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Your job advert is one of your most powerful tools when it comes to attracting candidates to your business. However, many companies can get caught up selling the opportunity and can forget to sell themselves as an employer.
There are a number of ways that you can effectively promote your employer brand within your job advert (and some important mistakes that you should avoid making). Check out Webrecruit’s top five tips to make sure that your job advert conveys how fabulous your company is to work for:
1. Talk about benefits (and not just the remuneration)
Money related benefits, such as a bonus scheme and a generous pension plan are great; they show that you value your employees enough to reward them and ensure that they are compensated appropriately.
However, remuneration isn’t everything. Consider the other benefits that your business offers, particularly any lifestyle benefits such as flexible working and discounted gym memberships, as well as training, progression and sponsorship to achieve industry qualifications.
2. Communicate your company’s values and culture
What values unite your business? Make a list of everything that’s important to your company and ensure that these values shine through in your job advert.
For example, do you pride yourself on your innovative spirit? If so, talk about the cool products that your company has created. Is one of your values transparency? Talk about your open door culture and how all ideas are welcomed and encouraged.
3. Talk about the environment that candidates will be working in
It’s important to describe your office environment within your job advert so that candidates can visualise what kind of space they’ll be working in.
Your environment can be indicative of your culture and what your company’s values are. For example, if your office is light and airy with lots of plants, fresh fruit deliveries and an on-site gym, it’s clear that your business has a definite focus on health and wellbeing.
By simply including a few words or phrases that describe your office, you will likely paint a much clearer image of what you’re like as an employer.
4. Don’t overdo the essential requirements and be inclusive at all times
Including a long list of essential experience, skills and qualifications within your job advert is unrealistic. When building this list, don’t think about what your dream candidate would have, think about what skills would be absolutely essential to fulfil the responsibilities of the role.
A long list of essential criteria doesn’t just deter candidates from applying; it can also imply that you expect too much of your staff, you have unrealistic expectations and you’re unwilling to consider anyone who falls short of your criteria.
Likewise, if you include any sentences excluding a particular group of candidates, such as ‘Previous applicants need not apply’, this can reflect badly on your brand as it comes across as negative. And who wants to work for a negative company? No-one.
5. Actually talk about your company and where the role will slot in
What does your company do? Don’t just reel off paragraphs of information that don’t really make sense to the average reader; talk plainly and simply about what you do and your achievements so far.
Then talk about the importance of the role in relation to what you do. In other words, put it into context. This can really help the candidate to visualise where their role will fit in within the wider business.
Need some help communicating your employer brand within your job advert? Webrecruit has a dedicated team of copywriters who will craft the perfect advert for you.
