Write the Perfect Job Ad with These 3 Tips

The job ad is a gateway for top-tiered talent and your company. To create an ad that will compel the right candidates requires you to put on your marketing thinking caps.

After all, a job ad is an ad nonetheless.

To help you craft the best possible description for your open positions, we spoke to a few experts who have had a proven track-record in creating successful job ads.

Here’s what the experts say:

1. Throw Down a Challenge!  

Mike Scanlin, CEO of Born to Sell, a portfolio management software company, says the best ad he ever ran was a programmer challenge ad.

The challenge?

Remove 200 cycles and 10 bytes from this 68000 assembly language code. Send your solution and your resume to: xxx.

He listed about 20 lines of inefficient 68000 assembly language, which the applicant needed to improve.

“It was awesome because it instantly weeded out the people who looked good on paper but who didn’t know the real world peephole optimizations necessary to write killer code on that particular CPU  (and were seeking code optimization specialists),” Scanlin says.

Not to mention that the most enthusiastic folks are most likely to reply.

The result? He hired two people who ended up doing “exceedingly well” at the company for three years, he said.

2. Don’t Bury the Lead

What makes your current team really happy to be there? Not sure? Ask them. Whether it’s the unlimited vacation or ping pong breaks or proximity to the beach, highlight the perks of working at your company in the job description.

Notable awards from credible organizations, like “Best Places to Work” titles are good to include too. Showcase what makes your culture unique.

And don’t skip the basics: Include a link to your company website or blog. “This sets them up to be successful in researching the company and tying in how they will fit with the company's culture and needs,” says Sharon DeLay of boldly GO Career & HR Management, an HR consultancy service.

3. Get Inside the Smart Candidate’s Head: What Keywords Will They Use?

Make sure you’re including the keywords that make the most sense to candidates in the industry—not just your quirky sense of humor.

So, while the “customer service ninja” titles are cute, they might get overlooked if they are unsearchable.

“Don’t use silly titles that nobody understands,” DeLay says. “Savvy candidates will frequently steer clear of silly titles because they think the employer is over compensating in the tile for a job that is lacking.”

If, for instance, you are looking for a  PHP Developer, be sure to include the necessary skills and descriptive tasks that you need this superstar PHP Developer to do, like HTML, CSS, jQuery, etc. Speak directly to the person you want to hire.