5 Reasons Bad Job Postings Don’t Work

Today's candidates are incredibly difficult to source. Traditional job boards focus on a "post and pray" strategy, where candidates have to search to find you and there's no targeting in place. In contrast, today's job boards are all about posting with a purpose, letting you run targeted job campaigns and influence candidates who may be unaware of your employer brand. Why invest? Investing in job posting is worth it. First, job ads make candidates aware of open positions at your company. Want to target software engineers? Get in front of them with job ads. Secondly, job ads help you target the right candidates. After all, who wants to filter through thousands of unqualified resumes? Lastly, job ads help save you money. Have your jobs appear only to the talent you're trying to reach lowers your ultimate hiring cost.

5 reasons bad job postings don't work

Maybe you're already running job ads. Are you happy with the results? If not, here are common mistakes and quick fixes to get the most out of your job postings. 1. The job title is unclear. When no one is clicking on your postings, review the first thing candidates look at: the job title. Is it misleading? Too confusing? Pro Tip: Incorporate search engine logic when naming jobs. If it's a tech job, avoid using titles like "Coding Superstar." Trust us, no one is searching for "Coding Superstar." Instead, think what you would search for, and name your job that instead. Straightforward titles like "Software Engineer" and "Web Developer" work well. You can always add more color inside the job description. The purpose of the job title is to make it easily searchable. 2. You missed the basics. If there is a lot of interest (i.e. clicks), but no one is applying, check if your job description has all the right ingredients. Here's a checklist:

• Job title
• Location
• Details about the role
• Responsibilities
• Requirements
• Next steps to apply

3. The job description is misleading. If you're seeing a wave of applications but few qualified ones, check your job description. No one wants to spend countless hours going through weak resumes. Quality over quantity will help you save time during the recruitment process. Here's our job description checklist to ensure you're covering your bases:

• Tailor your company's mission to the job
• Avoid lengthy paragraphs: remember, people like to skim!
• Include bullet points
• Illustrate your company's perks
• Provide minimum requirements or preferences
• Avoid too many requirements that might scare away talent
• Include links to reviews (the more your candidates know upfront, the better!)
• Be consistent. Standardize the process once you have a template that works for you.

4. Your process isn't working. If no one is accepting your offers, something is wrong with your process. What's even worse than parsing through a stack of unqualified resumes is bringing in your dream candidate, giving them an offer, and having them turn you down. If this is happening to you, take a step back and ask yourself these questions. What is your competition doing? Do you have a clearly defined employer brand? Are there changes needed in your process? 5. You aren't setting the right expectations. No one likes buyer's remorse. Sixty-one percent of employees say new job realities differ from expectations set during the interview process. To prevent candidate's remorse, ensure candidates have the right expectations before setting foot inside your organization. Give them a realistic preview of what the job entails and what it's like inside your organization.