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Article: Top tips for writing better job posts in 2010 Part 2 by Alasdair Murray

Part one can be found in last week's newsletter

Think about the structure of the advertisement
It’s great to try something new and different, but don't do it just for the sake of it. Chances are, most readers of your ad will have read a fair few in their time. They may want to be challenged and intrigued, but they don’t want to be confused or baffled. There are no two ways about it; an accepted formula for structuring recruitment advertisements has built up over the years. One that readers know, recognise, trust and pretty much expect. It’s almost a quick reference code that has become part of the whole culture of recruitment advertising, particularly within the confines of job boards. Here it is: - something about the company, something about the job, something about the person, something about the benefits. Feel free to break away from that formula, but it honestly is best not to without good reason.

So let’s begin
First off, take a moment to consider the job title (you may well have done so during the research phase mentioned above. If so, apologies). Is it an industry standard or an internal job title the client uses? Will it attract people, or is it confusing? Don’t be afraid to question the use of a particular job title if you think it is something that is not going to be instantly recognised by your target audience. If the client insists it cannot be changed then at least you have flagged it up

That dreaded SEO content
Time was when we just wrote our copy to the best of our ability and, provided it had all the key bits and pieces in there it would generally get a decent response. Now of course, in a decade where everyone has migrated from the press to online, it's a slightly different ball game. However, the way I look at it is, provided you use a recognised job title, put in a clear location and have a salary attached to the role that is genuinely competitive, you are well on the way to getting your copy read. Sure, you need to sprinkle it with key words and maybe repeat the job title a couple of times, but by and large you will do that as a matter of course as you write the ad. Plus, a typical search will generally consist of job title, location and salary and maybe a couple of skill sets/qualifications, so chances are, whoever you are looking for, you will have included the specific qualification they need or the experience of x,y & z the role requires. Put simply, search engine optimisation needs to be considered, but don't make your copy stutter or stop and start in order to try and fulfil every possible SEO criteria. Your ad will get found if the top end is right.

Be authentic. Avoid clichés.
Most job seekers have seen thousands of clichés. They would far rather hear that your client has just implemented a sexy new training programme or believes in empowering people rather than that they are ‘dynamic’ or ‘go-ahead’. And rather than say ‘an opportunity now exists’ (which sounds like they took the last person out and shot them) find something positive to say instead. It all goes back to identifying your unique selling point. Do that and being authentic becomes much easier.

Consider putting some ‘screens’ in your copy
For those not familiar with the term, a screen is something we use to deter applicants. That’s right, put them off. Sounds awful, but actually it makes sense if quality of response is at the forefront of your mind rather than quantity (remember earlier when I asked ‘general trawl’ or ‘specific vacancy’?). As I mentioned, people often try and punch above their weight when it comes to applying for jobs. If an ad says ‘substantial experience of blah blah blah’, they, with their 12 months in the role, will chance their arm. It’s human nature. So, what you need to do is make sure that there are enough (but not too many to bore everyone senseless) specifics relating to skills and experience to make it quite clear what sort of person you are looking for. If they need a degree or equivalent, say so. If they need to have operated at a senior level or to have in-depth knowledge of specific applications or software, again, say so. In short, don’t leave yourself open to receiving floods of applications, if that is not what you are after. If on the other hand, you’re happy to be inundated then fine, be briefer and less specific (either way, get back to each and every applicant. Maybe even consider how you could use their skills and experience in the future for another role that might come up).

Do a sepll check
It’s OK. I threw that error in on purpose. I’ll wager that more than a few of you thought ‘hang on, here’s this self-appointed copywriting guru telling us how to write copy and lo and behold he can’t even spell check his own copy'. Well, imagine if that was your impression of me, what your reader’s impression of an ad strewn with grammatical and typographical errors is going to be like? My own thought would be ‘if they can’t get the basics right, why on earth would I trust them to manage my career aspirations’? So spell check! Better still; get a colleague to read through your final copy as well. You can learn from each other and build up your confidence in your own ability to write good copy at the same time.

And finally…
Don’t forget, it’s not just potential candidates that will be reading your ad. Your competitors will too, not to mention possible future clients. It may only be a bit of copy to you, but to every reader it is much more than that. To the job seeker you are a potential career path. To the curious HR person you could be a future supplier. And, to the seriously concerned competitor, it’s a clear sign that you have a real edge over them. And that alone has got to make it all worthwhile, hasn’t it?

Alasdair Murray is a freelance recruitment advertising copywriter who has also worked at advertising agencies and for the national and regional press. http://alasdairdmurraycopywriter.co.uk 

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