Currently, talent is a rare commodity, with a staggering 75% of employers globally grappling to find the perfect match for their teams.
This underscores the critical importance of crafting accurate and enticing job descriptions. Inaccurate or unattractive descriptions can result in missing out on top-tier talent.
Considering that a remarkable 88% of professionals are actively pursuing new opportunities in 2024, it’s crucial that you invest time and effort when refining your job postings.
Back to the basics - the job title!
Let’s begin with the fundamentals. Your job title should accurately represent the role you’re hiring for.
Avoid overcomplicating it or deviating too far from the industry standard, as this can deter potential candidates.
Additionally, the job title should provide candidates with a clear understanding of the responsibilities involved to avoid any confusion or surprises later on in the hiring process.
How long should my job description be?
Great question. When we look at the stats, it paints a pretty clear picture. Short, punchy (but yet still descriptive) job descriptions perform best.
- Job descriptions under 200 words see apply rates hover at around 4.5%
- Job descriptions containing 201-400 words have the highest apply rates of 8% to 8.5%.
- Anything over 401 words result in decreased application rates.
Give applicants a small flavour of what you're about
Allocating a small section of your job description to showcase your company’s values is essential in attracting potential applicants.
It’s important you keep it short & punchy as a prompt & well-crafted job description can be the defining factor between one applicant and ten.
If you don’t believe us, try it for yourself!
Many companies adopt a unique approach to writing job descriptions and for good cause.
Not only does it make you stand out, it also gives the applicant a teaser of what your company’s really about.
Here’s a really good example of an honest & fun job description recently written by the people over at The Inbox Club.
What does the day-to-day look like?
The responsibilities section is where things get interesting.
It provides prospective applicants with a clear picture of what the job entails and what tasks they’ll be diving into.
It’s crucial to thoroughly outline the daily responsibilities, offering candidates a realistic view of what their day-to-day life would look like in this position.
Once you’ve laid out the role and its responsibilities, it’s essential to take a step back and assess them objectively.
Ask yourself…
- Does the workload seem overwhelming?
- Do the daily requirements align well with the job title?
- Does the job sound appealing from an outside perspective?
- Would you apply for the job if it was applicable to you?
Once you’re able to honestly answer the questions listed above, you’ll hopefully gain insight into your next steps.
Depending on your assessment, you might find it necessary to either revise certain parts of the job description or the role requirements entirely.
Listing requirements & qualifications
When setting role requirements, focus only on the qualifications or credentials that are absolutely essential.
Avoid unintentionally excluding capable candidates by requesting qualifications that aren’t necessary for the role.
With over half of companies planning to drop bachelor’s degree requirements in 2024, employers are prioritising candidates’ ability to perform over formal qualifications.
While formal education has its place, not everyone needs a degree to demonstrate job effectiveness.
For example, most marketing professionals don’t hold marketing-related degrees.
So if you’re looking for marketing talent but won’t look at CVs that don’t hold formal marketing qualifications, you might be missing out on a large percentage of an active talent pool!
Let's talk about the benefits...
Growth, development & career prospects.
One of the most exciting parts of a job description is outlining some of the development opportunities your company can give to a new hire.
What areas of personal, professional or career growth can you immediately offer?
Is there room to progress within the company within 12, 24 or 36 months?
Surprise surprise, most people aren’t actively looking for dead end jobs.
To truly attract the most ambitious talent, you have to paint that mental picture of the opportunity you can offer them.
Some companies we’ve provided finance recruitment for have previously offered new candidates from prior sales backgrounds training opportunities and the ability to advance within the sector (CeMAP certifications and more!)
Flexibility
Most candidates have lives outside of work, and sometimes (even for all of us) life gets in the way.
So how flexible are you? Do you offer candidates the ability to work remotely? If you’re office based, do you give candidates the opportunity to work from home if they feel a little under the weather?
Hot talent is in demand, so you really need to sell yourself here. Why should a candidate choose you over another company offering a similar salary & opportunities?
Think about it from your perspective. What would stand out to you and give you the work life balance you want?
Salaries
One strange phenomenon we’ve picked up on is companies shying away from clearly displaying salary ranges on their job descriptions.
Why do some companies not disclose salaries?
A company might not disclose a salary range for numerous reasons. Either they’re trying to…
- Offer a candidate based on their existing salaries and avoid paying more for talent than they really need to…
- Find talent that isn’t money-oriented (which is ridiculous, because most good talent already know what they should be paid based on market rates anyway.)
- Or they don’t want existing employees finding out what they’re willing to pay for a new hire, which is often an indication that those employees aren’t being paid fairly. (25% of employers actually state this as a reason why they don’t include the salary in job descriptions, which is more than concerning…)
Either way, generally speaking, it’s bad practice. 48% of 18-35 year olds actually perceive this as a negative reflection on the company itself, so please… Put salaries on your job ads!
Setting a clear call to action
You want qualified candidates to apply, so let them know what to do next.
If they fit the bill, invite them to get stuck in and take the next step in their career with your company.
Give willing candidates an opportunity to impress you further, too. Invite them to send over examples, cover letters or more.
We’ve found that when posting on LinkedIn, you can give eager candidates the opportunity to send you a direct message.
You never know, you might be pleasantly surprised! (Again, using the folks over at the Inbox Club as an example, as they do this exceptionally well!)
Keeping it fresh
If you’re consistently hiring for the same role, make sure you keep all aspects of the job description up to date to reflect industry trends and company priorities.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on the salary range to stay up to date with market trends.
Or... Just hire with Caroo!
If you’re looking to hire top marketing, sales, finance or IT talent… You could always use Caroo’s UK recruitment team!
Our team of expert consultants will craft the perfect job description for your role and manage the whole process from start to finish. And guess what? We’re strictly contingent, meaning you don’t pay a penny until we find you the perfect candidate.
If you’re hiring or planning to hire, let’s talk!
