4 min read
The skills shortage makes the search for staff a real challenge in 2023 too. Today there are more jobs than qualified candidates. This is due, among other things, to the fact that many skilled workers of the baby boomer generation are retiring and new occupational groups are emerging, while fewer new specialists are entering the labour market. It is all the more important to present yourself properly as an attractive employer.
Poorly worded job advertisements can be one reason why applicants stay away. Empty phrases, interchangeable descriptions of the employer and unrealistically high job requirements make vacancies unattractive.
That is why we show you here, in eight tips, how to word job advertisements so that they convince as many applicants as possible.
1. The job title: short and meaningful rather than cryptic
The job title is the first thing potential applicants see of your job advertisement and the thing they search for. It should therefore not only make clear what the job is, but also be commonly used. So use job titles that are familiar to most employees and that they search for accordingly. Avoid in particular internal company titles that nobody outside your organisation understands.
2. Short and convincing: who are you?
It is not only the job title that has to convince; your company should impress too. Begin by introducing yourself as a company in a way that is appealing and authentic to potential candidates. Ask yourself what makes your company unique as an employer, and back it up with facts. It is also important to describe your own company and work culture, in order to convince on an emotional level as well.
3. Describe the vacancy: in detail and in plain language
Go deliberately into which tasks will be taken on, what the person will be responsible for and which areas they will work with. This is also the place to state whether the job is full-time or part-time, or whether the position is fixed-term. Something else that can no longer be left out today: is there the option to work from home, or where is the work to be done from?
4. What candidates need to bring
Here you describe your ideal candidate. But beware: many companies tend to list unrealistic requirements and so go looking for the proverbial jack of all trades. This is fatal, particularly for entry-level positions, and puts people off. But unrealistic requirements also lead to a negative reaction among more experienced specialists. Focus on the criteria that are genuinely essential; everything else can be learned in your company too, which actually makes the job even more attractive.
5. Emphasise the benefits and prospects
For Generations Y and Z in particular, the job must be compatible with their own values and how they spend their free time. It is all the more important to stand out with benefits and prospects. Name in particular the aspects that contribute positively to the expected work-life balance. But subsidies for public transport, sports and leisure facilities, the company pension scheme, further training or the company's own environmental commitment should also be mentioned here.
6. Describe the application process
Finally, you should tell interested specialists how your application process works. Describe how potential candidates should apply, who their contacts are for any questions and which steps they can expect. This creates transparency and gives an idea of how long the process will take.
7. Use the right keywords to be found
Applicants looking for a new job increasingly find one through platforms such as Google or LinkedIn. Your job advertisement should therefore contain common and fitting keywords. This makes your vacancy easier and quicker to find, which in turn means a higher number of applicants. You can also mark these keywords in bold in the text. This makes advertisements look tidier and puts important facts straight in front of potential candidates.
8. Observe legal guidelines
No applicant may be disadvantaged on the grounds of ethnic origin, gender, age, belief or sexual identity. That is what the General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, AGG) says. So do not forget to mark your job titles with male/female/diverse (m/f/d) or similar, and to avoid discriminatory descriptions.
In summary:
A successful job advertisement is characterised by a meaningful job title, an emotional presentation of the company that reflects its values, an appealing description of the tasks and a list of the company's benefits. Make sure to avoid discriminatory descriptions. In addition, keywords play an increasingly important role, as applicants more and more often search for new jobs through search engines. And a description of the application process should not be missing either.
