Why so Many Job Ads are Unsuccessful? 

Through job ads, companies and recruiters advertise themselves. Browsing all the ads as a person looking for employment can be tiring as most ads are terrible. If you want to hire new employees, it’s important that you show them that your company is a vibrant, interesting place. You have to show potential candidates that working for you means having a job with a meaning. If you’re wondering what makes a good job ad and why so many of them are badly-written, keep reading.  

Some reasons why ads fail  

There are many things that can make a job ad unattractive but the main ones include: 

• Vague descriptions that can apply to literally anyone in the world, for example, ‘Apply if you want to work for a company that values its employees.’ 
• Exorbitant demands that require candidates to have several years of experience doing one particular thing, for example, ‘3 years of creating content for fashion blogs’. Someone who spent years creating content for various brands and only a month writing fashion-related things could still be qualified enough for the job.  

• Descriptions that are discriminatory towards older candidates, for example, ‘looking for a youthful, energetic person.’ 
• Excessive use of exclamation marks, for example, ‘We want you!!! Apply today!!!’ 

In addition to that, common reasons why people do not apply for jobs are: 

• The title of the advertised position is unclear so candidates don’t know whether the job is what they’re looking for. 

• The job description is confusing. Sometimes ads are too long and people can’t be asked to read them. Sometimes the important information is hard to find.  
• The expectations are too high. For example, if the ad says a company wants to hire students but at the same time expects them to have 3+ years of experience, there aren’t likely to be many candidates meeting these demands.  

How to make your job posting stand out 

If you are looking for employees for your business, you should take some time to work on the job ad and put a lot of thought into it. Based on this ad the candidates will form a certain image of your company in their heads. Moreover, you need to show them why working for you is a great opportunity.   

When you are creating a job ad, make sure all the basic information is included. Several things that you always need to put there are: 

Job title	Make it clear so the candidates know what will their role be.
Location	It’s very important to include the exact location so that candidates can check whether they will need to commute or relocate. If the position is remote make sure to say that as well.
Details about the position	What does the title mean, what is the exact role?
Responsibilities	What tasks the successful candidate will have to perform?
Requirements	Be specific as to what experience and skills are necessary for the job.
How to apply	Explain what are the next steps of the process. Should the candidates include a cover letter or is CV enough?

How to write a good job description 

Writing a job description that is easy to understand and provides candidates with all the information about the job is crucial to receiving a high number of job applications. Nevertheless, many struggles with doing it and end up posting ads with confusing and misleading descriptions. If you want to avoid doing this mistake, here are some tips: 

1. Explain what your company’s mission is and how the advertised job fits in with it. 

2. Make the paragraphs short and informative.  

3. Include bullet points so the ad is easier to read. 

4. Explain what the benefits of working for you are. 

5. Explain what the minimum requirements are.  

6. Include links to your company’s website so the customers can see who you are.  

7. Stick to one style of writing throughout the ad.  

In addition to that, if you want to attract more applicants, you could state what the salary will be. Many companies only reveal that information during or after the interview. Nevertheless, many people like to know right away what they can expect. If what you pay actually is a nice sum putting the number in the ad can encourage more candidates to send in their application.  

One thing you should always avoid, however, is saying that you offer a ‘competitive salary’ and then not saying what the salary actually is. That just makes applicants annoyed and perplexed.  

Another thing that can boost your chances of having many people apply is providing a short description of your company. That can show applicants that you are a legitimate, established business with a good reputation. Make sure that your website is presentable and user-friendly as that’s what the candidates will see when they look your company up online. If you have any reviews left by clients or former employees make sure to feature them in the ad or add a link to them.