5 Ways You’re Ruining Your Job Ad

Job ads are often the first impression jobseekers will have of your company. Unfortunately, many employers treat job ads as an afterthought. They copy and paste their job descriptions (yes, there’s a difference between jobs descriptions and job ads; more on this below) onto online job boards, hit submit, and call it a day.

But just as you expect a job candidate to sell themselves to you, you too should be selling your company to them—and your job ad is the perfect place to do this.

A well-written job ad should do the following key things:

• Screen out unqualified job candidates
• Entice (without overwhelming) interested job candidates to apply
• Differentiate your company from your competitors

Here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid when posting a job ad online.

1. Using your job description as a job ad

First things first: job descriptions are not job ads. While they are important, job descriptions—internal compliance documents that cover the line-by-line details of a job—are often long and quite frankly, boring to read.

You can use a job description as a reference point, but your job ad should be short, compelling, and get the jobseeker excited about the thought of working at your company.

2. Including company specific jargon

This applies to everything from company specific job titles to internal processes and acronyms. Including too much company jargon could force otherwise qualified candidates to screen themselves out simply because they can’t comprehend the core duties of the position.

As much as possible, use more conventional job titles and descriptions within your job ad. It offers transparency and helps jobseekers find you more easily through online keyword searches.

For example, let’s say you’re hiring for a “Front Line Customer Support Facilitator Level II.” When you break it down, this position provides general customer service support, so you might consider listing the job ad by a more widely used job title like “Customer Service Representative” or “Customer Support Clerk.”

3. Leaving out salary and benefit information

Including the salary in your job ads is no longer just a nice-to-have, but a must-have for employers meeting certain criteria under Hawaii’s Pay Transparency Law. In today’s competitive job market, salary and benefit information remain one of the key things applicants look for in your job ad. Including salary ranges, even broad ones, will help your job ads get noticed. If large salaries are not in your budget, there are more ways to win talent beyond a paycheck. Gen-Z and Millennials in particular are making purpose-driven job decisions, so your job ad should also highlight its impact and how the role contributes to your overall company mission.

4. Making your job ad an unrealistic wish list

You want the best for your team. There’s no fault in that. But employers often get carried away when writing job ads. They start by listing what they need but then throw in nice-to-have qualifications and even the unrealistic ones too. You know that accountant with 10 years of experience that is proficient in marketing, speaks three languages, and plays the ukulele.

Your job ad should screen out unqualified candidates, but it should not screen out everyone. If you can’t think of a real person who possesses all those qualifications, they probably don’t exist. Consider scaling back your list of job requirements and focus on the minimum acceptable qualifications of the role instead.

5. Failing to include an easy way to apply

Technology has transformed the way people search for jobs. People can browse jobs any time of the day, submit their resumes with a click of a button, and even apply directly from social media. A complicated application process is all it takes to lose great candidates to your competitors.