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A new job has opened at a company in your association’s industry or profession. Now, it’s time to fill the role. So, employers who use your association job board do what any modern company does – post the job listing online.
After a week of the post being live, the company checks to see how many applications their job advertisement received – and it’s only a handful. What went wrong?

Why job postings fail

There are many reasons why job postings fail – from a poorly written description to a lack of appropriate detail. Learning about the aspects of a great job ad can help your job board’s employers attract the right candidates from the start. And the more successful employers are at attracting candidates through your job board, the more likely they’ll be to continue posting ads – ultimately helping your association to drive more non-dues revenue.

Let’s look at how to help your job board’s employers write job posting ads with more effective details, formatting, language, and more.

What to consider when creating a job posting

While creating a job posting may seem simple, employers must put a considerable amount of thought into their job ads for maximum effectiveness. Otherwise, they can’t expect a big pool of qualified individuals to look at the posting, much less apply for the job.
By creating a thorough listing from the start, your job board’s employers can ensure they receive enough applicants. A sufficient job posting has the following components:

  • Description of the position
  • List of expected responsibilities
  • Summary of required qualifications and skills
  • Notes about associated benefits and salary

However, employers can’t just add these elements and expect them to work. The elements must be crafted to attract applicants and inspire them to take the next step.

5 tips to make job postings stand out

How do you make a job posting both descriptive and inspiring so that applicants understand the positions and feel the need to apply? Here are five tips to share with employers on your association’s job board to help them create impactful job posts.

1. Start with an outline.

Every part of the job ad should be clear and concise. This can be a bit of a balancing act. The post shouldn’t be too vague, yet it shouldn’t overload readers with too much information.

A job posting outline can help employers keep the ad informative, yet easy to read. Here’s an example of a simple outline you might share with employers that use your association’s job board:

  • List the job title.
  • Begin the body of the post with a short overview of the role to engage potential applicants.
  • Describe the role’s responsibilities.
  • Follow with the job’s required qualifications and skills.
  • Add a note about the anticipated salary and benefits.
  • End with a few lines about the company and its culture.

Aim for the sections to be about three to eight sentences, max. This isn’t a hard rule. However, keeping sections succinct will ensure users don’t have to read paragraphs of information to fully understand the job’s details. It may be helpful for employers to create a rough draft of the job posting first, and then review it to decide which details should stay.
A few formatting tips can also help. For example:

  • Use bullet points and numbered lists when possible.
  • Write a header for every section so that readers can identify sections with ease.
  • If employers have control over aspects like font and bolding, they should use these aspects to their advantage, choosing a simple font everyone can read and highlighting the most important elements in bold letters.

Approaching each new job posting with these basics will give employers a better chance of filling the role successfully from the start.

2. Use the right language.

Many companies tend to use trendy language in their job ads. Take the following sentence as an example: “We’re looking for a rockstar consultant who loves to work hard and play hard.” When applicants see that kind of language in a job post, many of them will roll their eyes and keep scrolling.

While casual and conversational language can help an employer convey a company’s laid-back culture, using more specific and professional wording is more important. There’s a time and a place for wording that helps applicants understand the company’s personality, which is typically near the end when discussing culture. At any point before that, the wrong verbiage can turn applicants off, as they likely won’t grasp what the role entails — and that’s the whole point of the job ad.
Another reason to limit trendy phrases is search engine optimization (SEO). After all, who searches for job openings for “rockstar consultant”? Job seekers are looking for things like “associate management consultant”. So, if employers want the most applicants to find their job ad, they must consider the language they’re using.

3. Ask current employees for help.

Often, recruiters rely on standard job descriptions for each ad they post. But such job descriptions can be vague and outdated, failing to reflect the role’s current requirements and the company’s present culture.

It can help employers to ask for input from people working in the same or similar roles. These individuals can give recruiters further insight into current details about a role, helping employers to find a candidate that best suits the company’s needs.

4. Create a sense of urgency.

Employers shouldn’t want potential applicants to click out of the listing with the intent to come back later; they should want job seekers to apply immediately. That’s why the most effective job listings urge job seekers to apply right away.

Here are some pointers you can give employers on your association’s job board to create that sense of urgency in a job ad:

  • Add an application deadline and start date. An application deadline tells applicants when the posting will close. Stating a firm date will push job seekers to apply now so that they don’t miss the deadline. On top of that, including a start date for the position gives applicants a clear timeline for when they’d potentially begin the role.
  • Include contact information. Provide contact information or other details about where and how applicants should send applications. Give applicants clear instructions on what the email or message should say and include. This way, it’s as easy as possible for applicants to quickly send their information after reading the job post.
  • Rethink application requirements. Some jobs might require extensive information from applicants to find the proper fit, yet other roles may only need a résumé. Consider what can be removed from the application process to make it less time-consuming. Only require what’s necessary so that candidates don’t feel overwhelmed when navigating the application process.

5. Talk about culture.

A “now hiring” post is more than an ad for a job. It’s an ad for the company.

Employers should include a section at the end of the job posting to briefly describe why people should join their organization. If candidates are intrigued by a role but don’t see any information about the company, they’ll be less likely to apply. And a candidate who ends up not being a good fit will cost a company time and money.
Encourage employers to consider the following questions as they craft the section about their workplace’s culture:

  • What are your company’s standard benefits and perks?
  • Is your company an equal opportunity employer?
  • What’s your company’s mission?

Why employers should use job ad templates

Creating job ads from scratch can be time-consuming. To simplify the process, employers can use a job announcement template for every posting.
This template allows them to start each new ad with basic details they will likely repeat across posts, like information about their company’s culture. Then, they can edit the rest of the template with information about the specific role being posted.
As a result, employers will spend much less time writing job ads from scratch. Plus, their job listings will stay consistent, even when posting multiple ads.
Overall, job opening templates are a great way to help employers on your association’s job board make their job posting experience easier and attract the best candidates possible.

5 characteristics of a great job advertisement

Let’s dig a little deeper into what makes an effective job ad. To help your job board’s employers write great posts, remind them of these effective job ad characteristics:

1. Targets the right candidates

Regardless of the content of the job ad or how well it stands out, the ad must target and attract the right candidates. The simplest way to begin targeting the right candidates is to put the job title of the open position at the top of the ad. This allows candidates looking for specific types of positions to find the post easily.

Additionally, the ad must be posted where the right audience will see it. For example, if a company is looking to hire a sales manager, the job ad should be under sections like “Management” and “Sales and Marketing.”

2. Lists desired qualifications

Effective job ads list the minimum qualifications a new hire should have. For example, if the open position requires a certain amount of prior job experience, specific training, or a college degree, those qualifications should be listed in the ad. Listing qualifications will likely reduce the total number of applications your job board’s employers receive, but the ones they get will be more likely to perform the job as needed.

3. Clearly describes the job

As previously mentioned, job ads should include a clear description of the position. The job description should explain the position in concise sentences to give candidates a better idea of what they’d be doing and if they’d be a good fit. Describing the open position is also another way of defining what type of employee the employer seeking. For example, if the position requires travel or physical labor, candidates opposed to those aspects are less likely to apply, allowing employers to find appropriate applicants.

4. Uses searchable language

It’s worth repeating that the language in a job ad should be tailored for searchers and search engines. Employers should consider the queries job candidates may be searching for and use those phrases in their ads. Using keywords will help a job listing rank higher, making it more likely to be seen by candidates. Make sure the keywords relate to the organization, job type, and rank of the position.

5. Provides a call-to-action

Effective job ads should prompt potential applicants to take action. For example, most online job ads provide links to online job applications, and candidates can easily apply right away. However, if employers post the job opening in formats that don’t allow applicants to apply through the job ad, they need to tell applicants how to apply. For example, they might provide a phone number to call, a website to visit, or an email address where candidates can send their résumés.

How YM Careers helps employers in your association’s industry to recruit niche talent

YM Careers by Momentive Software offers job board software that’s built for associations. It’s designed for niche career centers versus general career centers. This makes it much easier for employers to access highly qualified candidates (your members and potential members) and for job seekers to connect with companies who are hiring in your industry.
If you don’t have staff available to manage job board sales and marketing, YM Careers can help you showcase your job board to employers and job seekers.
By offering a vibrant online job board and helping employers get the most out of their job postings, your association can help companies in your industry and provide your members with a powerful member benefit – all while driving non-dues revenue.

Get started with a great job board for your association

Request a demo today to see how YM Careers can help your association build a great job board experience for employers in your industry and your members.

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