According to data from the Department of the Economy, there are thousands of online job advertisements relating to Northern Ireland vacancies at any given time. In general, most things you read about job ads relate to the jobseeker’s perspective. However, from the hiring company’s viewpoint, it is clear that each ad faces stiff competition from rival organisations who are understandably eager to attract the best talent on the market. Therefore, the importance of creating a high-quality ad that gets noticed by the right candidates is a crucial element of your hiring process. Your goal must be to highlight why qualified individuals should apply for a role at your company above others. Create a boring, jargon-filled ad, and you can wave goodbye to the best and brightest in your sector. This guide outlines how to write a job advert that captivates job seekers and ensures they gravitate towards your company. It focuses on job ad best practices, the right structure, injecting creativity, and things to avoid, with advice on inclusivity. The guide then concludes with a job advert example to represent what a suitable ad looks like. Let’s begin!

Those who write brilliant job ads understand the difference between an ad and a job description. A job advert is an announcement that a position is vacant and open to applications. High-quality online job ads are free from jargon and designed for external candidates. They are created to attract a small to moderate amount of extremely suitable applicants rather than a large number of individuals, many of whom are not the right fit. When advertising job positions, the aim is to sell the role and let unsuitable candidates know that it isn’t for them. A simple rule is that job ads sell, whereas job descriptions tell. As the name suggests, a job description describes a position’s details and informs readers. It looks into the nuts and bolts of the role, such as the fact that the successful hire has to attend regular meetings or produce a weekly report. In contrast, a job ad focuses on specific aspects of the role that are likely to entice suitable applicants. When considering the answer to the question: “What does a job advert look like?” it is apt to suggest that you’re taking a scalpel to a job description, surgically removing the excess! Whether you’re writing a part-time job advertisement or seeking a full-time employee, understanding job advertisements is essential if you plan to create a successful one.

There are dozens of job advertisement websites, but they are far from being created equal. The difference between the top job advertising sites and the rest is profound. Unfortunately, you’re effectively wasting your money on job advertising sites that few people ever visit. NIJobs.com is considered among the best job posting sites for employers and career seekers for a simple reason: It gets results! The site delivers approximately three times more hires than its closest rival!

The average employer spends close to £3,000 to hire a new employee for reference. However, this figure rises precipitously when looking for a high-ranking employee. For instance, it can cost over £12,000 to hire a director. Meanwhile, recruitment agencies can cost 20-30% of your new hire’s salary. Therefore, it could cost you between £5,000 and £7,500 to hire for a position with a £25,000 per annum salary. NIJobs’ technology team consists of over 100 experts who constantly update the site to benefit job seekers and hiring teams. Apart from providing a platform for job ads, the site provides advice to employees and organisations relating to best application/hiring practices, CV and cover letter templates, and much more.

Now, let’s look at how to write a job advert. Before you even consider writing an ad posting, take some time to visualise your ‘ideal’ candidate. Yes, the perfect employee doesn’t exist, but you CAN think deeply about the best person for the job AND your business. You already have an overview of the position in terms of daily duties. However, the best job adverts cut through the detritus and leave nothing but the most salient points. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before beginning a job posting:

• How much experience is required? If it is a more senior role, you’re focusing on applicants with several years in the industry. However, experience is less vital for entry-level positions, especially if you plan to train the new hire.
• What personality traits do you feel are necessary to ‘fit’ into your company?
• Outline the specific technical skills that are essential for the position. Consider dividing such skills into ‘must have’ and ‘nice to have.’
• Are you looking for candidates with specific professional backgrounds?

With this information to hand, the next step is to place it in order of importance. For instance, you might decide that if a candidate lacks the ‘must have’ skills, they are automatically dropped from consideration.

In the modern era, job applicants have little patience for War and Peace length ads. You have perhaps heard that hiring managers scan CVs and decide whether the document is worth perusing further in a matter of seconds. It is the same for job ads! According to data from LinkedIn, job applicants spend an average of 14 seconds deciding whether they want to apply for a job. Job posts with 300 words or less receive over 8% more applications than ones with a 301+ word count.

Make a job posting more appealing by zoning in on what candidates want. Here are the things to focus on in order of importance:

• Salary and benefits
• Qualifications
• Job details
• Performance goals
• Company culture
• Company mission
• The possibility of career growth
• Information on the company

Of course, compensation transparency has its pros and cons. When candidates know about the money involved, they can immediately decide if it is worth applying. However, some applicants choose jobs that pay less if the position is appealing. Therefore, including information on pay can draw attention away from the job opportunity. Too many organisations take up excess space with company culture details. While it is relevant, you’re better served by adding a few highlights at the end of the job posting.

We go into the specifics of job ad wording a little later on. However, please note that while company culture isn’t at the forefront of your ad, it should remain on your mind as you write. The post’s tone should closely match your organisation’s vibe, or you could give candidates a false impression. Believe it or not, job ads with formal or generic tones significantly outperform posts that use casual language. LinkedIn’s research reveals that applicants are four times more likely to view a business negatively if it uses a casual tone in its job ads. Therefore, you should only consider using a casual tone if you’re involved in a highly creative industry. Otherwise, keep the language professional and formal.

The worst days to post a job ad are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which comes as a shock to no one! Viewings and applications are at their highest on Mondays and decline as the week unfolds. Almost 60% of views and applications happen between Monday and Wednesday. Therefore, even if you have an ad ready to go on Thursday, wait until Monday to post it!

Job Advert Structure

The components of a job advertisement seldom change. Despite the nuances in language, tone, length, and so on, the best job advert structure remains as follows:

• Job Title
• Introduction/Summary of the Job
• Salary & Benefits
• Location & Working Hours
• Responsibilities & Duties
• Qualifications and Skills (Hard & Soft Skills)
• About the Company
• Information on How to Apply
• Contact Information

You don’t necessarily need to include the above in order. However, you should look to use every element. The trick is to distil all of the above into the shortest possible job ad without leaving any vital information. Let’s take a closer look at each aspect.

What to Include in a Job Advert?

Job Title

When posting a job ad online, remember that you’re writing for search engine optimisation (SEO) as well as for readers. Therefore, you have to include certain ‘keywords’ in the job title while outlining precisely what it is. Something like ‘Grade 3 Loss Prevention Officer’ may perfectly describe your job, but it is unlikely that anyone is searching for that term! Stick to the point and say you’re looking for a ‘Receptionist’ rather than a ‘Director of First Impressions!’ You can make it a little more appealing but keep it short. For instance, ‘Receptionist — Career Progression Opportunities’ will likely prove more attractive than ‘Receptionist’ alone.

This consists of a high-level overview comprising no more than a few sentences. Talk about your organisation and the role being advertised. Included keywords to help readers know immediately if it is a position that interests them.

This is optional, but you may elect to include details on salary/benefits if you feel as if the compensation package is generous enough to attract the best candidates. However, you could omit the overall salary if it is a broad range and focus on mentioning benefits such as remote working.

This is essential information as it quickly narrows the field. Applicants can decide if the commute is tolerable and whether they can work the specified hours. Once again, it is important to point out that a growing number of people enjoy working from home. If your business allows this, specify it in the job ad, even if it is only for a few days a week/month.

This is generally the most important section so use up the most space on it. The duties of a job can vary from one company to the next, so provide a clear and concise outline of what the successful candidate can expect. Tell readers whether they will get the chance to develop their skills and highlight the engaging and challenging aspects of the role. Include the most relevant information, and readers will know if the job is a good fit for their professional and personal development. If it is, they’re highly likely to apply.

Revert to your ‘ideal’ candidate list and include the ‘must have’ hard and soft skills. If a lack of such skills automatically disqualifies applicants, say so on the job ad. The same goes for qualifications. After that, you can include ‘nice to have’ skills and qualifications that could separate the best from the rest.

Keep this section brief. Discuss the type of work atmosphere applicants can expect, and perhaps include a sentence on what the company stands for, its mission, core values, etc. Write it in a way that makes candidates feel as if your organisation genuinely values its staff.

Once someone registers with NIJobs.com, they can use the ‘Apply Now’ button to start the application process. However, it is also worth including further information on registering interest for a position if relevant. Furthermore, it is helpful to include details on whether your firm requires cover letters or a recommendation letter. This is also a great way to determine whether an applicant has read your job ad!

Conclude by including the names and perhaps email addresses of relevant hiring staff.

How to Write a Creative Job Advertisement

Did you know that across the United Kingdom, the average employee looks for a new job every 3.5 years but only changes every 5 years? This means they spend an average of 18 months as a ‘passive’ jobseeker. Furthermore, an estimated 30% of employed people actively look for a new job! Therefore, hiring companies have plenty of theoretical job seekers to choose from. However, creative recruitment ads are required to capture their attention. Writing innovative job adverts involves taking the role of copywriter for a short while. After all, eye-catching job adverts are broadly the same as direct response copywriting. In both cases, the goal is to get the reader to act. Here are some quick tips on developing job ads that stand out.

“Customers buy with emotion and justify with logic” is a popular mantra in the marketing world. Catchy creative recruitment ads tap into the emotions involved in pressing the ‘Apply Now’ button on the NIJobs.com website. Let’s say you want to hire a new content marketer. Look at your existing team and find out their career goals, what they enjoy about the company and the gaps in their expertise that a newcomer can provide. Use this information to create innovative job adverts that stand out.

Boilerplate company descriptions are yawn-inducing and could turn off suitable applicants. Instead, create a company summary that puts the job vacancy into context. For instance, if you sell security software, outline how your business helps protect small businesses from being hacked and what the new hire can do to help.

It is essential to make applicants feel like they are part of something important, rather than merely coming in each day for the paycheque. When hiring someone, specify the mark it will leave on others. For example, the job might ensure that people access clean drinking water or enjoy better security in their homes. Be specific to create a truly compelling message.

In this instance, we’re not merely talking about the salary. For instance, your company might allow casual, comfortable dress, flexible working hours, be located in an easy-to-reach location, and provide wellness initiatives. If employees have access to a gym, yoga studio, spa, or a well-stocked kitchen, mention it in the job ad!

Apart from outlining skills, experience, and education, include details on the traits required in a new hire. For instance, you could explain that it is an autonomous position, which means you’re looking for self-motivated applicants.

Forget about bland words such as ‘oversee’ and ‘manage.’ Engage readers with strong verbs such as ‘designing,’ ‘shaping,’ ‘crafting,’ and ‘sculpting.’

What to Avoid When Writing a Job Advert

Browse through most job sites, and you’ll find bad job ads with a host of mistakes that dilute their effectiveness. Here is what you must steer clear of:

• Excess Jargon: Yes, you might need to include a few industry-specific keywords. However, keep it to a minimum as jargon and acronyms are unappealing to most job seekers.
• Spelling & Grammar Mistakes: Hiring managers tend to dismiss CVs with spelling mistakes, so why wouldn’t job applicants do the same with misspelled job ads? Ensure at least three people in your company read the ad to avoid such errors.
• A Lack of Clarity: It is all too easy to create misleading job advertisements by omitting key information accidentally. Make sure the job title represents the role, and include the location and working hours as a matter of course.
• Discrimination: Yes, there remain discriminatory job adverts on certain job sites. Such ads make it clear that they are only interested in applicants from a specific ‘group.’ In 2018, a job ad from a Dublin firm caused outrage because it stated: ‘Persons with young children need not apply.’ Apart from getting yourself into legal trouble, discriminatory job ads sully your company’s reputation.
• Quirky Job Adverts: While personalised job ads can stand out, they can achieve this for all the wrong reasons too. Remember, applicants are four times less likely to respond to job ads that use casual language.

How to Create an Apprenticeship Advertisement

Whether you’re creating a job advertisement for a fresh graduate or apprenticeship adverts, making the role attractive is your #1 priority. Apprenticeship adverts must strike a balance between providing a reasonable overview of the opportunity without bombarding prospective applicants with too much information. Here are a few quick tips when advertising apprenticeship vacancies:

• Use bullet points to break up details into digestible chunks
• Bear in mind that most apprenticeship applicants have minimal experience or skills, so take this into account
• Focus on people skills and qualities to encourage more applicants. After all, your role is to polish the apprentice and provide them with the tools they need for success
• Provide information on the training they’ll receive and possible progression opportunities within the organisation
• Offer enough information to give applicants a decent idea of their likely daily routine
• Clarify how much time each aspect of the job is likely to take up

Creating Inclusive Job Adverts

It is essential to be mindful of job ad wording. It should go without saying that inclusive job ads increase the talent pool available to a company. However, plenty of businesses are guilty of using ‘masculine’ verbiage such as ‘dominant,’ ‘outspoken,’ and ‘rockstar,’ which often ensures female readers don’t apply. Fortunately, it is relatively easy to remove such language and include more broadly appealing alternatives. Therefore, one of the first steps towards writing an inclusive job posting should be to use the gender bias decoder on Totaljobs. It is an extremely useful tool that reveals hidden gender-specific words and offers substitutes. By decoding gender bias, you can create gender-neutral job adverts that greatly increase the number of applications.

Job Posting Tips

Before we conclude by offering a job advert example, here are some relevant job posting tips, summarising what we have included in the guide.

• Before writing a job ad, consider your ideal applicant and use them as a template for what to include
• Specify whether the job is part-time or full-time
• If possible, don’t force people to complete a lengthy application, along with a CV and cover letter; make the process as easy as possible
• Keep your advert short and to the point; preferably less than 300 words
• Focus on the most relevant aspects of the role
• Whenever possible, create job ads with formal or generic language as they significantly outperform advertisements that use a casual tone
• Post your job ad on a Monday
• Stick to the tried and trusted structure as much as you can
• Include information on what the job offers in a manner that makes applicants feel like they’re part of something bigger
• Focus on other perks apart from money when mentioning salary and benefits
• Specify remote working as a benefit if your company offers it
• Spend less time talking up your company
• Provide a clear definition of what success in the role looks like
• Use action words to spice up the ad
• Avoid jargon and discriminatory language, and ensure the advert doesn’t provide misleading information
• Get several people to read the ad before it’s published to ensure the spelling and grammar are perfect
• When hiring apprentices, remember that they may lack certain skills and have little experience
• Use the Totaljobs gender bias decoder to prevent the use of masculine language
• Use NIJobs.com to post your job adverts!

Job Advert Example

It isn’t easy to find good job advert examples, although you will find a few on NIJobs.com. This is perhaps because our clients read our advice on creating the best recruitment adverts! Without further ado, here is an example of a good job advert. Bear in mind that this is a template, so please ensure you personalise it to fit your vacancy and organisation.

In the following section you will find multiple links to download Job Ad Templates for specific roles.