How to Create Job Posts That Convert [Guidelines]

Mastering the craft of writing job posts is a very important piece of the hiring process. Creating job posts that convert can be a mind-boggling task when it comes to attracting the right candidates. One of the keys to writing effective job descriptions is to hit a balance between being concise and providing the right amount of detail so that job seekers can self-qualify. The purpose of this is to attract quality hires and sell the opportunity with your organization.

A lot of sales and marketing job posts are closely aligned with each other. As you read more into this blog you will understand how different job posts use similar tactics to rank when it comes to job posts that convert. Sales and marketing go hand in hand. An important part of creating job posts has to do with starting with the job description and keywords.
Most search engines work by scanning job descriptions and titles to reveal the most relevant match to a job seeker’s query. Writing effective job titles and detailed job descriptions will help bring in more qualified candidates. This is why the use of keywords is very important. Resume Reading Machines incorporate AI when it comes to getting your job suggested to qualified candidates. With that being said it is vital to use effective keywords and key skills that will help the algorithm suggest your job posting to candidates who have applied to similar jobs. 
Most job posts that convert emphasize the right description. When it comes to optimizing the perfect job description, striking a balance between being concise and providing just enough detail so that job seekers can self-qualify is the key to writing an effective job description.  Here are some of the best practices when it comes to creating job posts that convert. 

• Get Attention
• Ask the candidates only apply if they meet your requirements
• Give job seekers a sense of your organizations style and culture
• Be precise, but not too precise

1) Get Attention
Think like a marketer. When you draft a job description you should open with an attention grabber paragraph. Be specific when describing the role and take your time in describing why this job is a great opportunity. Grab their interest by validating your company’s reputation and give confidence to the job applicant that they are working for a reputable company. Incorporating reputable companies you work with and having testimonials and achievements are all ways to validate your company to the candidate. There is a higher risk of a potential candidate moving on if you don’t pique their interest in the beginning.    
2) Ask the candidates only apply if they meet your requirements
This should prevent unqualified applicants from “just taking a chance” on your job posting.
3) Give job seekers a sense of your organizations style and culture
This can maybe include an overview of employee benefits, salary, schedule, and other perks as well as something similar to Netflix and Zappos culture decks. Something for the candidate to know exactly what they are getting into.   
4) Be precise, but not too precise
The more specific your ad is, the less potential candidates will match the profile. If you are looking for something specific it might not be necessary to say the very specific skill or experience they need. Candidates might not even bother to apply, because they aren’t an “expert” in that certain skill, but you could be missing out on a highly intelligent employee who would be able to learn that skill within a month. You should also think about how much you like seeing bullet points in resumes that are sent to you. The same goes for the job seekers when looking at your ads. Having a brief and organized amount of text will increase the number of candidates replying to your offer.
 

 
Once you create a captivating job title and description, focus on variations of job titles and descriptions to determine which ones reel in the most qualified applicants. Job sites like Indeed provide analytics and performance reports which are available to use in testing what titles provide the most qualified candidates. You can also perform A/B tests to experiments with different versions of your titles and descriptions to see which one drives the best results. Always be testing if you want job posts that convert. 
Sometimes you will find your click-to-apply ratio is dim, even with your engaging job descriptions. This is mostly because of the fact that your job application process is too long in length.
You should know that the best candidates always have options so even in an employer’s market, top talent still will not fill out your 50 question job application. So when it comes to creating job posts that convert here is how you can improve on this.

• Ditch traditional job application length thinking
• Mobilization
• Segmentation
• Customization
• Communication

1) Ditch traditional job application length thinking
Ditch traditional job application length thinking If your logic is making your application process long so you won’t get overwhelmed with unqualified applicants. You run the risk of disengaging the best candidates. You should evaluate your own application process to determine what works best for your organization and job market. Think about how the applicant might feel when completing your job application.  Know what works and what doesn’t.
2) Mobilization

Smaller screens make lengthy applications appear even more intimidating and prevent potential applications from applying. Conversion rates are even less for mobile devices than from a desktop. A couple of these enhancements will help you improve your odds of success.
     1. Dropbox/Google Drive
Using a cloud-based system will allow mobile job seekers to use your system at ease by allowing them to pull their resume from storage sites like Dropbox or Google Drive.
     2. Mobile-friendly jobs site
Having responsive web design in your career portal will ensure that your employment application automatically adjusts to the size of the screen on which it is displayed.
     3. Mobile apply integrations
Applying with LinkedIn and Indeed apply make life easier for candidates because this allows them to pull application information directly from these websites. Linkedin allows users to authorize their profile to populate some of the fields on your application information.
3) Segmentation 
Do not put the cart before the horse. It is not necessary to have a candidate’s references in the first step of the hiring process. Only a small percentage of your candidates will have those come into play at the end of the selection process. My point I am trying to make is you should have the absolute need-to-know-now questions in the very beginning of the process. You can look for ATS (Applicant tracking systems) providers that offer employment applications options like a two-step application. After the applicants are pre-screened you can ask those top candidates (who are more motivated to respond having been identified) for more vigorous applicant information in the second step of the application.
Another part of segmentation can be limiting the number of essay questions. Instead choose multiple choice questions to facilitate information, quick information that does not stretch the time it takes to complete an application, but also allows your staff to use answers to automatically score or disqualify applicants.
4) Customization
Help candidates help you by customizing their application experience to be hyper-specific for the information you need early on to evaluate their potential qualifications for a position. You should think about the potential considerations to ease the candidate experience. If you have an application for a graphic designer, you should have a designated place to reference their online portfolio, or if the application allows candidates to link provided work experience and content through LinkedIn. 
5) Communication
Creating content that shows the entire hiring process including interviews and background checks, illustrates to job seekers what you are going to tell them before you tell it. A lot of effective writing styles preview a piece of contents focuses before getting to juicer topics.

Job posts that convert follow these communication strategies:

      1. Career-focused content
Have pages within your job sites that share Q&A narratives about what candidates can expect from the hiring process. Integrate images and videos as often as possible because it makes it easier and more enjoyable for job seekers in processing the information. 
      2. Job Description length
Describe the position in more words instead of one short paragraph if you want more qualified candidates to apply. Recruiting metrics that are available in-app ATS dashboards help you start identifying which of your job listings are performing best when it comes to organic search results. This may be a small clue into which of these descriptions have more optimal length.
      3. Clear application instructions
Looking at the actual directions listed at the start and end of your application process, think about if they set expectations from which additional information could be collected later, if applicable? Could they be shorter or longer to be more effective?
If you follow these guidelines for converting more job applications, your organization can make strides toward improving your hiring efficiency.
Inside Sales Solutions is hiring! Take a look at our job postings on Glassdoor and Indeed.