You’re likely familiar with the structure of modern job boards. Indeed, LinkedIn, and the several other major players in connecting employers with candidates have streamlined and centralized the hiring process but, in its wake, has created an incredibly competitive space… for employers. Prospective employees may scroll through thousands of job listings and only glance at yours for a few seconds before moving on. And beyond that, attracting the right talent is another battle all on its own. Job listings can be driven by more than just dollar signs; consider the following collection of “Dos and Don’ts” when putting together your future job listings to see if there is more you can do to pull in talent driven by a will to sow rather than reap.

Dos

Create a Specific, Tangible Job Title

This may sound obvious, but more times than not, listings titled “Part-Time Help” or other nonspecific labels find their way onto job boards because of the nature of smaller businesses. While the justification for a more handyman-ish title may make sense to a business owner, consider the people scrolling through job listings. It is much more difficult to picture yourself as “Part-Time Help” or “Front of House Worker” compared to “Cashier,” or “Houseman.” Consider, as well, that there is a fair amount of anxiety that comes with working an unspecified job; a job with a vague title has vague responsibilities.

If you genuinely need a “Jack of all Trades” type for your business, there are more than a few means to make that selling point. Phrases like “wearing many hats” are so corny that your prospective employees will certainly read that as “overworked and underpaid.” Consider instead asking for a “Front of House specialist” or  specifically explain what experience would best help that candidate if they were to get the job.

Keep your Descriptions Brief, but Detailed Where it Counts

There is a fair amount of research that says there is something of a sweet spot for job listing word count. This ranges between 300 and 800 words; listings should only ever reach that high point for technical or highly specialized positions. As to what those words should say, that’s a whole different question. Here is a good rule of thumb: get as specific as possible when describing job responsibilities and be as concise (but complete) as possible when describing other aspects like performance expectations. When building your listing, ask yourself “what exactly do you want potential employees to know about the job and about your business?”

Be Upfront About Pay

There is intense debate about whether online job listings should show compensation outright (and in some states, it has been made a requirement to show compensation in a listing). While listing pay may draw candidates away from the opportunities at hand in a listing, this guide is about attracting the right candidates for your business. Trust your candidates to know how much money they require to live their lives; if you interview a candidate and find a perfect match only for them to turn you down for the pay, you’ve both wasted time.

Focus on Skill Requirements Over Education Where Possible

Once again, this article is about finding the best candidates for your business. If you want to find an employee who can confidently do the work you need done, find someone who has done it before. If you need someone with electrical engineering experience, ask for it. Request portfolios for creative roles and experience-based references from fields that justify it.

If you find a candidate that checks all the boxes except the one for a college degree or even a high school equivalent, ask yourself how genuinely important that box is in the first place. Plus, you’re even less likely to reach that stage if you turn perfectly acceptable candidates away before they have the chance to impress you simply because they haven’t gone to college.

Don’ts

Don’t Let Your Writing Get Away from You

Ask trusted employees and managers to proofread and edit your listing for language. Especially for smaller businesses who don’t have on-call writing teams, getting a second opinion is the basis to making a compelling job listing. Just as well, creating listings in the first place ought to be a collaborative process between you, the business owner, as well as staff who may have insight into the prospective listing’s requirements. And who better to write up the language of your company and its culture than the employees and managers who embody that culture.

Don’t Bury the Lead for Job Responsibilities

Being that whomever you will eventually hire isn’t even being interviewed yet, it is more than possible that that eventual employee’s responsibilities are only about 90% clear. That’s fine but be certain that the language you use to describe responsibilities in your listing doesn’t alienate prospective employees. Here’s an example of a weak responsibility description: “Will oversee multiple departments during special projects.” While that may be true, this means nothing to a prospective employee. In that case, it is far less important to focus on the departments at hand and more important to explain “special projects,” as language like this doesn’t explain what that employee will be doing day-to-day, nor whether they have the experience to tackle that responsibility. This example would read better as: “Manage inter-department brand awareness initiative.”. The point of your listing isn’t to trick your prospective employees. If you want them to know how to use Microsoft Excel, say it outright; the same can be said for any given skill.

Don’t Overlook the Importance of Company Culture

If you truly want to attract candidates who see your business as more than a dollar sign, prove to them that it is through detailed and poignant descriptions of your company culture. This, as well, is likely an exercise in brand and marketplace awareness. Defining a company culture doesn’t happen by decree, but rather through paying attention. Before you can concisely explain your company culture, you have to know what it is.

If you don’t feel capable of defining your company culture, this is a great example of where consultants can help quite a bit. Being that consultants work from outside your company structure, their unbiased view of your company from inside and out is more likely to reflect the view of job candidates. Consider working with a marketing or brand specialist to better understand and investigate what makes your company yours. Better yet, make the self-discovery a group experience for your existing team. Perhaps ask your current staff to define your company culture in their own words, even anonymously if that makes employees more comfortable.

Don’t Leave Candidates in the Dark About Application Process Timelines

Candidates expect to have multiple interviews, but the difficult part of a job listing is explaining to candidates how long it will take from the first interview to a potential offer. This number of days isn’t likely to be a certainty, as business owners have no means to know how many qualified candidates will apply for each position, but giving a general timetable for a best-case scenario can be extremely helpful in expediting the process for both business owners and candidates. Imagine this: you find a candidate that matches your needs seemingly well and impresses you on the first interview. Interviewing the remaining candidates and conferring with relevant staff takes perhaps 30 days to pick that first candidate but, in that time, they have already picked a new job, as they fully intended to find work before 30 days. Generously calculate how long it will take for you to potentially evaluate all potential candidates and advertise this number prominently on your job listing, it may save you from having to pick a second-best down the line.

Convincing the Perfect Candidate

Connecting your business with the right staff is increasingly difficult in the digital world. While, of course, it is easier than ever to show your listing to hundreds if not thousands of candidates through major job boards, this also means that you, the business owner, will have to sift through an ungodly mound of irrelevant applications. There are, however, still genuine, quality employees searching for work online; it’s up to you and your business to prove that you can offer what they need to not only pay the bills, but be a source of their pride as well.