail to make the grade – something that hasn't escaped the attention of the folks at Bored Panda.
Last week, the art, design, and photography community for creative people rounded up some of the most shocking Job Ads from around the world.
One screenshot showed an employer from the US searching for a worker with four years (are you able to say four years still?) of experience who was willing to work for less than US$1 an hour.
Another employer in Australia instructed people who want a weekly pay-check not to bother applying. At the same time, one individual outlined various unpaid roles ideal for anyone serious about working in the film industry.
Bored Panda’s round-up didn’t end there. An American mother was seeking a nanny with a degree or nine years of childcare experience, who would, ideally, be a Trump fan – while someone else in the States was looking to hire a wedding photographer for an absolute maximum of US$200 per day.
The message? Recruiters need to pay more attention to the Job Ads they post unless they too want to be named and shamed on a global stage.
Here at Get-Optimal HQ, we have put together five tips to ensure every qualified candidate feels welcome to apply for your roles. Without further ado:
Content is key
We see far too many Job Ads as long as the bible. No matter how attractive your position is, a dull, dreary, never-ending description of day-to-day activities is likely to deter even the most enthusiastic of applicants. Conversely, other Ads are ‘content thin’ – meaning it’s impossible to get an authentic feel and flavour for the vacancy. The ideal Job Ad weighs in at between 700-2,000 characters. Translation: Long enough to describe the role and benefits without resorting to endless #yawn.
Did you know: The average UK Job AD is 43 per cent over the Get-Optimal recommended length.
Once you have nailed the structure and length, make sure your Ad is free from spelling, punctuation, and grammar (SPG) errors. And don’t forget to cut out any jargon, bro-speak, stereotyping and ageism and format your Ad – use bullet points (no more than 5 in succession) to make it easier to read, digest and apply for.
Did you know: The average UK Job Ad has 7.3 errors. We know how important companies EVP is.
Reduce bias
Be clear that your organisation is inclusive and collaborative through the language you use in your Ad. Think gender-neutral terms and words that show you welcome applications from people with disabilities or impairments and are a flexible employer who is open to remote working, flexible hours, hybrid work and so on.
Are you struggling to reduce bias in your Job Ads? Get Optimal can do this for you – we use our own propriety de-bias technology to reduce bias across all protected characteristics groups.
Did you know: The average UK Job Ad is 98 percent masculine biased and will exclude only 52 per cent of female applicants applying.
Optimise your Job Ads
If you want your Job Ad to appear and get increased visibility in search engine results, it must be keyword rich and structured to be searchable by search engines and bots. Be sure to integrate words or phrases commonly used by job seekers in your industry into the job title and description for best SEO practice. Please also ensure each job page is individually indexed by your marketing team and always include a boilerplate in your Job Ad to help generate higher rank and authority. Please search for that job always once posted, but don’t use your brand term. Can you find it? If you can’t find it, then candidates can’t.
Remember: a Job Ad is 90 per cent science, 10 per cent human intervention.
Be empathetic
Create reasonable candidate specifications – Job Ads featuring an endless, exhaustive list of requirements put candidates, especially female applicants, off even applying. (On average, men tend to apply for a job when they meet 20 per cent of the requirements, whereas women only apply for a job if they meet 90 per cent of the requirements). Your Job Ad should be written in a tone that’s exciting, engaging, and representative of your brand. Always include empathy: ask yourself, “would you apply to this role?”
Salary matters
If an applicant knows what the pay is from the outset, it saves everyone – both employee and employer – valuable time, marketing dollars and energy. Pay is a critical factor in whether a candidate takes a job – or even applies in the first place. A LinkedIn survey revealed that most respondents (61 percent) said compensation is the essential part of the Job Ad. At the same time, a recent Glassdoor study showed that salary (67 percent) is the top factor job seekers look for in Ads.
Crafting a well-written, highly-optimised Job Ad with bias reduced that will inspire a diverse pool of candidates to apply is harder than you’d think. Why would you give your sales team this responsibility when they’re hired to find and place candidates?
If you’re finding it challenging, manual and time-consuming to create an optimised, bias-reduced Job Ad, reach out to the global experts at Get-Optimal who can automate this entire process for you, your business or your brand.
We look forward to hearing from you and drastically improving the DEI and SEO content of your Job Ads – so that yours won’t end up on Bored Panda’s following list of dire job postings. Book a demo with me today. Please click here.
Daniel Fellows
CEO
Get-Optimal.com
*Image courtesy of Unsplash
Writing a Job Ad in 2022 can be challenging. It needs to be inclusive, searchable and empathetic. Unfortunately, far too many Job Ads fail to make the grade – something that hasn't escaped the attention of the folks at Bored Panda.
Last week, the art, design, and photography community for creative people rounded up some of the most shocking Job Ads from around the world.
One screenshot showed an employer from the US searching for a worker with four years (are you able to say four years still?) of experience who was willing to work for less than US$1 an hour.
Another employer in Australia instructed people who want a weekly pay-check not to bother applying. At the same time, one individual outlined various unpaid roles ideal for anyone serious about working in the film industry.
Bored Panda’s round-up didn’t end there. An American mother was seeking a nanny with a degree or nine years of childcare experience, who would, ideally, be a Trump fan – while someone else in the States was looking to hire a wedding photographer for an absolute maximum of US$200 per day.
The message? Recruiters need to pay more attention to the Job Ads they post unless they too want to be named and shamed on a global stage.
Here at Get-Optimal HQ, we have put together five tips to ensure every qualified candidate feels welcome to apply for your roles. Without further ado:
Content is key
We see far too many Job Ads as long as the bible. No matter how attractive your position is, a dull, dreary, never-ending description of day-to-day activities is likely to deter even the most enthusiastic of applicants. Conversely, other Ads are ‘content thin’ – meaning it’s impossible to get an authentic feel and flavour for the vacancy. The ideal Job Ad weighs in at between 700-2,000 characters. Translation: Long enough to describe the role and benefits without resorting to endless #yawn.
Did you know: The average UK Job AD is 43 per cent over the Get-Optimal recommended length.
Once you have nailed the structure and length, make sure your Ad is free from spelling, punctuation, and grammar (SPG) errors. And don’t forget to cut out any jargon, bro-speak, stereotyping and ageism and format your Ad – use bullet points (no more than 5 in succession) to make it easier to read, digest and apply for.
Did you know: The average UK Job Ad has 7.3 errors. We know how important companies EVP is.
Reduce bias
Be clear that your organisation is inclusive and collaborative through the language you use in your Ad. Think gender-neutral terms and words that show you welcome applications from people with disabilities or impairments and are a flexible employer who is open to remote working, flexible hours, hybrid work and so on.
Are you struggling to reduce bias in your Job Ads? Get Optimal can do this for you – we use our own propriety de-bias technology to reduce bias across all protected characteristics groups.
Did you know: The average UK Job Ad is 98 percent masculine biased and will exclude only 52 per cent of female applicants applying.
Optimise your Job Ads
If you want your Job Ad to appear and get increased visibility in search engine results, it must be keyword rich and structured to be searchable by search engines and bots. Be sure to integrate words or phrases commonly used by job seekers in your industry into the job title and description for best SEO practice. Please also ensure each job page is individually indexed by your marketing team and always include a boilerplate in your Job Ad to help generate higher rank and authority. Please search for that job always once posted, but don’t use your brand term. Can you find it? If you can’t find it, then candidates can’t.
Remember: a Job Ad is 90 per cent science, 10 per cent human intervention.
Be empathetic
Create reasonable candidate specifications – Job Ads featuring an endless, exhaustive list of requirements put candidates, especially female applicants, off even applying. (On average, men tend to apply for a job when they meet 20 per cent of the requirements, whereas women only apply for a job if they meet 90 per cent of the requirements). Your Job Ad should be written in a tone that’s exciting, engaging, and representative of your brand. Always include empathy: ask yourself, “would you apply to this role?”
Salary matters
If an applicant knows what the pay is from the outset, it saves everyone – both employee and employer – valuable time, marketing dollars and energy. Pay is a critical factor in whether a candidate takes a job – or even applies in the first place. A LinkedIn survey revealed that most respondents (61 percent) said compensation is the essential part of the Job Ad. At the same time, a recent Glassdoor study showed that salary (67 percent) is the top factor job seekers look for in Ads.
Crafting a well-written, highly-optimised Job Ad with bias reduced that will inspire a diverse pool of candidates to apply is harder than you’d think. Why would you give your sales team this responsibility when they’re hired to find and place candidates?
If you’re finding it challenging, manual and time-consuming to create an optimised, bias-reduced Job Ad, reach out to the global experts at Get-Optimal who can automate this entire process for you, your business or your brand.
We look forward to hearing from you and drastically improving the DEI and SEO content of your Job Ads – so that yours won’t end up on Bored Panda’s following list of dire job postings. Book a demo with me today. Please click here.
Daniel Fellows
CEO
Get-Optimal.com
*Image courtesy of Unsplash
