The following principally concerns vacancies which might be posted directly onto your own website, but much of the advice also applies to postings you might make on a job board, etc.
Where’s the Benefit?
Too many job postings focus on too much on the job content, what skills the applicant needs, etc. However, the first priority has to be to tell the reader what is great about working for your firm and what’s great about this role. Where is the benefit to them?
So it’s not about you – it’s about them!
Write the posting for them – not you, not the Partners. Write it with your dream applicant in mind. What do they want to know? What will appeal to them?
What’s Different and Better?
Countless vacancy descriptions simply describe the dream applicant’s job back to them. That’s boring and will not motivate a good candidate to apply. You need to illustrate how your opportunity is different and better than their current role.
How long’s a piece of string?
Your text needs to be long enough to get the main points across, but short enough to keep peoples’ attention. Less is more.
Do not regurgitate the job description.
Most people buy a car because of the brand, how it looks, how it feels (and how it makes them feel); not because it has a wheelbase of 192 cm. And so a candidate will apply to you for similar emotional reasons, not because they will be drafting commercial contracts, etc.
Mind your language!
Use language which inspires and excites. Use “The Opportunity” not “The Role”; use “Key Responsibilities” not “Job Description”. Use adjectives and adverbs: “…clients” becomes “with an impressive array of Blue Chip clients”.
How to eat an Elephant.
Break the information down into bite-size sections. Use bold and fonts effectively to create an easy “eye journey” for the reader. Have standard formats for your vacancies.
Where do we go from here?
OK, great job, but what are the career prospects? Where does the applicant go from here? What are their chances of promotion?
It’s not about the money…
…but invariably it is. Whilst you don’t necessarily have to be specific, you may be able to enhance the appeal of the role by making mention of remuneration and benefits
Go viral.
Link the role to your firm’s Facebook, LinkedIn and twitter pages. People who are potentially interested in you will be following you via social media – link it all up for wider exposure.
www.langdalesearch.co.uk
