Hiring? Here are 5 tips on how to write a good job ad.

Photo credit: Business Insider Singapore

Communicating a fit between the potential candidates and the job as well as the company is essential. Candidates should be well informed about whether their job knowledge, skills, and abilities match the requirements of the job. A bad job posting could potentially hurt your company and keep the right candidates from applying for the job.

We recently launched Tech in Asia Jobs, and here are some observations and tips we would like to share with you to get the right people applying to your company.

1. A concise job title

A job title should be short, straightforward, and uses words that best represents the role. Avoid cliches and exaggerations like “rockstar”, “guru”, “magician”, etc. as they may turn off some potential candidates.

You should also avoid using lingo that are not universally known, such as “Global Communications Support Staff”. Instead, use “PR Executive”, which is more commonly used for the job role.

2. A short company overview

A candidate may be familiar with your brand but knows nothing about the company’s operations and culture. In order to attract good candidates, include at least the company’s mission, goals, culture, industry, HQ, and total number of employees. Consider these as the starting points for potential candidates to research further about the company.

3. A brief job summary and key responsibilities

Write two to three sentences explaining the job role, then include points on the key responsibilities. According to CareerBuilder’s report on candidate behaviour, 76 percent of candidates would be curious about what would the day-to-day job be. Hence it is important to include a clear job scope and daily responsibilities.

4. Level of education, experience, and skills required

Specify the level of education and experience, as well as relevant skills required to do the job. The same report also suggests that 57 percent of candidates want to know about which skill sets are employers willing or not willing to negotiate on, thus it’s important to make clear distinctions between which skill sets are preferred and which are mandatory.

5. Specific salary and rewards

While revealing the salary gives a clear number that a candidate can expect to receive, benefits and perks make your company stand out from the similar job postings from other companies or competitors. Think about other things besides money that can attract good candidates, such as flexible working hours, unlimited paid leave, and bonding activities.

Lastly, don’t forget to carefully proofread the content before it gets published. Proofreading will not only help to find grammatical errors and typos, but also find out whether the job posting is written clearly. It’s also good to have someone else do the proofreading to check for any irregularities.

Here’s an example of a job posting we think fits the bill!

Is your company hiring? Check out our newly-launched job platform and start listing your jobs today! 🙂