6 Appalling Job Postings and What You Can Learn From Them

Learning to craft a well-written job posting may feel daunting, but it’s a critical skill for hiring managers and recruiters. In today’s competitive hiring landscape, if you want top talent you can’t settle for anything less.

A poorly crafted job posting will do your organization more harm than you may think. Not only will a bad job post turn off highly qualified candidates, but it could also attract a slew of totally unqualified applicants, which means you waste your own valuable time and resources weeding out these poor fit candidates. Research shows that more than three million job postings must be rewritten and reposted annually due to poor performance.

To help illustrate just how important a clear and concise job posting can be to the success of your next hire, we’ve drudged up six job postings that embody some common mistakes. Read on to learn more about the top mistakes hiring managers are making in job postings and how to correct them in yours.

The problem: The job posting is written for the employer, not the candidate

With more job opportunities in the market and fewer job candidates, it’s harder than ever to make strong hires. Finding qualified workers is the number one HR challenge today, with 36 percent of companies reporting an inability to find the talent they need.

To attract top talent, job descriptions should be written to appeal to jobseekers’ needs, not the needs of the employer. A recent study found job descriptions focusing on “candidate needs” generate a 14 percent higher response rate than those that concentrate on “employer needs” and that the quality of candidates who responded to “candidate-needs” job descriptions is almost three times better than those who answered “employer-need” job descriptions.

The post above is simply a long list of qualities the employer is seeking; it offers no insight into how the position will benefit the person who ultimately fills it.

How to fix the problem:

Write your job ad as if you were marketing a product to a consumer; focus on how the worker will benefit from being in the role and part of the company. That may mean emphasizing how they’ll contribute to the company and what role they will play in the company’s projects and initiatives. Instead of writing a laundry list of responsibilities, mention exciting or challenging projects and other experiences the candidate will get to have in the job.
Include links to videos, slideshows, and other content related to the company and/ or the specific department to which the applicant is applying.

The problem: There are typos in your job posting

The job posting above is a great example of why two sets of eyes are always better than one. This job ad is riddled with typos and punctuation errors. Typos are easy to make and easy to miss, especially if you’ve been agonizing over the wording of your job post for hours.

How to fix the problem:

Proofread, proofread, and then proofread your post again, and always have a trusted coworker read your finished job posting over as well.
For additional insurance, run your post through an online proofreading tool that can catch spelling, grammar and punctuation errors before you hit “publish” on your post.

The problem: Your job posting has no job summary

Jobseekers want to know what they are signing up for when they apply for your opportunity, which means a clear, concise job summary is necessary. Aside from being difficult to read thanks to a lack of subheads and bullet points, the job posting above doesn’t give applicants any idea of what the job entails, nor does it provide any information about the company itself. Further, with so few keywords that relate to the day-to-day of the job itself, this post likely won’t perform well when jobseekers search online for customer service opportunities.

How to fix the problem:

Write more. MightyRecruiter recommends a length of around 700 words for a job posting. The ad above is only 71 words, which is way too short to give qualified candidates a solid idea of what to expect.
To beef up your job post, start by creating and then populating the four major sections of a successful job post ¬– job title, list of responsibilities, required/desired job skills and a company description. Use subheads to ensure all of the relevant information is present and easy to find.
Use keywords in your job description to help your job posting show up on the first page of search engines. Think about the words and phrases that applicants would use to search for your listing and include them in the job title and throughout the description.

The problem:Your job posting is too long

Like a post that is full of dense and lengthy paragraphs, writing a job posting that is too long and detailed can be a deterrent as well. While the post above is well organized, the “Duties and Responsibilities” section alone is nearly 300 words. If jobseekers have to scroll once or twice to get to the end of your ad, they might lose interest before they apply.

How to fix the problem:

Remember to keep your job posting short and sweet, otherwise candidates will get lost in the details. While finding the optimal word count for your posts can feel tricky, a cap of about 700 words total is ideal.
Accomplish this by sticking to a concise job description and a list of only the core job responsibilities. These responsibilities can be expanded upon during candidate interviews.
Also, don’t write out your entire wish list of skills and qualifications. Instead, stick to just the fundamental skills needed to perform the role, with a goal of no more than seven bullet points total in this section. If you absolutely need to list more, consider splitting your skills section into “Required” and “Desired” qualifications to keep jobseekers engaged.

The problem: Your job posting is hard to read

While this job posting contains all of the critical information – job title and summary, list of responsibilities, required job skills, and a description of the company’s mission – it’s lost in a sea of text. A text-heavy post makes it difficult for jobseekers to identify the critical information. If it’s difficult to quickly discern whether or not they are qualified for the role, some qualified candidates may skip applying altogether.

How to fix the problem:

Split your job post into sections using subheads to separate out important information. Using headings like “Required Skills,” “Duties and Responsibilities”, and “About the Company” will help jobseekers quickly find the information they need to decide whether to apply.
Use bullet points to help focus the reader’s attention. These are most important in the sections that outline responsibilities and qualifications, but they can also be used elsewhere to improve the format if readability is an issue.

The problem: Your job posting has a vague job title
A successful job posting must have a clearly articulated title. The post above is advertising a “staff” job. But what does that actually mean? A jobseeker shouldn’t have to read your entire job posting to be able to determine if they might be suitable for a role. Not to mention, jobseekers scanning job boards for particular job titles will never find this job description, nor will it rank in the search results.

How to fix the problem:

Be straightforward when creating a job title. Think about which words qualified jobseekers might search for and use those words. Being overly creative with your title might cost you ranking on search engines.
Be specific. Include specific skills or niche roles, where relevant. For example, if you are looking for someone to run your car wash, it’s appropriate to use “Car Wash Manager” instead of just “Manager” as your job title. Inclusion of keywords in a job title increases candidate views by 116 percent.

Want to Write a Better Job Posting? MightyRecruiter Can Help

While knowing how to write a great job posting is a critical part of hiring success, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Great recruiters understand that they also need to make the most of their time and get the most bang for their buck. And that’s where MightyRecruiter can help.

With just one click we can help you write a strong job posting and help distribute it to the sites that count. Once the resumes start rolling in, MightyRecruiter gives you the tools you need to manage your applicants with minimal effort. Start your free trial today!