It’s no secret that the talent pool is shallow these days. You need a smarter way to advertise a job if you want meaningful results. The right candidate is out there, but how can you get your position in front of them if they don’t know where to find you? Even further, how do you convince them to interact with your job ads in a matter of seconds? If it sounds challenging, well, it can be.
In this post, which is part of our recruitment marketing series, I cover how to refresh your approach to employment advertising so you can get better results and avoid wasted budget. Armed with these tips and proven strategies, you’ll be set up to create job ads that help reach the right job seekers online and attract top talent to bolster your workforce and grow your business.
Keep reading to learn how to advertise a job effectively, make the most of your job advertising budget, and bring in the best talent for your open roles.
Modern job advertising requires a new approach
Like any market, job market conditions are dictated by supply and demand. When supply (in this case, open job positions) outpaces demand (available talented people seeking employment), hiring companies are put in a difficult position.
Further, like many facets of business, recruitment marketing has undergone a digital transformation, and there is more online white noise around recruiting than ever before. The result is that gone are the days when simply posting an ad in a newspaper or posting it to a digital job board on Craigslist or Monster was all you needed to do to advertise a job.
Keep your job seekers’ needs front of mind
Think of today’s job candidates like your customers. Before applying, they often spend time online researching companies, reading reviews, browsing LinkedIn profiles, and checking out social media posts. That’s why posting a job ad isn’t a one-and-done task. This type of marketing to support hiring requires a dynamic approach to build visibility, establish trust, and create emotional connections with job seekers.
Advertising employment opportunities successfully is a two-fold task. You must be seen and stand out. And when it comes to employment advertising, time is of the essence.
According to recent research from LinkedIn, the average person spends only 14 seconds on a job description before deciding whether to apply. How you go about advertising openings at your company impacts job seekers’ application decisions.
What are the right places to advertise a job?
Not all platforms for job advertising are created equal, and the decision of where to promote a job opening matters almost as much as what you post. Here are common job advertising platforms, with a quick overview of each recruitment marketing option’s pros and cons.
LinkedIn is the current gold standard for many employers and is considered the best job site for professionals, leadership positions, and niche skills roles. LinkedIn offers strong targeting tools, but the platform’s ad costs can add up quickly. Take advantage of targeting options to keep costs down when you use LinkedIn to advertise a job.
Pro tip: Are you thinking about advertising an employment opportunity on LinkedIn? Set up your ads to target job seekers by skills, not just job titles.
Indeed
You want volume and reach? Indeed is the website for you. Boasting over 300M monthly visitors, Indeed works well for all kinds of roles but excels especially for operational, hourly, and entry-level positions.
Pro-tip: If you plan to post a job on Indeed, use sponsored jobs for visibility boosts, especially in key roles. The high volume of companies using Indeed for hiring makes it easy for ads to get buried fast.
Facebook remains among the most popular social media “watering holes” online. Because of that, it’s still a great place to get the attention of talented job seekers on the web. So, how can you effectively advertise a job on Facebook? Take advantage of the visual nature of Facebook job ads (using carousels and video content) to drive engagement and stand out from the pack.
Pro-tip: If you advertise a job on Facebook, use its geographic targeting tools to hone in on locations relevant to your business.
Craft recruitment ads that actually resonate
When deciding how to promote an employment opportunity, the most effective hiring teams are strategic. They think about the job seekers in their target audience and consider:
- Where do my ideal candidates spend time?
- Where is competition lower, but quality still high?
Why does good writing matter when you advertise a job?
The best hiring advertisements often start with the right content, and recruitment ads are no different. Building an effective job ad is about creating connections. That requires thinking about your target audience as “real people,” not just “applicants,” when writing a job advertisement.
The candidates on the other end of your recruitment ad are people, not resume files. Your ads should speak to their goals and dreams. Help job seekers imagine their daily life working with your organization when you advertise a job. When writing your recruitment advertising content, ask yourself: “Would this make me want to click and learn more?”
How to write a better ad to promote a job opening
Here’s a before-and-after example showing simple ways you can improve your writing when advertising a job vacancy:
Before: Pucker Up Fermented Foods X is seeking a results-driven sales associate. Responsibilities include maintaining customer relationships, meeting monthly targets, and providing product recommendations.
After: Craving a sales associate role with real flavor? As part of the Pucker Up Fermented Foods team, you’ll develop your skills and earn commission connecting specialty food buyers with our award-winning pickles and kimchi so more foodies can discover them. Apply today to champion products worth getting excited about.
The key changes in these two examples touch on sales job candidate priorities by:
- Shifting from responsibilities to impact and emotion,
- Highlighting the team environment, and
- Mentioning that the role provides growth opportunities.
Practical tips for writing better ads for jobs
Job seekers are like any other audience. They’re busy and have a finite attention span, so you must quickly pique their interest. To catch and keep their attention, you need to be memorable.
One way to do this when you advertise a job is by leading with a “what’s in it for me” hook that puts benefits before tasks. Also, keep your copy short, a maximum of about 250-300 words. You should also use recruitment advertisements to show a glimpse into your company culture, something that’s especially important if you’re trying to target job seekers in Gen Z or Millennial audiences.
Finally, include perks that extend beyond salary, including things like flex time, career development, and mission impact. People seek jobs to earn a living, but with fierce competition for talent, surfacing these perks can help increase your likelihood of getting an application.
Minimize wasted spend on marketing for hiring
When you advertise a job online, set it and forget it = money down the drain.
An effective recruitment marketing strategy makes the most of your budget. Wasting money on underperforming ads is common when teams don’t monitor or refresh frequently. Use the ability to edit online job advertisements to your advantage and monitor and optimize your job ads. Even when an ad is initially effective, running the same ad can mean candidates stop noticing it.
Here are a few strategies for reducing wasted spend when you advertise a job:
- Set clear KPIs before running ads, such as cost per applicant, cost per click, and time-to-hire
- Each week, monitor ad metrics, including total impressions, click-through rate, and number of submitted applications
- Reallocate your hiring ad spend quickly using real-time results (e.g., if it appears that running LinkedIn ads costs too much for the return they’re providing, it might be time to shift toward Indeed or a niche channel)
Solutions to fight job advertisement fatigue
Swap images, headlines, or call-to-actions every four to six weeks. Perhaps your prior job advertising strategy didn’t resonate with the perfect candidate, and switching it up gives you another chance to catch their attention.
Don’t just recycle old ads without updating the language. Dated posts can hurt brand perception and negatively impact your recruitment ad conversions. If you aren’t getting results, A/B test different opening lines. For example, try “Join our team” vs “Find your next big move” to see how wording tweaks change engagement from your applicant pool.
3 tell-tale signs your job ad isn’t working
- Drop in click-through rate (CTR) over time
- Increase in impressions but no bump in applications
- Same candidates seeing the ad multiple times without applying
Another way you can also fight job ad fatigue is by using audience segmentation to personalize your ads, crafting specific messages for different audiences. Most job ad platforms offer robust targeting and segmentation tools that will allow you to craft messages that speak meaningfully to the target audience.
Finally, when you advertise a job, consider rotating ad formats (e.g., carousel, single-image, and conversational ads). This can keep your job ads interesting and their engagement high.
Build a stronger team with job ads that deliver
The most successful recruitment organizations understand that effective job advertising today means being strategic, authentic, and agile. These employers understand that it’s not just about getting more eyes on your ads, but getting the right eyes on the right message at the right time.
Don’t be afraid to be critical of yourself and encourage a mini-audit. Ask yourself:
- When you advertise a job, does the listing read authentically?
- Are you refreshing and optimizing your job ads, or just hoping for the best?
Don’t miss out on the rest of our recruitment marketing series to learn more tactics for attracting the top talent to your company. Do you need help rethinking how you advertise open roles? TBH Creative’s recruitment marketing experts can help. Let’s chat.
