Check out part 1 to learn more about the Perfect Job Posting Series by clicking here. Subscribe to our RSS feed to be alerted to the entire blog series. 

The market is candidate-driven. The tech job market is booming, and the best minds in our industry now have more options than ever. Professional unemployment is currently at its lowest level since 2008, hovering around 5%. Unemployment in the tech industry is considerably lower, at about 2%. Good candidates are in high demand, and many industry experts believe that this market will soon begin to contract, perhaps as early as 2017.

Economists at the U.S. Financial Reserve Board expects this trend to continue into 2017, with experts predicting that unemployment rates could continue to drop. Whatever the future brings, it is critical right now that we engage, relate to and build relationships with the right candidate audiences. Otherwise, we, as recruiters and also employers are missing a huge opportunity: the chance to employ the brightest minds – those who can drive revenue, build great products and services and are eager to take advantage of this growing marketplace.

This competitive job market is forcing talent acquisition leaders to spend more time sourcing candidates, driving employment brand programs and specific job posting assets for every job requisition and opening.

How to Write a Perfect Job Posting

When it comes to job postings, it’s a science and an art. Branding meets procedure. In order to reach and engage candidates, you need both to effectively engage and reach the right qualified community of candidates. I’m a fan of posting your job openings on a variety of outlets including job aggregators, job boards and your own career site to capture the attention of the perfect candidate community. The challenge is it that the job market is a moving target. It’s always evolving and changing.

In part 1, I already discussed the best job posting length which is 300-500 words. The job posting needs to be long enough to provide information for the candidate, hold their attention and also provide information for search engines and bots to index for SEO or search engine optimization purposes. I want to also make a quick distinction between a job posting, a job description and a job advertisement. They are three very separate things.

What is a Job Description?

A job description is a description of the responsibilities of the job. It is and was designed for legal purposes to identify if a candidate is able to perform the essential functions of a job. Your job description is not a marketing or branding document and should be treated separate from a job posting.

A job posting is comparable to a billboard. It’s a brief image that aims to catch the candidate’s eye. A job ad on Twitter is similar to a job ad in a magazine or newspaper. It is brief, precise, and intended to direct a candidate who is interested in the position to a landing page or specific job ad where they may find out more details about the position.

With so much competition to get eyes on your job postings, it’s important to establish a standard process or expectation threshold in order to reach the right audience with your perfect job posting. I’ve found there exists 6 pillars to the perfect job posting. In this Part 2 series, I will discuss 2 of the 6 pillars that ensure a perfect job posting.

#1 – Showcase the Brand

Your brand is your reputation, and it enables you to share the fundamental principles that make your business a great place to work. Focus on these “brand traits” because they originate straight from the perspective of your most important asset, your employee, by working with them to understand what keeps them at the workplace. Use videos, graphics, social media, and other conventional and unconventional media to speak to your target audience while showcasing your brand and telling your company’s narrative. Think about include a video in your job advertisement and including a professionally produced graphic header to assist unify your message and highlight the advantages of working for your firm.

#2 – Correctly Represent the Job Opening

Be sincere in this. Being someone you’re not is the biggest error you can make in a job ad or online dating profile. Candidates are more frequently exploring your company on websites like Glassdoor, JobCase, and Indeed to read reviews and learn about your culture and work environment for both the overall company and specific business locations.

The title of your job posting is its most crucial component. It’s similar to the subject line of an email in that it’s the first thing your applicant will see. It should accurately define the position, outline the necessary skill sets, and nudge the applicant to either investigate further or move on to another opening.

Examples of Good Job Titles: 

• Lead Java Developer
• Assistant Store Manager, Houston, TX
• Java Software Developer: Web UI
• iCloud Java Server Engineer
• PPC Manager – Fashion/Apparel – Google AdWords/Bing Ads

Examples of Poor (and Actual) Job Titles: 

• UI & J2EE Architect / Java Developer / Java Lead / Java Solution Architect. This job posting subject line includes too many variations, so it’s hard to know what the actual position is.

• IMMEDIATE HIRE – Core Java Developer. Terms like ‘immediate hire’ & ‘multiple positions’ are misleading and make the employer look desperate for a hire.)

• ETL-Guest Services. Don’t include acronyms that your candidate audience won’t search for or understand.

• 8863 iOS Developer. This job posting subject includes a random job number that is only understandable by the Employer.

Check out part 1 to learn more about the Perfect Job Posting Series by clicking here. Subscribe to our RSS feed to be alerted to the entire blog series.