Job Posting Dos and Don'ts

Job postings are a huge part of hiring managers’ duties at any level of company. But what's the best way to write a job posting? What should you stay away from? What should you include in your posting? How clear or concise do posts need to be to get a candidate past the application and into an interview?

This blog post is about how to create effective job postings for employers, rather than how applicants might optimally apply for open positions. We will give you some tips for creating effective job postings. Let's jump right in!

What are the Best Practices for Creating Job Postings?

Although there are no firm rules when it comes to creating job postings. There are a few best practices that typically make them more effective. The first thing you should consider is that no matter how good your company is at hiring. Their recruiting process probably won't be foolproof. It will likely have errors. You'll need to create a resume for every position. And follow up with many candidates that you didn't make an offer to. It's easy! Let's start with do's and don'ts in creating job postings.

Job Posting Dos

Start with a Clear Job Title

Use a straightforward job title that accurately reflects the role and responsibilities. Avoid using overly creative job titles.

Provide a Detailed Job Description

Enhance a job description with details that will help potential applicants learn about the job and the company. Also describe the skills, experience and interests that are relevant to each applicant.

Give a Brief History of the Company:

Provide background information about the company, such as its size and history, its growth and how it has evolved over time. This will set expectations for your final hiring decision and allow applicants to judge how well they might fit into your organization's future plans.

Target Specific Skills/Experience

Make sure that you reiterate certain key skills in a job posting. It is desirable to do so in a bulleted format. Use phrases like "a must" and "an absolute requirement" to indicate that a certain key skill is of utmost importance.

State the Ideal Candidate

Include some information about what your ideal candidate is like and what they will bring to the table. In bullet format as well also, if any skills or experience are important, make sure to list it at this time. This helps candidates see how they fit into your company (and hopefully shows them why you would want them).

Provide Contact Information

Make sure that all of the contact information is correct and up-to-date in your job posting.

Be Reassuring

Make sure the position you are hiring for is a good fit for the company. This means that you should include some reassurance in your posting. It will be a good fit for them, not just the applicant.

This helps potential applicants feel that they can approach you with questions and concerns about their job applications and hopeful interview. Also, because it shows potential applicants that if they have any issues with their application or interview, they can contact you rather than approach another person at the company who may not be familiar with their concerns. If an applicant ever asks you about your job posting via email or phone call, do not mention other opportunities at other companies. You should only address their questions.

Get the Job Posting Online

The job posting should always be viewable online. Make sure that the posting is posted on the career page so that applicants can quickly find the posting. Also, a good starting place to start would be to upload your most recent posting if it hasn't yet been uploaded into your website. It is also a good idea to update your job posting periodically, especially if any of it changes - such as a new opening becoming available or old openings being filled.

Job Posting Don'ts

Don't be Overly Personal

Do not become overly personal with applicants. It is annoying to have someone call you on the phone during a workday and talk about what their favorite pizza topping is. And it is particularly annoying if people email you personal messages or try to contact you personally, asking for a job. You should never do this, and it shows potential candidates that they are not hiring someone who can work well with others on a team or in the office hours, but instead are hiring someone that will be isolated in one department all day long.

Do Not Duplicate Content

Just because you can create a job posting does not mean that you should duplicate your job description and history information on the same page. It might be easier to do it this way, but if it is too much work for the applicant to locate both areas of information. Then perhaps you should consider creating a separate section with all of this information. It can also cause confusion if they have to go back and forth between two places in an electronic job application.

Don't Post Incorrect Information

Be sure to double check any work experience, education or skills that are referenced within the posting before submitting it for others to see (such as during uploading or editing). It is a good idea to have someone else look at it before you submit it (even your boss).

Don't Rely on Job Postings Alone

It will be stuck easily in a loop of only posting and reposting job advertisements. This might work for some of your job openings, but know that you shouldn't solely rely on job postings as a method of recruiting. You should look into other means of recruitment as well. Also, if you are going to rely on job postings as a means for staffing. Make sure that you have an appropriate system in place to track applicants and their progress toward an interview. If you don't, then you could be missing out on potential candidates.

Don't Oversell Your Company

Don't make it sound like your company is the greatest place to work and that everyone should want to work for it. It can turn away potential applicants with realistic expectations about working with a company. If people who would be good potential candidates know that they won't fit in at your company, then they will not waste their time applying for the position.

Avoid Over-Emphasizing Individual Contributions

Do not list individual achievements on your job posting. What you might want to do is only mention specific company achievements or group accomplishments. If it is an individual accomplishment. Make sure that the contribution was significant enough for you to mention it in your job posting.

Conclusion

By following the above, you can create job postings that effectively attract qualified candidates and present your organization in a positive light. The best Job Posting Sites for Employers can be a crucial step in finding the right talent for your team.