A job posting is a crucial step on the road to successful employment. It can not be denied.
Often the job advertisement is the first impression a candidate gets of the company, which is why it is also something that should be taken seriously. It's not just about sorting out the wrong candidates, but also about attracting the right ones. It is a difficult discipline that requires practice and experience. However, there is plenty of good advice that can be worth gold in the process. We have collected some of these on this page in both video and text, from us and the company Mimer, who are experts in the field.
Statum's best advice
A job posting is a sales pitch. It is not a long list of requirements for the candidate. We regularly see companies that are hugely nervous about getting the wrong applicants. They have a wide range of specific requirements for experience, education, abilities, personality traits, competencies, certifications, diplomas, etc. The thing is that in 99 out of 100 cases, these companies must compromise on one or more points and hire the one that suits them best. and on most requirements.
Instead of focusing on scaring the wrong ones away, go for attracting the right ones instead. You do this by thinking of your job posting as a sales pitch. You have to sell the company, the culture, the colleagues and not least the position. This does not mean you have to lie and sell hot air. It just means that you have to highlight the cool things, the opportunities, the challenges, so simply make the position exciting.
It should not be construed as meaning that you should not write any claims at all. Of course, there must be requirements and a description of who you are looking for. Just make sure that the one you are leading is also realistic and not some superhuman who knows everything but does not exist. A successful employment is not created by requirements, but rather a cultural and personal match, as well as a set of competencies and a willingness to solve the tasks. You will never find this by telling who you are not looking for.
If you manage to sell the position, without overselling, then you also get the best applicants.
The above advice is quite general and is therefore something that you should keep in mind throughout the job advertisement. To come up with the more specific advice, we have allied ourselves with the company Mimer, who has written the posts below.
* The following is a guest post written by the company Mimer.
The perfect job posting
It is important that your job advertisement is catchy, so that the right candidates remember it, and not least choose to apply for it. In addition, it is also crucial that with your job posting you get the whole post boiled down to a description that does not get too long so that readers are not scared away by an excessive amount of text. You must, however at the same time be razor sharp in the description of the job.
The headline of the job posting
The first thing the recipient reads is the headline. As in any other text, it is therefore important that it is catchy and tells about the position. It must also very much like to be selling from the start, so that the reader wants to read on. Therefore, it may be a good idea to refrain from general headings such as “Student Assistant”, but instead try to make it attractive and already in the headline explain what this student assistant is to be used for. It can e.g. be titles such as “Analytical Student Assistant to the Key Account Management Team” or “Creative Graphic Designer to Shape Our Brand”.
Keep track of the job profile in the job posting
When you need to prepare your job posting, it can be a really good idea to prepare a job profile. A job profile is simply a description of what the job entails, what responsibilities you are given, what competencies you must have and other things that are relevant for the jobseeker to know about the position. There are many things to include in a job posting, and if you are preparing a job profile, it can be a good way to keep track. An example of a job profile might look like this:
- The job is with accession as soon as possible or no later than 1/9
- Responsibilities
- Who to collaborate with
- Who to report to
- What is expected of the candidate
- Any special conditions
The bullet points above are just examples of what can be included in a job profile, but it is most often that we see these go again as they give a good indication of what the job entails. At the same time, for example, areas of responsibility can be added to a number of different areas for which the candidate is responsible.
The personal profile in the job posting
In continuation of the job profile, it is also important to have control of the person profile you are looking for. What type of candidate are you really looking for, what competencies must the job seeker have to perform the job satisfactorily, and are there any specific requirements the candidate must live up to? All of this is essential to include in your job posting so that you only get candidates who are actually relevant to the position you have advertised. Since a job posting can quickly become very long, it may be a good idea to stick to the competencies that really matter shall be with the candidate. What is most often called “need to have” rather than “nice to have”. Most often, companies use phrases such as “We imagine that you…”. It may be a good idea not to dictate exactly what the candidate's profile is, but instead use phrases such as “we imagine” as it opens up more candidates.
Pay attention to your language in your job posting
When writing the text of your job posting, it is very important that you focus on what language you are writing in. First and foremost, it is of course important that the job posting is error-free and written correctly, in a fluent text and that it is razor sharp. In addition, as mentioned earlier, it must not be too long. There is nothing more boring than reading a job posting where all the text is just listed in bullet point form, so it is therefore also important that you keep your language fluent. Furthermore, we encourage you to write in “you-form”, and address the reader with “you”. In this way, you personalize the job posting and the potential candidate feels that it is aimed at him and not everything and everyone. Furthermore, it is really important that the text you write deals with the position and not as much the company. The candidate wants to know what the job entails and not just what the company is doing.
Contact information and further facts in the job advertisement
When you have to finish the job posting, it is a really good idea to remember to have all the information about the company with you. It is therefore important that you remember to write where the company is located and who to contact if you have further questions or anything else. In addition, it is also a really good idea to write an application deadline, as well as whether it is full-time or part-time. An additional thing you can include is to add how to apply: is it online via a special form? Do you have to send an application to the person in charge of recruitment? Or maybe something completely third. Remove any doubts from the reader about how to apply. It can also be a good idea to make it clear whether to upload the resume and application or just one of the parts.
Get help from professionals for yours job postings
If you have problems preparing a job advertisement that you are satisfied with, it can also be a solution to contact companies that are involved in preparing written material for companies. Here you can, among other things, contact us, Mimer. We have built a writer database that allows companies to get a writer who fits exactly their needs. We help with everything from marketing to job postings. In this way, you can ensure that your written material – including a job advertisement – is razor sharp, so that the right candidates approach you about the job.
Summary of the perfect job posting
To sum up, it can thus be concluded that it is incredibly important to have a razor-sharp job and person profile for the job. In this way, you ensure that you get the best candidates and – most importantly – that they fit both the job and the company. In the job and person profile, you also have the opportunity to set it up clearly, so that the reader is not in doubt whether the job is something for him or her or not. In addition, it is also important that the job posting is written in a clean, error-free and cash language. Get straight to the point and address the reader in “you-form”. Focus on writing about the position and not the company. Finally, it is also important that you include all information in your job advertisement. Include contact information and address, as well as an application deadline in the notice and, perhaps most importantly: how to apply for the position.
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