It seems employers everywhere and in all lines of work too often struggle to find top quality job candidates. It’s not just employers who are frustrated. Jobseekers are equally exasperated because job postings often don’t tell them what they need to know. Recent research indicates that postings including information on an employer’s culture can help attract the right candidates.
Qualities to Emphasize
In June, LinkedIn reported that its research shows paid job postings on its site get nearly three times more views and more than twice as many applications when they mention well-being, flexibility, or culture.
But that doesn’t mean employers should “slap a few buzzwords like ‘well-being’ and ‘flexibility’” in a post, LinkedIn says. If an organization cannot truly deliver, the effort likely will do more harm than good.
“What’s more, your company culture shouldn’t displace other critical information from your job post, like the day-to-day responsibilities and salary range,” the LinkedIn blog post on the research says.
What Else to Include in a Posting
Job search site CareerBuilder has advice on what employers need to include in job postings. Topping the list: a relevant job title. Organizations often have unique, even catchy job titles, but a job posting needs to include a title that jobseekers will search for.
In addition to the job title, postings need to include keywords and phrases that people include in their searches. “It’s a good idea to include industry-specific words and terms that are relevant to the position as well as alternate job titles that could describe the same position,” CareerBuilder says.
Including an “About Us” section is also helpful since jobseekers want to understand what the organization does as well as its mission and values, according to CareerBuilder. If appropriate, employers should include awards or recognition they have received and why employees like working for them.
Being specific about a job’s responsibilities is also important so candidates can tell what skills they need to qualify, according to CareerBuilder.
Pay and benefits are also key. CareerBuilder says candidates are up to 13 times more likely to apply for a job when the posing includes salary information. And by including information on pay, jobseekers not satisfied with the range won’t waste the employer’s time.
CareerBuilder says to include perks such as remote work and flexible schedules in addition to standard benefits such as health insurance and 401(k) plans.
What Not to Include
In addition to focusing on what to include, employers also need to guard against information overload. “The more information you provide, the longer the job posting and the less likely jobseekers are to read the entire thing,” CareerBuilder says. “When creating your job posting, try to differentiate between what job seekers absolutely need to know and what you can safely leave out.”
Overselling and making false promises also will be counterproductive, according to CareerBuilder. Trying to make the job or the company sound like more than it really is just to attract more applicants likely will attract the wrong kind of applicant.
What Else Candidates Want to Know
FlexJobs, a jobsite focusing on helping people find remote and flexible work, also has delved into what candidates want to know about a potential employer. In addition to job postings, candidates will be searching the internet for information about any potential employer.
That means an employer’s online story needs to include more than just the basics. Since candidates likely don’t want to be stuck in one role forever, “they’ll look online to see whether you promote from within, and they’ll search for information about your company’s career development plans.”
Candidates also may be looking at potential coworkers. Often, jobseekers will check LinkedIn to find people who work for a potential employer, FlexJobs says. Checking out employee profiles will give jobseekers an idea of the kinds of people are already on the job.
Another area jobseekers often explore—how employers respond to negative online reviews. When employers use such reviews as an opportunity for discussion, many candidates will view the employer more positively.
Tammy Binford is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.