How you may be writing job ads all wrong

Working with recruiters around the globe, a frequent complaint I hear is that they receive too many applications from unqualified candidates. You post a job, and sometimes literally within seconds, the applications start coming in. Some of them are generic cover letters and CVs that do not specifically convey why they are a fit for your particular opening and some of them are so clearly not qualified it makes you wonder if they even read the job description before applying. Well, it turns out they may not be. TheLadders recently released a study on how job seekers read — or misread — job postings. The web company asked a group of candidates how long they read a job ad before applying. The findings: Some 44 percent of respondents said they spend one to five minutes and 19 percent said they spend up to 10 minutes reading a posting before deciding to apply. However, when they studied these same candidates using eye-tracking technology, they found that this group actually spent an average of 76.7 seconds reading job ads for ones that appeared to match their background. It took them only 49.7 seconds to dismiss a job as not a fit. Surprisingly, only 14.6 seconds of that was spent reading the job qualifications and many skipped reading the job description entirely. Instead, most of their time was spent reading the job title and company description. Just as recruiters learn to quickly scan a resume so they can efficiently move through what is often a mountain of applications, job seekers too quickly skim through what is often a mountain of job postings. Here are some tips for crafting a job ad that helps candidates identify how good a match to their qualifications it is, while discouraging applications from those who are less qualified. Use a more descriptive job title International development positions often have job titles like program officer, team leader or chief of party. To a job seeker, these titles could mean a myriad of things when it comes to skills, duties and job levels. Knowing that job seekers will spend a good amount of time reading the vacancy’s title, this is an opportunity to help further clarify the core expertise you are seeking. For example, instead of posting a job as “program officer,” you could list it as “program officer, sustainable agriculture.” If you absolutely need someone who speaks French, you could post it as “French-speaking program officer for sustainable agriculture.” Drilling in on specifics in your job title may decrease the number of applications, but raise the quality of the ones that do apply. Separate your organization description from the job descriptions Starting last year, we added a feature to the Devex jobs board that allows you to separate out your organization description from your job description. One reason we made this change was to help match qualified candidates with your job openings. Job postings will often have the overall organization description before the job description. Much like recruiters spend more time reading the first page of a resume, job seekers spend more time reading the top of a posting. When you post a job on Devex, we list the job description before the organization description, allowing you to use that valuable real estate to clearly lay out the parameters of the vacancy, including key duties and qualifications. Add requirements to your job postings When posting a job on devex.com, you can also add key requirements to your job ad. These are non-negotiable qualifications candidates must meet in order to be considered. You can specify required citizenships, languages, years of experience or education. These key requirements are bolded and highlighted in the job ad, making them stand out to job seekers. A warning message is shown to candidates who apply but do not meet the minimum requirements. Recruiters who are reviewing applicants via the Devex website can use flters to easily weed out those who don’t meet key requirements. Consider job ads and job descriptions as separate Job ads are really marketing pitches. Confusing them with a job description — a document between an employee and employer to clearly outline the duties and functions of a position — is not always the best way to entice top talent. Just as we advise applicants to tailor their CVs to the position and “market themselves” to us, recruiters need to market and tailor their job ads to the candidate they want. Job descriptions can be long and cumbersome to read. It’s no wonder candidates pick out a few key sections to focus on. Consider writing a separate, more succinct job ad that gets to the point on the key qualifications you seek, the benefits you offer and who should apply. If you have a marketing or communications team, get them involved to help with the messaging. On devex.com, you can upload attachments to job postings. So for those who want more detail, consider adding a more robust job description as an attachment. Check out this webinar for more tips on maximizing the Devex job board and your job postings. Read more: - Finding candidates on Devex just got easier - How to arrange interviews across time zones and hectic schedules - Proposal recruitment on a tight budget: Tips and tricks